Nemo James

I Sing Because I have To

Song Not Yet Released

I don’t got much to live for, I’ve got nowhere to go
Stuck in this tiny house, with no high or low
I might look happy, but don’t you kid yourself
The reason I am singing is ‘cause I’ve got nothing else

Chorus
I sing because I have to or else what would I do
You put me in this cage just to keep you amused
If you really love me then let me fly away
I’d rather have my freedom, even if for just one day

Sometimes friends come calling giving me all the news
With tales of their migration and all the miles they flew
I know that they mean well but it only hurts the more
Hoping along this perch, when I could truly soar

I know there’s danger out there
But it does seem quite absurd
When I hear you say you’d like to be
As free as a bird

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG

During the summer of 2020, I was sitting with Federika on the terasa when she told me how much she was enjoying reading the book, I know why the caged bird sings. As soon as I heard the title, I knew there was a song in there somewhere. By coincidence, not far from where we sit, there is a house that has canaries in cages on the front terrace, and we often hear them singing. I know people say they are perfectly happy and bred for the purpose, but it breaks my heart to see them in cages. Are they singing, or are they really crying to be set free?