The Meaning of the Song "Blackbird" by the Beatles. It's about Racism and The Civil Rights Struggles in the USA in 1968.

Listen to the Song: 

https://youtu.be/Man4Xw8Xypo?si=xLqzBhk-EmaFlSxu

Are you familiar with the song “Blackbird” by The Beatles? Most of us are, but few know the REAL meaning behind it…

Paul McCartney was visiting America. He was sitting, resting, when he heard a woman screaming. He looked up to see a Black woman being surrounded by the police. The police had her handcuffed, and were beating her.

He thought the woman had committed a terrible crime, only to find out that "the crime" she committed was to sit in a section reserved for whites.

Paul was shocked. There was no segregation in England. But, here in America, the land of freedom, this is how Blacks were being treated.

McCartney and the Beatles went back home to England, but he would remember what he saw, how he felt, the unfairness of it all.

He also remembered watching television and following the news in America, the race riots and what was happening in Little Rock, Arkansas, what was going on in the Civil Rights movement.

He saw the picture of 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford attempt to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School as an angry mob followed her, yelling, "Drag her over this tree! Let's take care of that n**ger!'" and “Lynch her! Lynch her!” “No n**ger b*tch is going to get in our school!”

McCartney couldn't believe this was happening in America.

He thought of these women being mistreated, simply because of the color of her skin. He sat down and started writing.

Last year at a concert, he would meet two of the women who inspired him to write one of his most memorable songs, Thelma Mothershed Wair and Elizabeth Eckford, members of the Little Rock Nine (pictured here).

McCartney would tell the audience he was inspired by the courage of these women: "Way back in the Sixties, there was a lot of trouble going on over civil rights, particularly in Little Rock. We would notice this on the news back in England, so it's a really important place for us, because to me, this is where civil rights started. We would see what was going on and sympathize with the people going through those troubles, and it made me want to write a song that, if it ever got back to the people going through those troubles, it might just help them a little bit, and that's this next one."

He explained that when he started writing the song, he had in mind a Black woman, but in England, "girls" were referred to as "birds." And, so the song started:

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting
for this moment to arise."

McCartney added that he and the Beatles cared passionately about the Civil Rights movement, "so this was really a song from me to a Black woman, experiencing these problems in the States: ‘Let me encourage you to keep trying, to keep your faith, there is hope.’

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting
for this moment to be free."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(Beatles_song)

McCartney has given various statements regarding both his inspiration for the song and its meaning.^[2] He has said that he was inspired by hearing the call of a blackbird one morning when the Beatles were studying Transcendental Meditation in Rishikesh, India and also ^[3] writing it in Scotland as a response to racial tensions escalating in the United States during the spring of 1968.^[4]

List of All the Rock Concerts I've Ever Gone To. Since I've Started to Experience Dementia, I'm Writing this all down so I'll Be able to read it later... and say... OH YEAH! I Remember That!

To Simplify Things... Here is a List of Bands I Did Not See... Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Janis Joplin, The Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac or The Beatles...

My First Concert Was... The Loading Zone at the Presbyterian Church in Los Gatos, CA... as a High School Freshman... 

The Tower of Power at The Chateau in Los Gatos... Outdoors in the Redwood Forest... I was High on LSD.

I Worked as a Security Guard at Forbes Mill in Los Gatos. We Had Live Bands on Friday and Saturday Nights and Folk Singers on Wednesday. I Don't Remember Any Names... They Were all other High School Classmates... 

The First Fillmore West Show Was: The Youngbloods - "Come on People Now, Smile On Your Brother. Everybody Get Together Right Now", Chicago Transit Authority and Coliseum...

another Fillmore West Show (also Known as The Carousel Ballroom) was Lee Michaels...

and Yet another Fillmore West Show was Johnny Winter And Rick Derringer... 

Winterland! An Ice Skating Rink in San Francisco - Recycled into Bill Graham's EPIC Concert Hall... Maximum Attendance about 5,000... 

1972 - The Grateful Dead, The New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Sons of Champlin... With My Girlfriend Liz Dunbar, Joe Franck and Rachael Ludlum... The Big Song of the Night was "Casey Jones."

1972 - The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder - Twice in One Day.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer (Tarkus) and The Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McGlaughlin --- ELP again on their Pictures at an Exhibition Tour... 

Traffic - Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason

Yes - The Guitar Player Played too Much and Rick Wakeman Didn't Play Enough...

Quicksilver Messenger Service

David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars on Halloween...

The Allman Brothers...

Johnny Winter, Foghat and Peter Frampton - He was The Best! 

Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo

I Guess That's All the Winterland Shows... 

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The Grateful Dead at University of Reno Football Field playing thru the Wall of Sound... I was high on LSD...

It's a Beautiful Day at Flint Amphitheater at Stanford... 

Ike and Tina Turner Review at San Jose Civic Auditorium...

I was High on LSD...

Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and the Comets at San Jose Civic Auditorium...

BB KING with My Wife JoAnn Humphrey at Circle Star... San Carlos... Near San Francisco... 

The Grateful Dead and Santana on New Years Eve at the Cow Palace. The Bands Merged into One... 

The Grateful Dead at San Francisco Civic. I Ate Magic Mushrooms... and We Played Volleyball before the Concert... 

Sopwith Camel at De Anza College Outdoors...

Boz Scaggs at De Anza College Indoors... 

Procol Harum with Robin Trower - Berkeley Community Theater...

George Harrison with Ravi Shankar and Billy Preston - Oakland Coleseum

Paul McCartney & Wings RFK Stadium - Washington DC

The Grateful Dead - RFK Stadium - On Some Unknown Psychedelic That Someone Dosed Me With - I Think it was MDMA... Don't Know

The Grateful Dead - Capitol Center, Landover Maryland - Many Times

The Grateful Dead - Meriweather Post Pavillion - Columbia Maryland - Six Times - LSD & Magic Mushrooms

The Grateful Dead - Madison Square Garden

The Grateful Dead - Balitmore Civic Center

The Grateful Dead - University of Maryland Boys Gym

Crosby Stills and Nash & The Grateful Dead - Three Rivers Stadium - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Furthur Festival - Shoreline, Mountain View

The Grateful Dead - Oakland Colesium - LSD

The Grateful Dead - Hampton, Virginia

The Grateful Dead - Levi Stadium, Santa Clara - Farewell Tour - Two Shows - Ate a Lot of Cannabis Cookies

Frank Zappa DAR Constitution Hall Washington DC

Tangerine Dream - Warner Theater, Washington DC

KRAFTWERK - Warner Theater, Washington DC

Kitaro - Warner Theater, Washington, DC

The Beach Boys -Oakland Stadium

The Beach Boys with Jimmy Page and Joan Jett - The Washington Monument in Washington DC on the Fourth of July with Fireworks. 

Blondie - Meriweather Post Pavillion - Columbia Maryland

James Taylor - Meriweather Post Pavillion - Columbia Maryland

Willie Nelson with Soon to be President Jimmy Carter and Family - a fundraising Concert for His Election Campaign... Meriweather Post Pavillion - Columbia Maryland

Willie Nelson and Leon Russel at an Amusement Park in Virginia.

Pat Matheny and Lyle Mays - Meriweather Post Pavillion - Columbia Maryland

ASIA - Meriweather Post Pavillion - Columbia Maryland

Edgar Winter Group - Wax Museum, Washington DC

Weird Al Yankovich - Wax Museum, Washington DC

Asleep at the Wheel - Wax Museum, Washington DC

NRBQ (New Rhythm and Blues Quartet) - Wax Museum, Washington DC

BETTY - and Many Local Bands at The Washington Monument, Washington DC

Root Buy Slim and the New Hope For The Criminally Insane - The 9:30 Club, Washington DC

Parlament/Funkadelic - CALNEVA Lodge Lake Tahoe

Parlament/Funkadelic - La Salles, Chico, California

Jeff Pershing Band - Central Plaza, Chico, California

and Many other Bands at the Friday night Concert in the Park... Every Friday Night All Summer Long... 

Humboldt Calypso Band in Arcata, CA - Creamery Festival

David Lindley at Humboldt State University

Samba Parade Many Times at Humboldt State University

Tim Day's Band - Blue Rhythm Revue - Arcata's Plaza

Tim Day's Band - Old Town Eureka

Calamity Jane! - Old Town Eureka

Unknown Punk Rock Band at a Iraq War Protest March... First they Observed a Moment of Silence for the Dead... and Then They Observed a Moment of NOISE for the Dead...

Tofu Mike Schwartz did the PA Sound System

Humboldt Folklife Festival in Blue Lake (twice)... Many Bands... including Lila Nelson and Mike Schwartz... Ukesperience, Fortuna Bandemonium, Rooster McClintoc... 

Slewfoot String Band - a Practice Session in Manila, Ca and then a Concert at the AA Bar and Grill in Eureka, CA 

Led Zeppelin, Lee Michales, The Tubes - Kezar Stadium, San Francisco

SNACK Concert - Students Need Athletics Culture and Kicks - Kesar Stadium - Many Bands - Bob Dylan, The Band

Trouble Funk - George Washington University, Washington DC

Herbie Hancock - George Washington University, Washington DC

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

some more I Just Remembered

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

John Cage - Composer: at National Science Foundation Auditorium

Gamelan Orchestra at the National Art Gallery East Wing (Modern Art)

Chip Davis: The Guy from Mannheim Steamroller at National Art Gallery West Wing (Old Paintings)

Jerry Garcia Band: 

Keystone Palo Alto, 

DAR Constitution Hall - With Robert Hunter, 

San Jose State Boys Gym

Bobby Weir Solo... Bobby and The Midnights, Kingfish

Phil Lesh and Ned Lagin: Seastones

Harry Belafonte at Wolftrap

1812 Overture with Cannons at Wolftrap

Henri Mancini at the US Capitol July Fourth

Beethoven's Ninth Conducted by Leonard Bernstein at the Kennedy Center

Japanese Techno Pop Group at the Kennedy Center

MUSICALS:

Oklahoma - Saratoga Drama Group

My Fair Lady - Saratoga Drama Group - I Worked as a Stagehand and Painted Sets... 

Carousel - Woodminster in the Oakland Hills

HAIR - Some Theater in San Francisco