The Academy Blues Project - What on Earth (The Birdy Song) Lyrics

A little birdie fluttered down to me the other day
Having nothing better to do, I figured I'd hear what he had to say
He landed on my windowsill, then to my surprise
His beak began to speak and he looked me in the eyes
And this is what he said

Allow me to translate, he said
"Mark Levy, what on earth have you been doing?
Stop pissing away everything we've worked so hard for!"

I said hey little birdie, you think you know me all so well
He said "Keep your mouth shut, Mark, I've got a story to tell
You see, I flew into a spider's home just the other day
The beautiful web he was spinning was left in disarray
But I know what it's like to have trauma in my life
I used to have a beautiful birdhouse, two kids, and a wife
Until one day a human hand came into our nest
I had to abandon my family though they were all I had left"
I said, "Hang on a second, birdy, I do not understand
Why would you fly away just because they were touched by man?"
He said, "Mark, the smell of man is putrid at best
And I'm gonna tell you why...
That's right, I, the little bird, I'm gonna tell you the big human why...

The human stink is unmistakable
It's the smell of fire and the automobile
It's the smell of machine guns and the atom bomb
It's the smell of cages and burning napalm
It smells of greed and hatred and fear
I just can't escape it, it flies further south every year
It's a Pandora's box of olfactory hell
And I'm tired of living downwind of that smell!

So, Mark Levy, what on earth have you been doing?
Stop pissing away everything we've worked so hard for!

I saw a man lying, dying on the side of the road
Spilling his life out on the curb
Such a tragedy for me to see a human life cut off so short
When all he wanted to do was merge
You see, Mark, it isn't just man's disrespect for our mother earth
It's man's inhumanity to man, that's what really hurts
But it's a plague that could be erased with every new birth
So, why are you wasting your time talking to a bird?"
Come to think of it, why am I wasting my time talking to a bird

And with that the little birdy, he just flew away
Leaving Mark Levy alone to gather his thoughts
But I was happy to see him flutter on back later that year
And I called him over and said
"Hey Birdie, how on earth have you been doing?
It's so good to see your smiling face once more!"

But at that precise moment, an owl perched up in a tree
Came swooping down ever so gracefully
He ate my friend in one large bite right there on the spot
And I just sat there and watched in shock...
Well that was not the ending I expected...
But the moral of the story is that, ultimately
Though you and I know just how cruel nature can seem
We humans should do our best to add a little civility
And make the world the best one it can be

So, Mark Levy, what on earth have you been doing
Stop pissing away everything we've worked so hard for
Well, Mark Levy, what on earth have you been doing
Stop pissing away everything we've worked so hard for