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Old Mother Blackbird

by Sophie Bancroft

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about

Written by Sophie Bancroft
- about a family of blackbirds that took up residence in the garden during lockdown.The old mother blackbird worked tirelessly to feed an protect her babies. Her mother's love inspired me to write this song and make the video that you can watch at youtu.be/XlVs2GjPs5M

lyrics

Old Mother Blackbird
by Sophie Bancroft ©2021

In a nest, in a tree, by the wall in our garden
A family of blackbirds did grow.
And each day from the tree there came a loud warning
To all those who passed by below.

The old mother blackbird with ruffled brown feathers
Would sound her alarm call each hour of the day.
And no matter how hungry or tired she was feeling
All she would do was to perch there and say,
“Keep away, keep away from my babies!
My life’s work is here at the top of the tree.
And all I can hope is my babies keep safe till they fly.”

And the mother she nurtured the young baby blackbirds
With worms from our garden wrapped up in her love.
And she built up their strength and belief that one day
They could fly from the nest to a life of their own.
“Fly away” she would call to her babies
As they spread their wings at the top of the tree.
And she could hope was that they would be happy and strong.

And Old Mother Blackbird she stayed in the tree
By the nest that lay empty and quiet and cold.
And surrounded by echoes of babies she’d nurtured
She slept for a while dreaming they had come home.

Now I sit in my garden watching Old Mother Blackbird
Collecting a worm to eat on her own.
And I still hear her call from the tree with the nest
And it sounds like the cry I hold deep in my breast,
“I am far, I am far from my babies.
My life’s work is done at the top of the tree.”
And all she could hope was her babies are happy in life.

credits

released November 10, 2022
Voice and Guitar - Sophie Bancroft
Double Bass - Tom Lyne
Recorded and Engineered - Tom Lyne

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Sophie Bancroft Edinburgh, UK

Sophie Bancroft is a singer and songwriter of contemporary jazz-based songs whose music has been used on American hit TV series 'Six Feet Under' and recorded by various artistes.
She is also a filmmaker and her film poem (S)kin was screened at the UK Women Over Fifty Film Festival in 2021 and the Italian film festival Cinema D'Idea. Her new film song 'Old Mother Blackbird' releases November 2022. ... more

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