The Crow

I am so sorry Crow

The Crow

I shot Pa’s pistol toward the sky
I hit a black crow flying by
The crow fell dying to the land
I dropped the pistol from my hand

I picked up feathers in the grass
Surprised to find more there than black
Some purple and some brownish blue
How could it be I never knew

I ran to where I saw a wing
Was flapping strangely in the wind
The bird was barely breathing there 
Alive into my eyes she stared

I said I am so sorry crow
She said, you’re young you didn’t know
But now you can’t just walk away
You’ve got to finish me today

[Guitar and cello]

And so I went to get that gun
Jet black and blazing in the sun
Oh down my face the tears did pour
I shot the life out of that crow

Years ago my father, Papa, told me that when he was a teenager he was exploring the woods and came upon a crow caught in a trap. The crow was extremely frightened and agitated, squawking and trying to fly away. Papa took off his jacket, wrapped it around the crow, and gently removed the crow’s leg from the trap. The crow flew up into a tree and stared down at Papa. They looked at one another for a while, then Papa started walking. The crow flew from tree to tree to tree following Papa all the way home.

Knowing the intelligence of the Corvid family, Papa and I believed that the crow understood that he had saved her, and that she was acknowledging Papa’s good deed.

This song was inspired by Shel Silverstein’s poem, “Arrows” which is in an iambic tetrameter pattern:

I shot an arrow toward the sky 
I hit a white cloud floating by 
The cloud fell dying to the shore 
I don’t shoot arrows anymore

Gorgeous photo of a Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) / CC by 4.0 / credit: Alexis Lours

Some purple and a brownish blue. I chose this photo because the iridescence is evident, showing the colors mentioned in the song. In the song, the boy is discovering the complexities, beauty, and intelligence of this exquisite being. And he is learning what it means to kill: the reality, heartbreak, suffering, and consequences.

“The Crow” was recorded at Frog Hollow Studio. I was joined by Jud Caswell on guitar and April Reed-Cox on cello.

I only posted one song in July and was going to make that up in August. Instead what I decided to do was to take some recording lessons and upgrade all of the recordings of my past posts. I am still working on Big Night and Sky Dance which are not up to par yet.

Thank you for taking the time to read and listen. Please feel free to share with others and to leave a comment about your own Corvid stories.