Self pity, me so pitiful
You can see that birds and worms don't get along
Self righteous, me so wrong, though
You can see that we don't have to get along
Self pity, me so pitiful
You can see that birds and worms do not agree
And we will crawl



Lyrics submitted by numb, edited by quirk3k

Track duration: 02:13


Birds vs. Worms song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:i think its just about how all people don't get along. We don't have to get along either.
    Flag toastcheeon September 13, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this is about conflict between two types of people, as well. For me, it seems like a struggle between "Type A" (the bird, "the early bird gets the worm," the achiever) and "Type B" (passive type, less ambitious and often criticized by Type As as possibly being lazy, but just a different, laid-back type of person). For me currently, I feel like "the worm" because I am struggling as a laid-back type of person in a very ambitious environment (really difficult classes in college). I can't seem to keep up and this song sort of explains things well for me. I know it's not specifically about that, but the lyrics fit. Anyway, I love this song in general :)
    Flag thismessismineon October 02, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I actually think this song is not about a relationship between different types of people, but how he feels about himself. Like at times he feels self righteous, or powerful and confident (bird), and at other times he'll get so down on himself and feel worthless (worm). he's either flying high or he feels like dirt. there's no in between (the birds and worms dont get along). But in the end he's down on himself for everything, like when he did feel confident he felt that it was wrong to feel that way so he's just stuck as a worm crawling on. It's like this constant internal struggle to label himself as either good enough or not good enough in the end just makes him feel down on himself. And he uses we because he wants it to be relatable. That's what I think at least because I could relate.
    Flag kaitlinzeikon January 04, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:bird is sometimes used as a word for a woman, and worm, well there's a certain similarity to men that we all realise i hope. an interesting little note i thought. the song itself is fairly self explanatory, it's saying "i'm done trying to get along with you, because we don't have to. if the birds and the worms can eternally be in conflict why shouldn't we be able to?"
    Flag comuson August 12, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This has been one of my favorite songs for close to ten years now, and I just now found a possible source for it, from a famous American novel, The Adventures of Augie March. We know Isaac enjoyed lit, considering the name of the band.

    Georgie is the "idiot" child, not the brightest, and "Grandma" is not really the grandmother of the children, but a boarder in the house, however she leads it and teaches the boys.

    "Georgie loved her--and Grandma, whom he would kiss on the sleeve, on the knee, taking knee or arm in both hands and putting his underlip forward, chaste, lummoxy, caressing, gentle and diligent when he bent his narrow back, blouse bagging all over it, whitish hair pointy and close as a burr or sunflower when the seeds have been picked out of it. The old lady let him embrace her and spoke to him in the following way: 'Hey, you, boy, clever junge, you like the old Grandma, my minister, my cavalyer? That's-a-boy. You know who's good to you, who gives you gizzards and necks? Who? Who makes noodles for you? Yes. Noodles are slippery, hard to pick up with a fork and hadr to pick up with the fingers. You see how the little bird pulls the worm? The little worm wants to stay in the ground. The little worm doesn't want to come out. Enough, you're making my dress wet.' And she'd sharply push his forehead off with her prim hand, having fired off for Simon and me, mindful always of her duty to wise us up, one more animadversion on the trustful, loving and simple surrounded by the cunning-hearted and tough, a fighting nature of birds and worms, and a desperate mankind without feelings. Illustrated by Georgie. But the principal illustration was not Georgie but Mama, in her love-originated servitude, simple-minded, abandoned with three children. This was what old lady Lausch was driving at, now, in the later wisdom of her life, that she had a second family to lead."

    This seems like the tone of almost all Modest Mouse songs, and it wouldn't surprise me if the line "one more animadversion on the trustful, loving and simple surrounded by the cunning-hearted and tough, a fighting nature of birds and worms, and a desperate mankind without feelings," struck a chord with Isaac.
    Flag benkeeson February 26, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:love the tune, love it. as i listen to mm, it seams to me theres a part to isaac i might have noticed, i have in a couple of songs, but this might be the song that pushes the idea over the edge, its also somewhat hurd in the track " the world at large". its hard to say, since its something thats so private.
    but mainly its about his inner self, he cant deny, what the past has molded, and what was in him all along, what it is? even if i was right, i think its too personal, nor would i agree for the press to "advertise" his privacy....now im to lazy to write, tough shi*(p) people, oh well, later
    Flag th3facttoryon April 17, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The song, for me, is about the fact that for there to be a natural and good way to live, we needn't be "perfect" human beings, as it is clearly seen that worms and birds do not get along, but exist perfectly well and adapted.
    Flag Huntman556on January 13, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Self righteous BEING so wrong"
    "even you can see that birds and worms can't get long"
    Flag kloppervokon July 14, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Self pity, me so pitiful
    You can see that birds and worms don't get along

    (Im the worm, woes me for having been dealt such an awful hand)

    Self righteous, me so wrong
    You can see that we don't have to get along

    (Looking down on the haves, saying they don't understand what life is really about, they could never have the perspective that living in the dirt gives you. but hell, who cares? We're different animals)

    Self pity, me so pitiful
    You can see that birds and worms do not agree
    And we will crawl

    (we'll keep doing what we're doing)
    Flag Wayward-Airmanon July 04, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:and a comment to madame theist, sin doesn't make you happy. it just somewhat happens that today many of us rebel youths feel that way

    but no need to debate religion
    Flag popularindieon April 28, 2008   Link

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