Sparrow Songs

I came across this beautiful song Sparrow Alone, and wanted to pass it on, along with some reflections on sparrows.

A number of songs, references and at least one hymn have been inspired by the words of Jesus concerning the value of the common sparrow.

“Two sparrows sell for a farthing, don’t they? Yet not a single sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. The very hairs of your head are all numbered. Never be afraid, then—you are far more valuable than sparrows.” – Matthew 10:30-33 – J.B. Phillips New Testament

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Sparrows are so easily spotted in all parts of the world:

“Passer domesticus is one of the most common animals in the world. It is found throughout Northern Africa, Europe, the Americas and much of Asia and is almost certainly more abundant than humans. The birds follow us wherever we go. House sparrows have been seen feeding on the 80th floor of the Empire State Building.” (Source – Smithsonian Magazine)

Here is the video of this newly-to-me discovered beautiful song and lyrics…and following that…two more sparrow-themed songs I found.

One thing I enjoy musically about Mean Mary’s “Sparrow Alone” is how she uses the banjo toward the end. When I hear this it sounds like the fluttering of the alone sparrow’s wings in flight and is a perfectly-placed ending riff in this musical piece. It provides interesting contrast to her slower-beginning banjo riff, which continues in pace as the beautiful and winsome lyrics are superimposed. Midway, the strumming, ballad-like section also appeals to my ear.

This is a link to the musical artist’s website with the lyrics to Sparrow Alone.

SPARROW ALONE

No one knows if the sparrow sleeps on its housetop late at night
No one knows if the sparrow weeps when nothing’s going right
I watched it scorn the angry sky huddled against the weather
If I could only fly we could huddle there together
Huddle there together

CHORUS
Oh, the wind blew like a siren and the thunder was a firin’
There was red in the sky that night
But I could stand the blowing, and the waiting and the knowing
I’d be flying on a lonely flight
Let the vultures all assemble, they will never see me tremble
Like the sparrow, I’ll be stone
Like the sparrow, I’ll get by, like the sparrow, I will fly
Like the sparrow, alone
Sparrow alone

Don’t fly into the storm, they said, but my course was firmly set
Silently I stared ahead a lonely statuette
I’d seen things no one should see, I’d faced the great unknown
Like the sparrow I’d fly free and face the storm alone—storm alone

CHORUS

(music and lyrics by Mary James & Jean James)

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The idea of being alone and aloneness often seems easily associated with birds.

I’m thinking even of the poem Wild Geese by Mary Oliver.

In the image of the common sparrow is one of smallness, in particular. In a sense it is one of being unseen and unknown.

I often distinguish between someone who is lonely in life and someone who is alone in life, though I think the lines may blur at times and perhaps there isn’t a real difference.

Yet, I believe to some degree, there may be a difference.

For me, I think I experience more a sense of aloneness than loneliness.

Perhaps being an only child, I have tended to view the world through my eyes in this way, at many points in life. And as an only child, I do well with solitude and even flourish in it, creatively, in many ways.

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The lonely person may do things like make unnecessary trips to the grocery store just to be with people.

The alone person may go to the grocery store and experience a sense of still feeling disconnected in some way, at times – that their world is somewhat solitary and their plight somewhat obscured, even when with people.

The lonely person may be uncomfortable with solitude, while the alone person may enjoy solitude yet recognize need to also connect.

I’ve picked up in several different podcast listenings or readings in the past couple months (and I wish I could quickly find the one where this idea first stood out to me) the phrasing that we all need an intimate inner circle of friends to witness our life, and the power of having that.

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I think the sparrow is the perfect metaphor for feeling small and vulnerable in the world and dependent on external forces beyond their control and having no witness.

It may be (indirectly, through the metaphor itself) implied in Jesus’ words that every day, sparrows fall to the ground, mostly unnoticed by rest of all creation.

The idea of the Father’s witness of the sparrow’s life, which Jesus points out, is that this small bird is seen by the Father, cared for by the Father and valued by the Father – though so seemingly small and of no real value and consequence in the grand scheme of Earth’s creation.

It seems to me that an aspect often woven into sparrow themes is that of facing a thousand potential perils by one of the smallest birds in the largest of worlds – and being alone in the wild.

This next video by Jerry Douglas and Bryan Sutton really plays up this idea, visually. It has wonderful animation and interesting lyrics. This simple, child-like, story-book-style video is worth the watch, if you are enjoying contemplation of sparrow songs along with me…

There is a section of this song toward the end which sounded to me to possibly be Hebrew words. I searched online to see if I could quickly find the lyrics and translation and did not, but I did find this link to what appears to be the band that performs this.

A quick excerpt from their website:

“Since their arrival on the scene in 2015, Nefesh Mountain has been hailed as one of today’s formative boundary pushing Bluegrass/Americana bands. They’re among the first to truly give voice and openly represent Jewish American culture, tradition, values and spirituality in the world of American roots music. In a testament to the unbridled imagination and extraordinary grace of their musicianship, each track on Songs for the Sparrows ineffably evokes the sensation of roaming through the unknown. True to the album’s spirit of loving inclusivity, Lindberg and Zasloff, have created an elegantly wayward sound by melding elements of everything from Americana and Appalachian bluegrass to Celtic folk and Eastern European music. Not only a reflection of their vast musical knowledge, that open-hearted embracing of so many eclectic genres also speaks to the joyful curiosity that animates every aspect of their artistry.”