Little bird brain Big sky file Tiny beak scribbling In the margin of denial [Verse 1] History lied to me Leather spine, gold leaf, thin page Pretty dates in a straight little line Every war in a tidy little cage Encyclopedia lied Alphabet prison, plastic coat All that gloss on a dusty truth Footnotes strangling my throat Experts pointed with lasers Charts so clean, hands so sure Sold me maps of a flat old planet Called my questions immature School drew borders in marker Red and blue chalk on the board Gave me grades for repeating phrases Called it honor, called it reward [Chorus] The world lies But it doesn’t even know it Every mouth recites a script Doesn’t know who wrote it I was just a little bird Learning lines by rote Now I peck through painted seeds And I know the real, I know (yeah) I know the real, I know [Verse 2] Religion lied in a whisper Silver cup, stained-glass glow Told me pain was a sacred ladder Up to a sky I couldn’t know Priest said, “Don’t touch the curtain” Said, “Just stand still, just pray” But I saw dust on the holy book Same dust on my windowpane Neighbors nod in the hallway Same small talk, same smile Swear their chain is a safety rope Wear it proud like a fragile style But I slipped out through a crack Feathers pressed to the frame Found the edge of the pretty picture Saw the painter forget his name [Chorus] The world lies But it doesn’t even know it Every mouth recites a script Doesn’t know who wrote it I was just a little bird Learning lines by rote Now I peck through painted seeds And I know the real, I know (oh) I know the real, I know [Bridge] Tiny throat, heavy truth Small song, sharp claw I don’t shout, I just tilt my head Hear the glitch in every law They still sleep on folded wings Dreaming in pre-approved ink I just perch on the power line And refuse to blink, refuse to blink [Chorus] The world lies But it doesn’t even know it Every mouth recites a script Doesn’t know who wrote it I was just a little bird Learning lines by rote Now I crack these quiet shells And I know the real, I know (yeah) I know the real I know
