Igor Zabel's Song

Lyrics

Just after dawn on winter's day Small brown bird, we'll call him John Stood on a backroad dreaming of May Dreaming of springtime and the winter gone He stood in the path of an oncoming herd Of black and white cows All heading for home

Too cold to move, the little brown bird Still so quite All is ? as one of the cows Passed over him Shit rained down on the top of his head As he began to warm his cold skin He could see no harm in his cow shit bed Taking a breath, began his song

Whistled his ? tune territorial code As he sang his life spirit was strong Meanwhile in the grass of the side of the road A hungry old cat was making the rounds Pricked up his ears, his movements slowed As he saw who was making the sound In less than two heartbeats he swallowed poor John Two feathers were left and that is all

The cat, he was fed But the brown bird was gone The shit he had made his birdcall The cat was so hungry for he'd had preferred His meal less flavored with cow shit The bird had not heard ? last word It's no truth but a smart-ass's wit [French]

Chronology

• Sighs Trapped by Liars
  • Sandy Yang - vocals

Interpretations

Art & Language, A Shadow on the Tongue (2019)

C: If you're really in the shit, there's nothing left to do but sing, as [Samuel Beckett's] End Game has it.

A: But Igor Zabel told his story, and then a song that doubts the wisdom of that proverb was sung and recorded.

The quote is also referenced in the title of "Il Ne Reste Qu'a Chanter".