Blackbird – with New Lyrics and Insites by Far I

Black Bird

April 4, 1968, at the age of 39 Martin Luther King was assassinated.

Shock waves riveted throughout the Black Community in the United States.  Many African Americans had decided to take Kings non-violent path to social.  When he was murdered it was as if they community said not our anointed one.

Kill the won who has weapons aimed at you and we will understand yet this is the one who has honored you as human – the one who told us not to fight physically, fight spiritual and he is murdered.  The population was out of control and many riots followed.

Paul McCartney was in Scotland at the time and used musical phrasings from Bach to compose his response to the African American unrest in the US.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
all your life
you were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,

I feel him saying that although I know that you are in pain, keep looking, keep reaching, keep striving this is your moment.  The world is with you. We see you.  Now is your time although painful this is the moment you were waiting for to ARISE!

I personally was introduced to this song through the movie I AM SAM.  The movie was heartfelt.  Sean Penn played an outcast – a disabled man.  Society did not understand him nor think he was capable to care for his daughter.  His mother was a prostitute and did not want to care for the child.  The story touch my heart because I as an African American Man often feel misunderstood and labeled incapable of handling life.

Many times it is true.  Things such as marriage, raising children, finances, etc… are often upside down and unmanageable.  Yet like Sam in the movie I am still someone.  I am human and at least deserve the right to give it my best shot, even if I end up a little short of the mark.  When the song Blackbird accompanied the movie I said to myself I must learn to play that song.  It was inspirational.  A person born into an adverse situation yet with broken wings – learn to fly, with sunken eyes learn to see.

I added my own lyrics to the beginning.  In the fall of 2008 my family suffered a devastating loss.  Anna Monique Johnson died suddenly at the age of 45 at work.
She was in many was the corner stone of my immediate family.  When she passed it was so sudden and she was so young it was surreal.  There were two song I sung to get me through this tough time and one was Blackbird.  Here are the lyrics I added to the song I see her wonderful face and feel her comforting presence when I sing this song.

Walk into your night like a shining sun
Oh Blackbird you are the one
Push it to the limit reach for the sky
Blackbird – Fly

My the eternal comforting presence be with us all through our journey of life and after!