https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 19:39:11 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367122 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:03:06 +0000
What a treat to have misheard and come up with an original "bird" :lol:

Looks like a good start....I like David's suggestions.

I like the beginning part of the openness of possibility, but towards the end, it seems to repeat the same idea. Consider developing a bit more of why the singer isn't flying. That bump of information could help make the singer more solid.....it could take different forms depending on how you want to influence the message. For example,

singer on deathbed and referring to flying as an angel
singer has severe aerophobia
singer is in jail
singer has family obligations
etc....

.............Then again, maybe nothing too elaborate; just a one line bridge or twist would do the job.

Suggestions:

Silverbird, I see your destiny,
One day, you WILL CARRY me,
Soaring high into the air,
Destination stratosphere....

Fly on silverbird,
Fly on across the sky,
Fly on but promise me,
One day you'll COME BACK for me.

I can hear this working with a big band crooner type number....Frank Sinatra, Cole Porter.......or smokey jazz room sultry voice female singer singing as if she is watching the love of her life leaving her.......

Thanks for sharing. :D

James]]> Sunday Songwriters Group jamestoffee https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367122 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367115 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:14:35 +0000
Maybe it's a case of your ears hearing what you want to hear - I mean, I would have heard it originally (probably) on Radio Luxembourg, AM (Medium Wave as it was then) after dark with all the attendant whistles, shrieks, fade-ins and fade-outs, snaps, crackles and pops....

Anyway I still think Silverbird is a nice metaphor for a plane, and I'm still co-crediting Paul Simon as the muse....I'll have to see if I can work in "scuse me while I kiss this guy" into next weeks assignment....

Now if only I could get my fingers working....been a while since I played guitar, my callouses have totally disappeared, and after two day's intensive working out, they are SORE! Not only that, I seem to have lost all the dexterity (not much, admittedly) that I'd built up over the last few years and they just don't seem to want to go where I put them. I know what I WANT to do, but the fingers ain't listening.....

Dozydoats and mairzydoats and liddle lamzy tivey, a kiddly tivey too, wooden shoe....

:D :D :D

Vic]]> Sunday Songwriters Group Vic Lewis VL https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367115 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367111 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:08:26 +0000 girl'.... But, hey, that was the hippie era, I could have heard it as "nail on Mister Bert" and still thought it was OK... :mrgreen:

But the nagging doubt remained, so I Googled the lyrics, and all the sources I found said "silver girl" too... :shock:

Was this just a popular 'mondegreen' (misheard lyric) or what? So I found Art singing it on Youtube. Sure enough, at 3.10 it still sounds to me like he's singing "silver girl" BOTW at Central park

I found an Elvis version where he also seemed to go with "girl" and an Aretha Franklin one in which she dropped the key word altogether and just sang "sail on Silver...., sail on by"

So you might be completely home free with "sail on silverbird" as an original line. :)

What did others think Art was singing on the original recording?

Cheers,

Chris]]> Sunday Songwriters Group Chris C https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367111 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367092 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 04:18:40 +0000
Don't know why, but reading through this I keep hearing Hendrix's "Angel" in my head.

There seem to be two main feelings vying for attention here, not counting the sliverbird flying on. First is the feeling of being left alone and the other is the hope of flying away together. Maybe both feelings can be put together to tighten it up a bit?

Fly on silverbird,
Across the skies across the seas,
One day soon, I'm going, too
We'll leave together you and me.

or

Fly on silverbird,
Across the seas across the skies,
One day soon, I'm going, too
We'll leave forever you and I.

or even both.

Totally my thinking there should be more of a hopefully and happy aspect to this. And totally okay to toss all suggestions into the trash bin!

Looking forward to hearing how this turns out. And, as always, looking forward to more.

Peace]]> Sunday Songwriters Group David Hodge https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367092 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367091 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:52:13 +0000 Sunday Songwriters Group katreich https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367091 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367075 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:27:56 +0000
Good theme. I liked the idea of using a plane as the bird, as it opened up more possibilities.

I strummed through and just automatically changed:

"I'll watch you disappear,
Leaving me back here."
to
"Leaving me alone back here"

It fitted what I was playing better and seemed to add to the emotional element a bit. But it may not fit the beat you had in mind.

The different rhyming patterns threw me slightly too, but that would have been just unfamiliarity with the lyrics. Maybe it's the difference in our accents but I wasn't able to get anything that sounded like a rhyme from the lines:

"I've got to get out of here,
Somewhere, anywhere."

I really liked the idea of asking it to promise to wait for you one day. That seemed like a very good way to set up the ending.

Looking forward to seeing, and hearing, how it develops.

Cheers,

Chris]]> Sunday Songwriters Group Chris C https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-367075 https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-41363 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 02:56:42 +0000
Silverbird

Silverbird, I see you in the sky,
And I wonder, why you fly so high?
And I wonder, where you're flying to,
And I wish I was flyin' there with you....

Fly on across the sky,
Fly on far away,
I'll watch you disappear,
Leaving me back here.

Silverbird, I see your destiny,
One day, you will fly with me,
Soaring high into the air,
Destination stratosphere....

I've got to get away,
I can't stand to stay,
I've got to get out of here,
Somewhere, anywhere.

(Solo)

Fly on silverbird,
Fly on across the sky,
Leave me here alone,
Leave me wondering why,

Fly on silverbird,
Pretend you never heard,
Me calling you to stay,
Fly on far away,

Fly on silverbird,
Fly on across the sky,
Fly on but promise me,
One day you'll wait for me.

Fly on silverbird,
Fly on silverbird,
Fly on silverbird,
Fly on silverbird.....

(Solo to end....)

I'm fairly pleased with that for a first rough draft, I can see a couple of rough spots....I got the first couple of verses early, then started playing some chords on the acoustic. There are two chord patterns - they aren't really verse/chorus patterns, more pattern 1 and pattern 2 - and it sounded pretty good to me playing and singing along with the lyrics. Soooo - 'bout time I recorded something - so I'm going to make time tomorrow to record this. Come hell or high water, I AM going to get a rough demo done tomorrow. Well, later today, actually....as it's 00.55 am. Haven't done much singing for a while and the voice isn't as flexible as it used to be, but I do have a capo....and I know where I'm going to put it!

Stay tuned to this station for further developments.....

:D :D :D

Vic]]> Sunday Songwriters Group Vic Lewis VL https://guitarnoise.forum/sunday-songwriters-group/y9-w32-silverbird/#post-41363