There's a Bluebird in My Heart

Photo by Alex Vernon via Flickr.Charles Bukowski was referred to by Time magazine as the laureate of American lowlife. Over the Rhine wrote a beautiful song based on Bukowski's poem "there's a bluebird in my heart," one I often sing around the house, especially on those days when my own starving bluebird is trapped and hidden.

This morning, I found this animated version, thanks to Zouch magazine. Read the poem, then watch the animated version.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that

wants to get out

but I’m too tough for him,

I say, stay in there, I’m not going

to let anybody see

you.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that

wants to get out

but I pour whiskey on him and inhale

cigarette smoke

and the whores and the bartenders

and the grocery clerks

never know that

he’s

in there.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that

wants to get out

but I’m too tough for him,

I say,

stay down, do you want to mess

me up?

you want to screw up the

works?

you want to blow my book sales in

Europe?

there’s a bluebird in my heart that

wants to get out

but I’m too clever, I only let him out

at night sometimes

when everybody’s asleep.

I say, I know that you’re there,

so don’t be

sad.

then I put him back,

but he’s singing a little

in there, I haven’t quite let him

die

and we sleep together like

that

with our

secret pact

and it’s nice enough to

make a man

weep, but I don’t

weep, do

you?