A.V.Club: Do your lyrics tend to come after you've written the music, though?
Andrew Bird: Yes. Pretty much any given day, barring some major distraction, I get melodies coming to me. Lyrics don't come quite as easily. So I've been inventing little projects and challenges to sort of kick my ass with the lyrics.
AVC: Like what?
AB: Well, I've got a song I'm working on, and I bought this book about ancient tribes, ancient cultures from 3000 B.C. to 300 A.D. This new song is called "Scythian Empire." When I was in 8th grade I became somewhat obsessed with the Scythians—they're kind of lesser-known archers and horsemen in the Russian steppes. Everyone else was doing reports on Julius Caesar and I just got obsessed with this Scythians. So I'm sort of bringing back that obsession and working on a song that's all about the Scythians. I don't usually invent concepts like that for songs. Usually I just let words come—I start speaking in tongues and making shapes and vowels, and subconsciously I'll end up with most of a song. This is a little more deliberate than usual. I create little challenges for myself, like, "Okay, whatever you do in this song, you've got to somehow work in Greek Cypriots," or something like that. Songwriting requires some sort of ceremony to even get the process started, and it can be somewhat arbitrary what that is.
AVC: If you've got an idea or a goal in mind, even if it's not necessarily the main goal, it gives you something to work toward.
AB: Yeah. So lately I've been going to that process more than I usually do. Greek Cypriots, Scythians, and obscure ancient cultures seem to be a good, fertile area for me.
Andrew Bird: Yes. Pretty much any given day, barring some major distraction, I get melodies coming to me. Lyrics don't come quite as easily. So I've been inventing little projects and challenges to sort of kick my ass with the lyrics.
AVC: Like what?
AB: Well, I've got a song I'm working on, and I bought this book about ancient tribes, ancient cultures from 3000 B.C. to 300 A.D. This new song is called "Scythian Empire." When I was in 8th grade I became somewhat obsessed with the Scythians—they're kind of lesser-known archers and horsemen in the Russian steppes. Everyone else was doing reports on Julius Caesar and I just got obsessed with this Scythians. So I'm sort of bringing back that obsession and working on a song that's all about the Scythians. I don't usually invent concepts like that for songs. Usually I just let words come—I start speaking in tongues and making shapes and vowels, and subconsciously I'll end up with most of a song. This is a little more deliberate than usual. I create little challenges for myself, like, "Okay, whatever you do in this song, you've got to somehow work in Greek Cypriots," or something like that. Songwriting requires some sort of ceremony to even get the process started, and it can be somewhat arbitrary what that is.
AVC: If you've got an idea or a goal in mind, even if it's not necessarily the main goal, it gives you something to work toward.
AB: Yeah. So lately I've been going to that process more than I usually do. Greek Cypriots, Scythians, and obscure ancient cultures seem to be a good, fertile area for me.
Five day forecast bring black tar rains and hellfire
while handpicked handpicked handler's kid gloves tear at the inseams
their Halliburton attach cases are useless
while scotch guard Macintoshes shall be carbonized
now they're offering views of exiting empire
such breathtaking views of Scythian empires
Scythian empire, horsemen of the Russia steppe
Scythian empire, archers of an afterthought
Routed by Sarmations, thwarted by the Thracians
Scythian empire
Scythian empire, exiting empire
Scythian empire, exiting empire
Routed by Sarmations, thwarted by the Thracians
Scythian empire
Kings of Macedonia, Scythian empire
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