Music Review // Joe Lapinski "Hurt A Bird"

 

Joe Lapinski begins this song with the line "I don't ever want to hurt a bird".   This is a bold statement mainly because it not only comes from a sense of taking care of nature but also just that general thought of kindness and respect that you don't see as much of in the world today as perhaps we might like.  As the song goes on, you'll hear lines such as "Your hate will leave you undone" and it just comes across like this song is about more than just a bird, but it's also more than just about a person perhaps and is a good moral for life.

One of the lines which you can really reflect on is: "Open heart, open hand, then you'll understand".  I feel like much in the way that a bird is just a bird and as such is just trying to do its bird things, there isn't any reason for them to try and cause you any direct harm on purpose (Though they might accidentally fly into your head, for example)  At the same time, a bird is free as are our actions and the bad times which they can sometimes bring.  I feel like when something bad happens, in some ways we sort of punish ourselves for it and that makes things worse.

But as the song says "Have you ever tried to free a bird?  It's easier than you've heard".  I feel like this is less about actually letting a bird free, though through these chalk and oil pallets images move through this music video which can show putting a bird into a cage.  I feel like letting that bird free is letting go of that anger, that sadness, that hatred-- whatever negativity is holding you back from being the best version of yourself: from being free.

By the end of the song we have the lines "Let them trill, let them chatter / Let them build a nest / And move freely on their quest!".   This just kind of goes to show those complexities in life.  The people, the situations, the birds- they're not set out to destroy you.  They're just doing what they're doing and then they move on.  So if you let them be, then you can move on just as well.  At the time, everyone will feel better for it.