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Andrew Bird — Not A Robot, But A Ghost
Album: Noble Beast
Avg rating:
6.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1046









Released: 2009
Length: 5:29
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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I run the numbers through the floor
here's how it goes: I crack the codes
I crack the codes that end the war
I crack the codes that end the war

I pushed a note under your door
here's how it goes: things come to blows
but we don't want this anymore
No we don't want this anymore
We don't want this anymore

I crack the codes, you end the war

I hear the clockwork in your core
time strips the gears till you forget what they were for
I push the numbers through your pores
I crack the codes
I crack the codes that end the war

How's my view and
you can call
encrypted numbers
on bathroom stalls
there's something burning
it casts a pall
it's melting numbers
right off the wall

I run the numbers through the floor
here's how it goes: I crack the codes
I crack the codes, you end the war
Comments (99)add comment
woah.... Cosmo, DMB, Andrew Bird..... yes!
Posted 2 years ago by jkforde    [ Reply ]
Yes! Ditched DMB and got Andrew Bird. Win!
Posted 2 years ago by ckevin63    [ Reply ]
The beginning of this sounds similar to the beginning of the Cosmo Sheldrake song that got played three songs before.  Both are enjoyable in my opinion.
Posted 3 years ago by flyboy    [ Reply ]
Still find Bird intensely annoying.
Posted 4 years ago by aelfheld    [ Reply ]
Tom Waits doesn't whine...

 DaidyBoy wrote:
Every fibre of my body screams at me that I should hate this with a vengeance, but for some bizarre reason I am enjoying it today.  I don't understand.  I do know that I wouldn't admit it to anyone.
 

Posted 5 years ago by jayhamiljr    [ Reply ]
 slowchair wrote:
Wasn't looking at the Page when the song started and from the way it started I thought it sounded like Tom Waits which I am a big fan of. My mistake!!! Not bad though. Very interesting and not like most. Easy 7 just for being interesting.
 

Posted 5 years ago by jayhamiljr    [ Reply ]
{#Hearteyes}
Posted 5 years ago by Azrica    [ Reply ]
Every fibre of my body screams at me that I should hate this with a vengeance, but for some bizarre reason I am enjoying it today.  I don't understand.  I do know that I wouldn't admit it to anyone.
Posted 5 years ago by DaidyBoy    [ Reply ]
Wasn't looking at the Page when the song started and from the way it started I thought it sounded like Tom Waits which I am a big fan of. My mistake!!! Not bad though. Very interesting and not like most. Easy 7 just for being interesting.
Posted 6 years ago by slowchair    [ Reply ]
 All the best music is about relationships gone wrong. 

easmann wrote: 
"It’s a breakup song, anchored in the disconnected feeling Bird experienced after the end of his most recent relationship..."

— New York Times: Andrew Bird Discovers His Inner Operatic Folkie


Posted 6 years ago by zerosomething    [ Reply ]
Bird is simply a genius.  see him live and enjoy.....
Posted 7 years ago by Shaggy27    [ Reply ]
Thanks for a very enjoyable afternoon listening to Radio paradise while camping in my backyard with my 6 year old boy, we loved everything
Posted 9 years ago by Oxen1morale    [ Reply ]
This song reminds me of some High School stoners watching that 'Doors' movie, getting inspired, going out to the garage and beating on trash cans and lawn mowers.  Then the kid with the best hair standing there doing his Jim Morrison impression and over all sounds about as good. Did they actually get paid for this mess? I was coming over to give this song a 1, but apparently I already did...Love me some RP though... 
Posted 9 years ago by ddbz    [ Reply ]
Done himself in a bit here.  Stitched up by his own high standards.  Not nearly as good as some of the other stuff I have heard here by this guy.
Posted 9 years ago by Sloggydog    [ Reply ]
Girl next door invented a Trojan horse keeps rewriting itself.
Yet mama told me  "When you hear hoof beats, think of horses not zebras."
Posted 9 years ago by twoplain2sea    [ Reply ]
Cool song.
Posted 9 years ago by FatPants    [ Reply ]
Somewhere, Steve Wynn is smiling.
Posted 9 years ago by Foot    [ Reply ]
 Proclivities wrote:

It can get tricky sometimes...
robot ghost
YES {#Tongue}
 


Posted 10 years ago by EarthMama    [ Reply ]
Andy, can I call you Andy? Good. Mistaking a robot for a ghost is a bit of an oversight, dude. I mean, HTF can you not tell the difference?
Posted 10 years ago by richlister    [ Reply ]

Posted 10 years ago by RabbitEars    [ Reply ]
Boy and Bear was on just before this. I couldn't tell that the singer had changed, I only checked because the tempo had. Or maybe this is the singer for Mumford. They all sound exactly the same.
Posted 10 years ago by grungepuppy    [ Reply ]
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/magazine/04bird-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 

I've not heard him before that I remember but here is an interesting article.
Posted 11 years ago by diannemck56    [ Reply ]
a favorite, indeed
Posted 11 years ago by ceicilbee    [ Reply ]
Never heard him before, but this soundwork is astonishing. The old compressing trick still works OK.
Posted 11 years ago by Figure    [ Reply ]
I just love this guy. His new album, Hands of Glory, is amazing!
Posted 11 years ago by hippiechick    [ Reply ]

haaaa - welcome {#Dance}


Posted 11 years ago by Catecaneverall    [ Reply ]
Agreed. greetings to Leipzig, just a few km from here :-)

Catecaneverall wrote:
can't help but love it - when the intro kicks in I drop everything else :)
 


Posted 12 years ago by mineralBOB    [ Reply ]
can't help but love it - when the intro kicks in I drop everything else :)
Posted 12 years ago by Catecaneverall    [ Reply ]
 Blaggart wrote:
Quirky, but shorted out my short attention span.
 
yeah, i just don't get the appeal of any of his songs yet. maybe it will grow on me.
Posted 12 years ago by lily34    [ Reply ]
its a robot world
Posted 12 years ago by tiler    [ Reply ]
 dara wrote:
sounds like Beirut
 
But better!
Posted 12 years ago by justin4kick    [ Reply ]
 coding_to_music wrote:
Goes from 9 to 10 — great stuff
 
Like he said

Sonic candy... 
Posted 12 years ago by coding_to_music    [ Reply ]
Saw him live in Knoxville at the bijou and it was phenomenal music experience
Posted 13 years ago by digwooly    [ Reply ]
He's a musical wizard!
Posted 13 years ago by MrKite    [ Reply ]
Goes from 9 to 10 — great stuff
Posted 13 years ago by coding_to_music    [ Reply ]
I hunted down his performance on Austin City Limits and came away impressed after viewing it. 
Posted 13 years ago by ick    [ Reply ]
Quirky, but shorted out my short attention span.
Posted 13 years ago by Blaggart    [ Reply ]
Neat segue from Guster's "Lightning Rod." Just seems right.

Posted 13 years ago by WonderLizard    [ Reply ]
sounds like Beirut
Posted 13 years ago by dara    [ Reply ]
 moonsaura wrote:
what, coldplay was played this morning and i missed it? dang it!

 jools wrote:
Phew - I can come out now and listen to something that is not Radiohead or Coldplay
 
  Lucky you, I had to hit mute.

Posted 13 years ago by jools    [ Reply ]
what, coldplay was played this morning and i missed it? dang it!

 jools wrote:
Phew - I can come out now and listen to something that is not Radiohead or Coldplay
 


Posted 13 years ago by moonsaura    [ Reply ]
Phew - I can come out now and listen to something that is not Radiohead or Coldplay
Posted 13 years ago by jools    [ Reply ]
for some reason makes me nostalgic for Soft Machine and Maurice Jarre.
Posted 14 years ago by acidreflucks    [ Reply ]
Now, don't get me wrong boys and girls, looking up lyrics is a noble gesture, if you have the time, are interested in the artist, and don't have to spray the lawn or fold paper bags. 

Louie, Louie, anyone?
Posted 14 years ago by Rooney    [ Reply ]
 laozilover wrote:
First, I looked up the lyrics.  Then, when they didn't make sense, I looked for the meaning, and I found this ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES.
 
great article. thanks!
Posted 14 years ago by scraig    [ Reply ]
Deserves higher ratings. Andrew Bird is brilliant. Weird and quirky, yessirree, but brilliant. There is so much going on here, lyrically, musically, sonically, insanely, oh my.
Posted 14 years ago by Tana    [ Reply ]
 KitKat wrote:

And he played everywhere, "...even a weekend Renaissance fair in Wisconsin."  Ren Faire!  Yeah!  Sorry I missed him there.  But now I'm thinking of Andrew Bird as the guy in the Free Credit Report commercials!
 
I've discovered Andrew Bird vicariously through a very twisted friend, and through RadioParadise. And now, after having read the article, I know why I love his music.  He's odd, quirky, eccentric, possibly slightly insane, but he's real, practical, and has a grip on the whole "industry." And he can whistle.

Yep - love Andrew Bird, and critics be damned. He's forged his path in an unorthodox way - one person at a time. I gotta love him for that. {#Mrgreen}{#Sunny}
Posted 14 years ago by Cynaera    [ Reply ]
hmmmmnnn, kind of interesting — I'll give it a 6 for now
Posted 14 years ago by socalhol    [ Reply ]

I like the weirdness of this song.


Posted 14 years ago by coolpeople_rule    [ Reply ]
 laozilover wrote:
First, I looked up the lyrics.  Then, when they didn't make sense, I looked for the meaning, and I found this ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES.
 
And he played everywhere, "...even a weekend Renaissance fair in Wisconsin."  Ren Faire!  Yeah!  Sorry I missed him there.  But now I'm thinking of Andrew Bird as the guy in the Free Credit Report commercials!
Posted 14 years ago by KitKat    [ Reply ]
the organic musical development/progression of this guy is nothin' short of amazin';
 from 'music of hair' back in '96 through to 'noble beast' in '09

{#Clap}

WOW!

Posted 14 years ago by Mari    [ Reply ]
Not a Robot, But A Goat?
Posted 14 years ago by DaveInSaoMiguel    [ Reply ]
First, I looked up the lyrics.  Then, when they didn't make sense, I looked for the meaning, and I found this ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES.

Posted 14 years ago by laozilover    [ Reply ]
Thought there might be a link here with Joe Byrd and the Field Hippies but nope. Bill maybe you can throw them some time.
Posted 14 years ago by martinc    [ Reply ]
This tune is wahoooa!
Posted 14 years ago by slicka1    [ Reply ]
Whistle (like a Bird) in this song too, Birdman.  Do it.


Posted 15 years ago by Hippostar    [ Reply ]
Bird's last CD is one of my favorites, but I am afraid he may be going down that Radiohead path of putting out self-indulgent, mediocre work.  I am Radiohead's biggest fan, but when the sole aim of a band/artist is not to please its audience, all is lost.

Posted 15 years ago by rdo    [ Reply ]
WHOA

I was just checking out this page and reminiscing! Goes quite well with this song actually ;)

https://www.theoldrobots.com/index2.html

mr money!
armatron!!
CASEY ROBT HOLY CRAP AND ALPHIE!!!

:( I want all my/mycousins/stevens old toys back lol
GOD was I jealous of alphie for some reason

Posted 15 years ago by jenakle    [ Reply ]
 kollektivsoul wrote:
Liked it... but am going to guess that Andew never spent any time listening to that little band.... Radiohead. 
 
Hehe.. was also not thinking the same thing.

Posted 15 years ago by davin    [ Reply ]
 jedley wrote:
Andrew Bird is acknowledged as a brilliant concept guy and arranger, but he's underrated as a vocalist - oftentimes he gets a Jeff Buckley thing going that is really eloquent and evocative, don't ya think?
 
{#Clap} Yes!

Posted 15 years ago by peter_james_bond    [ Reply ]
 jedley wrote:
Andrew Bird is acknowledged as a brilliant concept guy and arranger, but he's underrated as a vocalist - oftentimes he gets a Jeff Buckley thing going that is really eloquent and evocative, don't ya think?
 
No

Posted 15 years ago by RadioDoc    [ Reply ]
 kollektivsoul wrote:
Liked it... but am going to guess that Andew never spent any time listening to that little band.... Radiohead. 
 
{#Yes}

Posted 15 years ago by Felix_The_Cat    [ Reply ]
Liked it... but am going to guess that Andew never spent any time listening to that little band.... Radiohead. 
Posted 15 years ago by kollektivsoul    [ Reply ]
Thank you sir, may I have another?
Posted 15 years ago by karlaanne    [ Reply ]
 coy wrote:

it's a little plastic like a LP
it spins when it makes music or rotates
 
It also has waaay better sound than mp3s but nobody seems to care about fidelity anymore.  Gulp, that's what the LP guys said when CDs came out...I'm getting old dammit!
Posted 15 years ago by snowcat    [ Reply ]
 jstrait wrote:

CD? What's a CD?  ;)
 
it's a little plastic like a LP
it spins when it makes music or rotates


Posted 15 years ago by coy    [ Reply ]
 Darlington wrote:
One of my favorite CDs/Albums of the year. Has been in constant rotation in my car for the past 3 months.
 
CD? What's a CD?  ;)
Posted 15 years ago by jstrait    [ Reply ]
 Darkmatter wrote:
This could have been a song on In Rainbows. Just think of Thom Yorke singing instead, and you will see.
 

Yes, and it also sounds like Yorke's solo album The Eraser.
Posted 15 years ago by rdo    [ Reply ]
This could have been a song on In Rainbows. Just think of Thom Yorke singing instead, and you will see.
Posted 15 years ago by Darkmatter    [ Reply ]
Andrew Bird is acknowledged as a brilliant concept guy and arranger, but he's underrated as a vocalist - oftentimes he gets a Jeff Buckley thing going that is really eloquent and evocative, don't ya think?
Posted 15 years ago by jedley    [ Reply ]
One of my favorite CDs/Albums of the year. Has been in constant rotation in my car for the past 3 months.
Posted 15 years ago by Darlington    [ Reply ]
Nice title, both song ,; LP. Ok pic. 5.5
Posted 15 years ago by paulpaar    [ Reply ]
It's not often you hear a song reference to Alan Turing

Posted 15 years ago by jehahn    [ Reply ]
 Hippostar wrote:
We get it.  Your name is Andrew Bird.  You whistle like a Bird in almost every song.  Got it.
 
Thank goodness his name is not Andrew Hyena.
Posted 15 years ago by peter_james_bond    [ Reply ]
Surprising song.  Develops in odd ways as it goes.  Good stuff.
Posted 15 years ago by narc    [ Reply ]
 Hippostar wrote:
Don't have two X chromosomes.  So, I don't find this interesting.
 
Judging from this comment, you may be missing a couple of other chromosomes, too.

Posted 15 years ago by spaceman    [ Reply ]
Don't have two X chromosomes.  So, I don't find this interesting.

Posted 15 years ago by Hippostar    [ Reply ]
7>>>>>10!!!
Posted 15 years ago by Mandible    [ Reply ]
+1 nifty
Posted 15 years ago by davin    [ Reply ]
Anything that makes me look rates an easy 7...nice tune - thanks Bill!
Posted 15 years ago by WhiskeyDude    [ Reply ]
J J Johanson?{#Rolleyes}
Posted 15 years ago by sissyolina    [ Reply ]


Posted 15 years ago by racerx    [ Reply ]
This is getting old, fast.
Posted 15 years ago by RadioDoc    [ Reply ]
We get it.  Your name is Andrew Bird.  You whistle like a Bird in almost every song.  Got it.
Posted 15 years ago by Hippostar    [ Reply ]
He put on the most unique concert I have ever seen - just him, a violin, guitar, loop machine, that amazing voice and whistle - with a "Peewee's Playhouse" like background. The auditorium was surprisingly packed - with mostly college girls.  It was a great night.
Posted 15 years ago by bindi    [ Reply ]
I'd never heard of Andrew Bird before RP. Thanks RP!
Posted 15 years ago by linden    [ Reply ]
Ever have it happen when you just get tired of songs written in the first person?
Posted 15 years ago by vit    [ Reply ]
Echoes of old movie soundtracks
Posted 15 years ago by fuh2    [ Reply ]
crazy!!  i'm just finished listening to this song, throw on radio paradise and catch the tail end of it again.  Spooky.  Ghost.
Posted 15 years ago by i4niblind    [ Reply ]
 Pyro wrote:
Interesting...piqued my curiosity...must hear it again to form a solid opinion, but I think I really LIKE it!!

There's a touch of Tom Baxter, Rufus Wainwright...maybe even a little Tim Buckley??

6 ==> 7

 
me too! love the stringsz sound midtrack.

Posted 15 years ago by betsyroks    [ Reply ]
His voice is a bit "annoying". Don't know how to describe it. Well, the song is strong though and as a instrumentalist he is great!

Posted 15 years ago by cdysthe    [ Reply ]
Interesting...piqued my curiosity...must hear it again to form a solid opinion, but I think I really LIKE it!!

There's a touch of Tom Baxter, Rufus Wainwright...maybe even a little Tim Buckley??

6 ==> 7

Posted 15 years ago by Pyro    [ Reply ]
This is his best album to date, he just seems to get better with each recording.  Even he knows this judging by a line in the song Anonanimal, "I will become this animal - perfectly adapted to a music hall".. he's getting there..
Posted 15 years ago by i4niblind    [ Reply ]
Glad to be hearing some tracks off this album. Just got into Andrew Bird myself recently and there are some gems on this album. Thanks Bill!
Posted 15 years ago by unbracketed    [ Reply ]
Nice.
Posted 15 years ago by lawman    [ Reply ]
This is rather nifty.
Posted 15 years ago by Jamunca    [ Reply ]
neat
Posted 15 years ago by coding_to_music    [ Reply ]