BLACKBIRD Harper James | Southern Gothic [Intro] (Soft acoustic guitar, distant crickets, a single crow call) Mama said, “When the blackbird sings, Somebody’s hiding something.” [Verse 1] There was a house past the county line, With a crooked cross and a dead grapevine, Daddy kept the curtains closed all day, Said the devil liked to watch us play. Mama wore pearls to the Sunday pew, Sang every hymn like she knew the truth, Then one July, when the heat turned mean, She vanished somewhere between the trees. [Pre-Chorus] Daddy said she ran away, Left her ring beside the sink, But every night at half past three, That blackbird came to me. [Chorus] Blackbird, blackbird, up on the wire, Tell me who lit the midnight fire, Who left the back door open wide, Who heard Mama crying on the other side? Blackbird, blackbird, don’t you fly, You know the truth that this town denies, If her ghost is calling through the pines, Blackbird, won’t you tell me why? [Verse 2] I found a letter in the cedar chest, With a faded rose and a blood-red dress, It said, “My darling, if you hear this song, Don’t believe the man who says I’m gone.” There were muddy prints by the chapel door, And a broken locket beneath the floor, I took that letter to Reverend James, He crossed himself when I spoke her name. [Pre-Chorus] He said, “Child, let the dead sleep sound, Some old roots should stay underground.” But as I turned to leave that place, A black feather fell across my face. [Chorus] Blackbird, blackbird, up on the wire, Tell me who lit the midnight fire, Who left the back door open wide, Who heard Mama crying on the other side? Blackbird, blackbird, don’t you fly, You know the truth that this town denies, If her ghost is calling through the pines, Blackbird, won’t you tell me why? [Instrumental Break] (Haunting fiddle, tremolo guitar, low harmonies, distant church bells) [Bridge] I went down to the river bend, Where the old oak leans and the willows bend, Found a silver chain in the riverbed, And a little white cross with my mother’s name. Then Daddy came with his Sunday smile, Said, “You’ve been gone for a little while.” But the bird flew down to the porch that night, And tapped three times on my window light. I opened the pane, and the wind rushed in, And I heard her voice through the midnight hymn: “Baby girl, there’s a truth you need, That blackbird’s been watching over me.” [Breakdown] (Almost whispered, just piano and acoustic guitar) He said I died… But I never did. He said I ran… I was protecting you, kid. [Final Chorus] Blackbird, blackbird, up on the wire, You kept my mother’s last desire, You watched the house, you watched the lies, You kept her secret through the years gone by. Blackbird, blackbird, now I know, Some roots run deep where the cold winds blow, Mama’s alive, and she’s coming home, And Daddy’s standing there alone. [Outro] (Solo acoustic guitar, fading crickets, one blackbird call) Mama said, “When the blackbird sings, Somebody’s hiding something.” Now I know… What the blackbird brings. (One final church bell. Silence.)
