As I have known from my history lesson, the 60′s to 70′s were the years that a lot of people would go out and speak out. It was the year of street protest and along side of it, music was of vital importance aside from those political message brought out by those people. I claim no expertise on this genre for it was not my time, although I had my own share of street protest with a different twist and with a different scenario, one that only requires prayer rally, holding hands on the strees with the image of the Virgin Mary carried by the nun, seminarians and priests; as water and bread was handed down to soldiers barricading the streets with tanks. Until such freedom was reached and made to come true through a peaceful revolution of February 25, 1986. It is without a doubt a shinning example to the world that perhpas “Make peace and not war” can be well achieved, if and only if we give peace a chance.
Just like the street protest of the 60′s and 70′s, music was also the key to bring out a message to those people who refuses to listen to the cries of the people suffering. The likes of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez who marched down with the great Martin Luther King Jr., the famous group Peter, Paul and Mary and many others deemed to dedicate songs to send out messages. And as I was nourishing myself to the genre of Folk/ Country music which I grew up with but had not totally immersed myself until now had been making the headlines in the past and during those times where oppression, racism and war were the major issues back then. As I was listening to thier music, I came across the song composed by Paul McCartney which he made in 1968, “Blackbird” was a song that he composed at that time where there was racial oppression in America.
Everybody knows and continually love the songs which the Beatles had made and from generation to generation their song has lasted. Timeless. It is by some form that we use symbol to represent something or someone. A Lion may be seen as bravery, royalty; whereas snakes be for deceit or lies. A dove is by far a common link to peace. A symbol that even the scriptures refers to with the same notion including purity. But the turbulent times of the 60′s sees none of tha, as the street movement and the situation doesn’t follow and with that McCartney used a Blackbird. More oftemtimes, when a person sees a blackbird, they usually connotes it with bad luck, with a bad omen. And in 1968, the longing of peace was far from happening, and so he said “You are only waiting for this moment to arrive.”
Waiting for things to happen seems futile, the situation of racial oppression was destroying the image of what’s purity and peace means and meant to be. A blackbird symbolizes “death” and that is why he said, “black bird singing in the dead of night. A white bird such as a dove pictures an image of hope of chance, oftentimes it is seen in the morning but is blind at night. Whereas, a Blackbird sings it way at night. It sees no hope of light because night time is where it does its work. Reality presents that ,It is impossible to move without light, light gives us a clear path of things and ways without it we will be at lost. And this is perhaps what McCartney was trying to say, when one seize its right to fly, to have its freedom things become bleak and dark. The hope of soaring to the horizon is merely presented as a dream not a reality. Oppression is one dark movement that diminishes freedom and equality , with freedom and equality there is a sense of confidence that allows a person to move and see the way with clarity. But with oppression it cuts that confidence and replaces them with fear. Thus it disables the person to move with confidence and become part of something or someone. As McCartney pens “take this sunken eyes and learn to see….”
A sunken eyes is similar to blindness. An impairnedness that can be innate/inborn or by an incurred physical disability. Noone can see anything with a sunken eyes, eyes that may had seen the bad days of time and that light goes out with such disabilty disenabling someone to take steps, to cause movements. And in life, we have our own sort of blindness. Being immobile is not something that anyone would want but in a way, we are more oftentimes pushed to a situation or circumstances that makes us immobile. When we close our eyes to the truth and believe all the lies. I daresay, I applaud all who are truly physically impaired because they compensate the loss through their senses that works best for them. Christ has also challenges us our own social blindness as he cured Barthemus, the blindman on the street, he believes and so thus Christ touched him in his eyes and said “Emphata!” which translates “open your eyes.” So you see it is a lifelong challenge that has always been existing. It is never gone out of style nor a fad but it is an impending cause that we failed to recognize because each one of us has our own sort of blindness.
Freedom is like a bird taking flight, but a clipped wing can never be for it entraps the wings to spread into the sky. Birds belong to the sky, it is by nature that birds after the time of their nesting period should take up the challenge of being up in the air. But what if the wings are broken, it cannot be a part of something that it should be. Pain caused a man to back off and retreat. Sufferings can create an element of fear that destroys courage within our hearts and thus creates doubt and mistrust. McCartney, for me may have the image of a black woman in his song. Still, the message is timeless that endures until today. The image may present of a black night with the Blackbird singing in the dead of the night with broken wings as he states in the first stanza of his song, but I have to say, but it never just see the evilness of oppression during those times.
The message that comes across at the last part of his song brings us closer to this movement of “not giving up”, of the idea of ” if it wants that moment to be free- the word he uses was to arise. As he repeatedly states “Blackbird fly- take up that broken wings and fly.” Like what Christ said, “take up your cross and follow me.” So the test is not just to overcome oppression of races or social blindness but it also brings us to the point of taking action. If it want to achieve something “take this broken wing and fly”. The test starts within our own social blindness, our own social incapacities, our overcome our own fears by carrying this burned and doing something about it to achieve peace, hope and most of all love.
Blackbird (written by Paul McCartney)
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
