♫ Broken Wings ♫

Posted on by under music

All it takes sometimes is a single word to put a song into my head … are you guys that way?  Anyway, last night I heard mention of a bird with a broken wing, and that was it … immediately this song jumped into my head and refuses to leave until I share it.

Released in 1985, this song was inspired by a book the lyricist John Lang read called The Broken Wings, by the Lebanese poet-philosopher Kahlil Gibran. The book, which was written in 1912, is a story of a love that is doomed by social convention.

Its theme is echoed in this song: picking up the pieces of your life and moving on. There is a note of heartbreak, however, as the singer is asking the girl to spread her wings and fly away, hoping that love will bring her back.

The line, “Take these broken wings and learn to fly” also appears in The Beatles song Blackbird, another of my favourites.

John Lang wrote this song with Mr. Mister frontman Richard Page and guitarist Steve George. According to Page, they were at his home in California when the three of them came up with the song in about 20 minutes and recorded it on Page’s tape machine.  The band, Mr. Mister, is another that I am not very familiar with, couldn’t name another song they have done, but I’ve always liked this one for some reason.

Broken Wings
Mr. Mister

Baby, I don’t understand
Why we can’t just hold on
To each other’s hands
This time will be the last
I fear unless I make it all too clear
I need you so

Take these broken wings
And learn to fly again
And learn to live so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in
Take these broken wings

Baby, I think tonight
We can take what was wrong
And make it right
Baby, it’s all I know
That you’re half of the flesh
And blood makes me whole
I need you so

So take these broken wings
And learn to fly again
Learn to live so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in
Take these broken wings

You’ve got to learn to fly, learn to live, love so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up and let us in yeah, yeah

Let us in
Let us in

Baby, it’s all I know that you’re half of the flesh
And blood that makes me whole
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

So take these broken wings
And learn to fly again, learn to live so free
And when we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up and let us in

Take these broken wings
You got to learn to fly, learn to live and love so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up for us and let us in
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Songwriters: John Ross Lang / Richard James Page / Steve George
Broken Wings lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

Discover more from Filosofa's Word

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

26 thoughts on “♫ Broken Wings ♫”

  1. Oh man, will you forgive me for a tepid opinion of Broken Wings? Music is personal, uniquely akin to smell and taste in its ability to evoke emotional response. Which song, lyric or musical genre moves us is endlessly fascinating. Just as familiar smells can catapult us to our childhood, music stirs emotional responses as individual as each and every one of us.

    Tonight, Pink Moon sticks in my head. Go figure. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nothing to forgive, for as you said, music is personal and we each have our own unique sense of what we like or don’t like. I like classical, soft jazz, soft rock, and a few country songs, but there’s no rhyme nor reason to the songs I call my favourites.

      Like

  2. In an effort to redeem myself in your eyes, I should like to draw your attention to my prowess on another musical post that appeared today. It is on the blog “Colin and Ray” in response to his post of a song by Tangerine Dream. I am much more knowledgeable about them than Mr. Mister, and might I add, there is much more to know (she says with minimal boasting)! I did, however, find “Kyrie” on YouTube and it was as good as I remembered. Thank-you!

    Liked by 2 people

      • Good Morning! It is indeed my pleasure. Curiosity, that killer of cats, bids me ask if you know Tangerine Dream? It has long puzzled me how many music lovers do not. When I mention them, I’m usually met with “who?” or a blank stare…no worries, because if you had not, now you do! Quantum Gate is often my choice when the angst from the age of Trump threatens my sanity. Thank-you!

        Liked by 1 person

        • I do know of Tangerine Dream, though not well, and frankly I generally find their music a bit depressing, although I did like the one Colin played. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Quantum Gate, so I will make a note to check that one out, especially since you tell me that it helps restore your sanity when Trump threatens it! He, his minions, and some personal issues have put my sanity in danger of permanent extinction!!!

          Like

  3. Like Ellen, I was impressed with this album and this song (and sorry, Ellen, prefer it over “Is This Love). Like you and others, I enjoy the lines, “Take these broken wings and learn to fly again,” but I’m also taken with the next line, “And learn to live so free.” I always thought this song imparted a simple but confident pleading to keep trying and not to give up. Cheers

    Liked by 3 people

  4. This song from Mr. Mister’s album “Welcome to the World” was pretty much their goodbye to it too. Personally I liked another song on it better, “Is It Love”. Their next album, I don’t even remember the title, veered in a completely different direction and they faded into obscurity in less than 10 years from coming on the scene. I could be wrong, but I believe that another album was compiled but not released until many years later. Kahlil Gibran’s book “The Broken Wings” that I first read in 1969, however, is quite memorable. I quote him often and may have done so in comments to your posts. So, how could I possibly leave without adding one of my favorites? “I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.” Thank-you!

    Liked by 3 people

  5. Absolutely classic 80’s production song, tuneful, great lyrics and still played 30 years later. Will probably still be there another 30 down the line. Love it. Love Kahlil Gibran too.
    Cwtch

    Liked by 4 people

    • I’m so happy you liked this one! It is one that has staying power. I don’t recall any other of Mr. Mister’s songs, but then I am terrible about being able to remember who did what song … I’ll have to check later and see if they did others I liked.
      Cwtch

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I can’t speak for other guys; but, yes, a single word or image can evoke songs and memories etched into my mind. It happens a lot, actually. Your reference to Blackbird made me think of Janis Ian’s beautiful song of forbidden romance Society’s Child.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Heh heh … no, I’m not a wealth of information, but between Wikipedia and SongFacts, I can usually find out something I didn’t know. Glad you enjoyed it! It was a good day … the sun actually shone, and it was 68 degrees! The warmest it’s been since maybe last September! ❤

      Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.