Lyr Req: The Mechanical Blackbird (Spinners - UK)

Subject: Lyr Req: The Blackbird
From: LindsayInWales
Date: 06 May 08 - 09:10 AM

Anyone got the lyrics to the Spinners' song about the Mechanical Blackbird, please

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Blackbird
From: LindsayInWales
Date: 06 May 08 - 11:38 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Blackbird
From: LindsayInWales
Date: 06 May 08 - 07:18 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Blackbird
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 06 May 08 - 07:43 PM

Spinners songs seem to be gaining popularity again! I've got a recording of the MB, and I'll dig it out as soon as I've done the other Spinners song I promised on another thread.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Blackbird
From: LindsayInWales
Date: 06 May 08 - 07:50 PM

Thanks Susanne, I always loved the Spinners music and I do actually have it on an LP somewhere, but I just can't remember the words as someone has asked me to do today. I'm actually quite surprised that the words aren't in the archives.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Blackbird (Spinners)
From: Effsee
Date: 06 May 08 - 09:53 PM

"Thanks Susanne, I always loved the Spinners music and I do actually have it on an LP somewhere, but I just can't remember the words as someone has asked me to do today. I'm actually quite surprised that the words aren't in the archives. "

So, basically you can't be bothered to look out your copy and are hoping someone can save you the trouble?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Blackbird (Spinners)
From: Snuffy
Date: 07 May 08 - 04:09 AM

Effsee,

Plenty of people have old LPs and nothing to play them on. Perhaps this is the case here. Make sure you have all the facts before slagging people off.

Have a nice day.

Subject: Lyr Add: MECHANICAL BLACKBIRD (Spinners - UK)
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 08 May 08 - 06:09 PM

Lindsay, disregard the trolling. Effsee is usually a well-behaved youngster :-).

Here you are:

MECHANICAL BLACKBIRD
(Hoida / Doyle)

Chorus:
To my tweedle-i-eedle-i-eedle-i-a
My tweedle-i-eedle-i-e
I heard the sweet voice of a blackbird
Through a microphone up in a tree

As I walked out across Piccadilly
One evening before it was spring
As the layabouts slept on the benches
A sweet blackbird started to sing

If I was a mechanical blackbird
I wouldn't build my nest out to see (?)
With a microphone heart in my bosom
And my feet welded firmly to a tree

Now the starlings fly out every morning
The pigeons find food where they please
Me and my mechanical blackbird
We are stuck in our own little trees

Now both of us work in the City
He can't even rest after five
Though the sounds that we make can be pretty
It isn't like being alive


As you can see, there's one line I'm not quite sure about. Some notes:

[1967:] When they refurbished Piccadilly Gardens in the centre of Manchester, one of the 'new improvements' was (you're not going to believe it) tape recordings of the song of the blackbirds - all-purpose, all-plastic and weatherproof. (Notes 'Spotlight On The Spinners')

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Blackbird (Spinners)
From: Snuffy
Date: 09 May 08 - 08:35 AM

I wouldn't build my nest out to sea

It's a reference to the much older song, If I Were A Blackbird:

If I were a blackbird, I'd whistle and sing
I'd follow the ship that my true love sails in
And in the top rigging I'd there build my nest
And pillow my head on her lily-white breast

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mechanical Blackbird (Spinners -
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 12 May 08 - 04:59 AM

Many thanks, Snuffy!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mechanical Blackbird (Spinners - UK)
From: GUEST
Date: 02 May 13 - 01:54 PM

Hi

My Mum and her Mum used to listen to the Spinners in the 70s I looked up the albums they had and downloaded all the tracks of you tube but the mechanical blackbird was not on there but its probably the best song they did.
apparently it was the b side to Stop look listen in 1967.

The first line is

As i walked back to home from the ciiiity .
I saw a little blackbird in the tree
and i though i think they are pretty
while we are stuck in our own little trees.

Chorus.

To my tree dulalee dulalee dulalee
my tree dulalee dulalee.
I heard this sweet voice from the blackbird..
So who iam me sweet loving dulalee.

Not heard it for 30 years but its something like that

Ivan from Kent

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mechanical Blackbird (Spinners - UK)
From: GUEST,Alan Hoida
Date: 20 Nov 13 - 09:14 AM

Hi
I am the co-writer of the song "Mechanical Blackbird". I wrote the music to lyrics by my friend, Dennis Doyle, with whom I lost touch with long ago.
The song was written in response to the news that Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester had put loudspeakers in the trees due to a lack of real blackbirds!
It was performed originally in 1967 on a BBC TV programme called "Songs of Grief and Glory". This included a publishing deal with EMI which led to the Spinners recording it.
The lyric on the previous post are wrong, but those posted by Susanne are correct apart from "see" which should be "sea" as pointed out in Snuffy's post.
I am surprised and rather pleased that there should still be interest in the song.

Alan Hoida

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mechanical Blackbird (Spinners - UK)
From: GUEST,Steve Clarke
Date: 08 Jun 14 - 04:23 AM

I had this tune in my head for years and could remember the line "I heard the sweet sound of a blackbird" but that was all and it should have been "voice". I kept playing the tune and asking my Folky friends if they knew it, and always drew a blank. No amount of googling helped either. Then my son (now 40) came to have a holiday with us here in Spain and when I played the tune, he remembered nearly all the words. He even remembered it was from an old Spinners LP that I had many years ago (I had completely forgotten).

Thanks to this thread I now have the words, and intend to play it at our little jamming session today, wife singing and playing guitar and me on recorder(outside a bar in the sun). Should be a laugh!

Thanks again and I managed to find this by googling as I now had more words especially "mechanical" which I had forgotten.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mechanical Blackbird (Spinners - UK)
From: Dennis the Elder
Date: 08 Jun 14 - 09:14 AM

Spinners CDs are still available.
Mechanical Blackbird is on the CD The Spinners Collection, this available at [e-mail]. I am sure Jan Lardner will help where possible, just got my CD a few days ago and it is excellent.