Track 12 - Good Morning, Mourning Dove

Track 12 – Good Morning, Mourning Dove

This is another bird song from a time when bird-kitschy stuff was at its apex. I was walking down the street once and I heard a mourning dove. Out loud I said, “Good morning, mourning dove.” This may sound like a fib, but I immediately thought, “Great. I have to write a song about that now.” So, here it is.

At this time in my life, I was listening to BBC news to fall asleep. I realized after a while that it was all bad news about war and violence. I also realized that it was not helping me get to sleep, so I stopped doing that. The conceit of this song is that a slightly unhinged speaker (surprise, surprise) is addressing a nearby bird and projecting all their problems onto the bird. It also has an apocalyptic ending that was inspired by the lakefront in Milwaukee, WI.

This is a song that has grown on me with time. I didn’t think it was anything special when I wrote it, but as I listen to it now, I really enjoy it. I feel for the character. The images work. I like how the syllables fall in the melody. I like how the sentences don’t always end with the lines. Some of the word play is fun, but not so silly as to undermine the tone of the song. Good job, John.

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