Thedewsperspective

The birds don’t sing.  The birds don’t sing.  They just screech in pain.  Most people are accustomed to waking up to the beautiful sound of GOD’s aerial creation, chirping, singing.  But can you imagine that chirp, that song being reduced to a painful screech?  What could reduce such an anticipatory moment to a sound of unbearableness?  I ask, have you ever buried a parent?  Have you buried both?    

The first song on the album will shake the spirit of a child. This is especially true for a child who had to bury a parent.  As an only child, I buried both of mine before turning 50 years old.  Both died from cancer.  When I heard Gene and Terrence poetically mourn the passing of their parents in song, I cried tears for them. I also cried for myself.  And for everyone else who must experience navigating this world without their “compass.”

I heard the song in four stanzas.  First the chorus.  “The birds don’t sing.  The birds don’t sing.  They just screech in pain.”  The beauty of art is that it has the conveyor’s intent and the consumer’s interpretation.  I understood the sound of birds’ songs as defined by a screech in pain. It meant that what was once a good thing is no longer that.  Imagine waking up without your mother, your father?  There’s nothing that could ever replace the two.  Nor are the any words or even sounds from singing birds that could ever make you whole again.  The birds don’t sing for you no more.  They cry for you instead.  Sweetness turns to bitterness.  Pleasantry turns to anger.  There’s an emptiness inside of you.  And if you’re not careful, you’ll fill that emptiness with disease that’ll destroy you.  The birds will indeed stop singing and begin to screech in pain.

Birds don’t.  Birds don’t.  Birds don’t.  Birds don’t. 

The first verse of the song was composed by the youngest brother, Terrence.  His mother’s youngest child.  He started the song by saying, “lost in emotions, mamma’s youngest.  Trying to navigate life without my compass.”  I felt EV-VA-REE word in that bar.  Can you imagine navigating life without your GPS (GOD’s Personal Servant)?  That’s what a mother is, your personal “servant” extended to you by GOD.  The one that’s going to tell you right from wrong.  She’ll point you in the right direction.  Help you navigate through life until you get to your destination.  She’ll reroute you if need be.  She knows the shortcuts.  But she’ll sometimes encourage you to take the long scenic route so you don’t have to rush. Knowing that sometimes when you rush, you forget things.  She’ll make mild adjustments when need be.  But most importantly, she’ll always make herself available to you to guide you in the right direction.  The value of a personal GOD sent guide in the form of a mother is one of incomparable love.  Nothing is greater!  So imagine losing that. 

Dear Mama: Cherishing a Mother’s Love and Memories by Cornell Dews

The second verse of the song was composed by Gene.  The oldest of the two brothers.  He lyrically doted on their dad.  He rapped about finding his dad in the kitchen.  “I can hear your voice now.  I can feel your presence.  Asking should I rap again.  You gave me your blessing.  The way you spelled it out, there’s an L in every lesson.  Boy you owe it to the world, let your mess become your message.”  He talked about “sharing his father” with his friends, the pops they never had.  And he repeatedly rap the words, “damn I had a dad.”  The sacrifices his dad made.  The discipline and structure that his dad taught and exemplified.  The overtime he worked.  And his dad did all of these things so his children wouldn’t have to feel what he had to suffer.  Damn he had a dad.  So imagine losing that?  Your confidant, your example of a man.  Your hero.  Imagine the impact of the death of SuperMan?

BlackBoy Misunderstood Presents “Daddy” by Cornell Dews

This is more than a song.  This is spiritual. 

After the Clipse rapped.  John Legend and The Voices of Fire crooned. All over the most appropriately composed music by Pharrell.  The audio concluded with this final spoken word imploring people to:

Remember those who loss their mother’s and father’s.

And make sure that every single moment that you have with them,

You show them love.

You show them love.

You’ll see.

Ase.

Birds Don’t Sing They Screech In Pain!

The Birds Don’t Sing by Cornell Dews