“Birdsong” by Kina Grannis

Cover art for Kina Grannis’s “Birdsong”

Kina Grannis’s song “Birdsong” begins with just that: the soft chirping of birds, accompanied by gentle piano chords. She then begins singing about a special connection with someone, describing how they fell right into her hands and that she will continue to hold them for as long as she can. But the chorus reveals that their time together will be short-lived:

So that’s goodbye
My eager friend
I’d have thought that we would have another morning
But so it goes
And so it ends
And all that I can do is hold a home within me
Do you know I cried, I cried, I cried until I thought that I could die

The rest of the song repeats the chorus, and includes verses asking the loved one to tell what they see as they soar high, asking if the loved one can see them.  

The simplicity of the piano and voice allow the poignant words to shine, and create space for reflection and emotions internally. The musical tone of the song is light and almost creates a rocking lullaby sound. This is a song about grief and letting go that presents both gratitude for the time with the loved one, and the sadness and wonder about where they went. There is acceptance of the loss without minimizing the emotional impact.

Kina Grannis
Credit: Twitter

One of the appeals of “Birdsong” is that it never specifies who the loved one is, thus allowing space for the listener to interpret it as fits their own life. Many people describe loved ones who have died in terms of flying away or looking on from above. But surprisingly, when writing it Kina Grannis was inspired by actual birds that she had cared for and then watched fly away. In a YouTube video, she describes a specific bird, Clancy, that she had rescued and released, and her deep grief at not knowing if he was going to be all right.

In writing the song, Grannis initially thought only about her experience caring for these birds, but after playing it for her partner, she realized it was about so much more and spoke to many types of grief. She saw that it may have a specific meaning for parents who have lost infants or children, who had to say goodbye to someone small and fragile when they were not ready. Thus, almost accidentally, Grannis tapped into a universal experience of loving and saying goodbye.