Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a surreal, almost dreamlike picture of loss and the passage of time, anchored by the recurring image of "little birdies" and fallen "apples." The opening lines, with "Grandma set sail" and children driving off dogs, establish a tone of peculiar, almost ritualistic departure and disruption. This sets the stage for a contemplation of absence, where even inanimate things like "hoarfrost" seem to hold unspoken grief. The narrator grapples with a sense of being simultaneously awake and lost in a fantastical, almost allegorical dreamscape, referencing William Blake and fairytale imagery like a princess leaping from a tower. The central tension lies in the contrast between the cyclical, natural imagery of seasons and new life (spring bringing "kittens and calfs and carnations") and the profound, lingering emptiness left by departed loved ones. The question, "Have you tasted the sap of the trees?" feels like a poignant inquiry into the deeper, perhaps bittersweet essence of existence, a question that hangs unanswered. The recurring chorus, "Fly around little birdies / Fly round / The apples are all on the ground," acts as a refrain that underscores both the freedom of departure and the grounded reality of what's left behind – a harvest fallen and perhaps unheeded. The lyrics employ a unique blend of the mundane and the mythical. The "old organist" eating a "grey goose" and requesting his "skeleton bask in the sun" is a stark, almost grotesque image that highlights a desire for a final, unconventional peace. This contrasts sharply with the pastoral scenes of shepherds and lambs, suggesting that even in moments of natural beauty, there's an undercurrent of the strange and the final. The final stanza brings a sense of resignation, as the "birds are all gone" and time is acknowledged as fleeting, leading to a simple plea for companionship to "pass it away."