Birdhouse in Your Soul - Lyrics

Lyrics

The song tells the story, in very abstract terms, of a nightlight with the appearance of a blue canary, from the point of view of the nightlight itself. The summation of its opening statements ("I'm your only friend; I'm not your only friend, but I'm a little glowing friend, but really I'm not actually your friend; but I am") reveals that while it is not really a friend in the traditional sense of the word, its job as a nocturnal protector of its owner (the listener) makes it their only friend while they sleep. It tells the listener to make a birdhouse (being a safe place for something small and vulnerable) for the light it creates in their mind and soul.

The nightlight then goes on to proclaim its identity ("my name is 'blue canary;' one note, spelled 'L-I-T-E'"), and that it will always serve its intended purpose to the listener and their room. It references a picture in the room, probably a lighthouse ("There's a picture opposite me of my primitive ancestry, which stood on rocky shores and kept the beaches shipwreck-free"), and states that while it respects the job a lighthouse does, but would cause shipwrecks if it tried to serve as a lighthouse itself ("Though I respect that a lot, I'd be fired if that were my job, after killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts"). It is simply a "guardian angel" for its friend and owner.

As the song fades, the line "while you're at it, leave the night-lite on inside the birdhouse in your soul" echoes the chorus, essentially telling the listener to keep all the good things that provide light in their soul protected.

The lyric "My story's infinite / Like the Longines Symphonette / It doesn't rest" is a reference to the Longines Symphonette Society, which back in the 1960s and 1970s, released numerous albums consisting of recordings of various classical and classic pieces of music, as well as to the Longines Symphonette, a watch showcased at the 1964 New York World's Fair. In fact, Linnell attended the fair as a child, which is featured in some of their other songs. It may also be a reference to the Longines Symphonette clock/ radio/ lamp of the 1960s and 1970s, which would be near the canary nightlight and, being mains powered, would not rest.