If you are any kind of self-respecting They Might Be Giants fan, you should immediately recognize this image as a "blue canary in the outlet by the light switch, who watches over yoooouuuuu..." Yes, that's right, someone has finally done it! There is now an actual, literal, blue canary night l-i-t-e to add to your collection of geeky things that glow when you plug them into the wall.
Back when my husband and I were dating, we agreed early on that "Birdhouse in Your Soul" by They Might Be Giants (TMBG) was the only song worthy of being "our song." There wasn't really any deep logic that went into this decision, each of us had always considered it our favorite TMBG song (even before we knew each other) so we thought it made sense. Before my husband and I got married, my mom scoured the planet and managed to find this...
She gave it to me and my husband as a wedding gift and it's been happily perched in our kitchen ever since. Don't worry mom, we will cherish this night light forever (keeping with the family tradition of never getting rid of anything that has any hint of sentimental value) but we may relocate him to the bathroom and put the ducky night light that is currently in the bathroom somewhere else...I'm not sure where- maybe someday we will live in a place that can benefit from more than two night lights.
Anyway, even though it's a little bit silly, to this day, hearing this catchy tune stirs my soul in a way I can't even really explain. I love that John and John sing it with such conviction even though, according to them, it's a song about a night light shaped like a bird. But is it really just a song about a night light shaped like a bird? I'll let you decide.
Here's a bonus video from back in 1990 when John and John appeared on The Tonight Show. I absolutely love this live version.
Okay, and just in case you're wondering what the heck they're saying, here are the lyrics...
Birdhouse In Your Soul by They Might Be Giants
I'm your only friend
I'm not your only friend
But I'm a little glowing friend
But really I'm not actually your friend
But I am
Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
I have a secret to tell
From my electrical well
It's a simple message and I'm leaving out the whistles and bells
So the room must listen to me
Filibuster vigilantly
My name is blue canary one note* spelled l-i-t-e
My story's infinite
Like the Longines Symphonette it doesn't rest
Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
I'm your only friend
I'm not your only friend
But I'm a little glowing friend
But really I'm not actually your friend
But I am
There's a picture opposite me
Of my primitive ancestry
Which stood on rocky shores and kept the beaches shipwreck free
Though I respect that a lot
I'd be fired if that were my job
After killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts
Bluebird of friendliness
Like guardian angels its always near
Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
(and while you're at it
Keep the nightlight on inside the
Birdhouse in your soul)
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch (and while you're at it)
Who watches over you (keep the nightlight on inside the)
Make a little birdhouse in your soul (birdhouse in your soul)
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch (and while you're at it)
Who watches over you (keep the nightlight on inside the)
Make a little birdhouse in your soul (birdhouse in your soul)
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
2 comments:
Were you aware that dial-a-song had alternate lyrics?
Just curious.
Matthew, I actually just found out about that last night when I was doing "research" for the blog post. Interesting. The alternate lyrics kind of change the tone of the song a bit. I do like the line, "I'd like to cover the earth with a fresh baked yummy dessert" though. Mmmmmm dessert.
Post a Comment