Behind The Song: Thunderbird Angel
The different interpretations of my song 'Thunderbird Angel' has been pretty interesting. Obviously art is subjective and can always be formed to fit whatever meaning each individual desires for it to be, but I thought a quick explanation of where the inspiration came from might be nice!
I have no idea when or where I read it and I'm paraphrasing, but the legend of the thunderbird is that it would beat its wings so hard and fierce the sound of thunder, even storms, would follow.
I watched Thelma and Louise for the first time last year and that sleek, cool car is so iconic.
People make fun of me because since I didn't like the ending I made up my own. I like to think that there was ground underneath that cliff that we couldn't see, but they just kept on driving and lived happily ever after ...yes I know thats not as cool as a "ride or die" kinda thing but it makes me happy.
I love angels, the biblical descriptions and the pictures in my imagination of such majestic beauty and incomparable strength is awesome to me. I don't collect angel wings or anything, but I do have quite a few. I have wood ones and metal ones, painted ones and rusty ones inside and outside my house and I have lots of jewelry pieces with them.
So all of those elements were pieced together mixed with some thoughts, feelings and imagination of beauty and strength in the midst of weakness. This painted a picture for me that something that is relatively weak and small could be so fierce and stir stuff up, but look sleek and classy doing it while still being majestic and awesome.
I questioned several times about recording it at all because it is so open for interpretation, but several other songwriters encouraged me to see it through. I have been pleasantly surprised how many have liked it and related to it.
I'm not much of a poet, sometimes I do better than others, but certainly not in proper form. This is the poem I wrote before I actually wrote the song then brought on the co-writers to help smooth some of the edges....
Thunderbird Angel
POEM
What is a thunderbird angel?
Some one who is sleek and fast as a classy slick car
Open and accessible like the top down on a convertible
Free to let her hair blow in the wind and the sunshine tickle her skin
She is strong.
She is brave.
She is fierce.
When she sits people notice.
When she speaks people focus.
When she begins to rise
Deciding it's time to relocate
Her very dainty footsteps
leave permanent markings
on the hearts
In the path she makes
As she goes on her journey the very motion of her actions
Send a rumble and a ruckus the whole world notices
The harder she pushes to pick herself up from lying down
the more gravity tries to weigh her down
But as she wakes ohhhh the ground shakes
as she moves Gravity is no more
the weight can not hold her
The stress crumbles
as she begins to soar
Suddenly this fierce warrior
reveals the mystery that is beauty
Pretty is as pretty does
And this is her to the core
Tho the world is enthralled
with her beauty and charm
it is the sincere angelic heart
that powers her flight
it's the sweet spirit
that thunders through the universe
as she makes her mark
changing the world around her.
What is a thunderbird angel?
No, the question is who is a thunderbird angel
Thunderbird Angel
Lyrics
Casey Kearney
Tim Jackson and Doug Kahan
Verse 1
Why oh why you try
to hold me down
Make me believe
I couldnt make it on my own
I used my wings to cover up my eyes
I forgot, I forgot how to fly
no more of your lying
hear the roar of me rising
this is me
determined to keep fighting
CHORUS
Thunderbird Angels fly high
Beat their wings
so hard that the whole world feels
the lighting in their veins
Blows in like a midnight storm
sweeter than a summer wind
I will never be knocked down
like that again
Here I am
a thunderbird angel
VERSE 2
Battles lost and scars Ive worn
I cowered down but not anymore
Pink sunset
in my rearview
is the only past, only past I'll hold onto
no more of your lying
hear the roar of me rising
this is me
determined to keep fighting
CHORUS
Thunderbird Angels fly high
Beat their wings
so hard that the whole world feels
the lighting in their veins
Blows in like a midnight storm
sweeter than a summer wind
I will never be knocked down
like that again
Here I am
a thunderbird angel
BRIDGE
Someday I will change the world
Someday I will change the world
Someday I will change the world
I'll soar that high again
CHORUS
Thunderbird Angels fly high
Beat their wings
so hard that the whole world feels
the lighting in their veins
Blows in like a midnight storm
sweeter than a summer wind
I will never be knocked down
like that again
Now I know exactly
who I am
A thunderbird angel
thunderbird angel
