Flightless Bird, American Mouth is a song by Folk artist, Iron & Wine. It featured on his third studio album, The Shepherd’s Dog. The song also appeared in the 2008 movie, Twilight. Before exploring the Flightless Bird lyrics meaning, you should know the intention behind its title.
Title – What does it mean?
The title of the song is very symbolic. It refers to a broken person who was once full of energy and ambition. Now, that person is reduced to a depressed shadow of their former self. Now that the title of the song has been explained, it is time to understand the Flightless Bird lyrics meaning.
Verse 1 – What does it mean?
I was a quick wet boy
Diving too deep for coins
The narrator claims to have been a “quick wet boy”, meaning, he was a clever and talented man. The imagery used here is of a wishing well. According to folk superstition, dropping a coin into a wishing well makes your dream come true. The narrator was once ambitious and hardworking who dived “too deep” for “coins”. The word “coins” here is a metaphor for dreams. Wetness in this context would allude to experience and skill. This man is capable of great feats.
On the contrary, the narrator was perhaps “quick” in the sense of leaving things unfinished. He was the kind of person who was obsessed with chasing shiny “coins”, dreams, but never stuck with one. It could also mean that this man was a player. He dated many women but never settled down with anyone. That is until he met the girl of his dreams; the one he would address in this song.
All of your street light eyes
Wide on my plastic toys
The narrator’s lover, or rather his muse, caught him with his “plastic toys”. This is probably when neither knew of the other’s existence. The “plastic toys” here would refer to the man’s accomplishments or the women he had seduced. The truth is – the narrator was actually looking for something deeper. He desired for something real and substantial, not “plastic”. All the women he had been with did not recognize it in him. This explains why he could never completely open up to them.
But this girl, who would soon become his fancy, saw through him with her “street light eyes”. This is one way of saying that she is as quick and smart as he is. The girl can relate to the narrator and understands that he is looking for something meaningful. This intrigues the narrator as no one else could figure it out before.
Then when the cops closed the fair
I cut my long baby hair
But this brief encounter ended shortly. The narrator felt a connection build up between the girl and him. However, “the cops closed the fair”, meaning, they were discouraged by others who did not understand their cleverness. This also implies that both of them had their fair share of jilted lovers who finally figured out their infidelity. Now they wanted justice. But the narrator’s muse ran away, leaving him alone.
He could have accepted this as fate. But that would not make him clever and skilled, would it? So he cut his “baby hair” and rose to the occasion. It was time for him to become a man and fight for what he believed in. He truly believed that this girl he met was the one. Now was the time to take action and fulfil his destiny.
Stole me a dog-eared map
And called for you everywhere
The narrator got to work. He had to find this girl who ignited a flame in him no one else did. To begin his search, the narrator gathered all the information he could about this mysterious girl. It’s like he created a mental “map” to locate and discover her.
He began his search, going from place to place. He spoke to everyone he could to find out where she lived. This reflects the passion inside him. Finding this girl had become an inevitable goal. With so much determination, Fate itself joins your team. Eventually, the narrator found the mysterious girl.
What does the chorus mean?
Have I found you? Flightless bird
Jealous, weeping
The efforts of the narrator paid off. He now stood in front of the girl he had been searching for like a madman. But is she that girl? Something about her seems very odd.
When he first saw her, the narrator saw a girl who he thought would understand him. In a sense, she would become his partner and support, accompanying him on his adventures. He assumed she would be strong and fearless.
But the girl in front of him was “weeping”. She was hurt and withdrawn. This girl once flew high in the sky, but now she had become a “flightless bird”. Something broke her spirit and took away her zest for life, love and adventure. She was not the ambitious, courageous and strong lover the narrator had imagined her to be.
Or lost you? American mouth
Big pill looming
The narrator felt he had lost the girl he was looking for. Perhaps she only existed in his imagination. The real girl, who he assumed would be a certain way, was quite different. “Big pill looming” is a commentary on America’s obsession with over-the-counter depression and anxiety pills. The narrator felt if he stayed with this girl, there would only be sadness in their lives. But for some reason, he was unable to leave her. The chorus captures the true Flightless Bird lyrics meaning.
Verse 2 – What does it mean?
Now I’m a fat house cat
Nursing my sore blunt tongue
But the narrator perhaps left the girl of his dreams. He regretted his decision. Time turned him into a grumpy “fat house cat”. He spent his days complaining and criticizing. This left his tongue “sore”.
Watching the warm poison rats
Curl through the wide fence cracks
Pissing on magazine photos
Those fishing lures
Thrown in the cold and clean
Blood of Christ mountain stream
His living conditions had also deteriorated. The house, the food, the furniture – everything was a mess. These lines also reflect the state of his mind. He wanted to get better and become the clever, dream-chasing boy he used to be. But the negative thoughts entered inside his head like “poison rats” entering through “wide fence cracks”. His ambition for “fishing lures”, meaning, fulfilling his dreams, had died.
What does the chorus mean?
Have I found you? Flightless bird
Grounded, bleeding
Or lost you? American mouth
Big pill, stuck going down
Ironically, now the narrator had turned into a pill-popping “Flightless bird”. The reasons why he left the girl of his dreams had come back to haunt him and lead him to his doom. Hope you have now understood the Flightless Bird lyrics meaning.
Conclusion
The true Flightless Bird lyrics meaning is tragic. Although the song sounds sweet and positive, it is layered with regret, sadness and disappointment.
