HUMMINGBIRD

Verse I

When we were young we would run away from the showers,

Of plans that grew like roots and tripped us by our feet.

When we were young oh baby we had power,

A 1960s architectural dream.

Pre Chorus

Well I didn't know if I had any emotion,

My heart beat wasn't mine,

Well I didn't know if I had any emotion,

Now I cry all the time.

Chorus

So sky high baby,

Goodbye baby blue goodbye baby blue.

Sky high baby goodbye baby now lets see what we do.

You know I love you but thats alright baby I know that you did too.

Sky high baby,

Goodbye baby now lets see what we do.

Verse II

Well now we're older baby we are wiser,

But I promise darling, that wasn't my design.

So now I'll sit prettily and watch your face fade away,

And I'll think of all the times that:

Pre Chorus

Plans bigger than us were burrowing through us,

We could not run away.

Well Polly Jean Harvey - baby I love you dearly,

Yours sincerely, Nick Cave!

The lyrics did not come easy to this song. They went through hundreds of reiterations and have only really settled into themselves in the last few months or so. There are probably seven or eight alternative verses written for this song (Leanord Cohen style).

This song and 'Home' were originally one song with so many different ideas for verses, tempo, mood and instrumentation that eventually the

lads suggested I just write them as two different songs.

IT WAS THE BEST IDEA IN THE WORLD. I love how although the core idea of the chorus stays the same, the tone and delivery of the songs are entirely different. I love beginning the set with 'Home' which is full of a reluctance to accept the reality I was facing and then finishing with 'Hummingbird' which is full of acceptance and joy for what has been.

The title comes from an essay entitled 'Joyas Valadoras' by Brian Doyle. The essay, ultimately, is a celebration of love and the capabilities of the heart in spite of the challenges it will inevitably face.