Andrew Bird has shared a new song inspired by one of the great poets of the past. On “I Felt A Funeral, In My Brain,” Bird is joined by Phoebe Bridgers, as they sing lines inspired by the poem by way of soft, chilling vocals over haunting violin strings.
“I felt a funeral in my brain / And mourners to and fro / Kept treading, treading, till it seemed / that sense was breaking through,” sing the two on the song’s refrain.
Bird came up with the concept for the song after reading a poem by Emily Dickinson, also titled “I Felt A Funeral, In My Brain,” which he said felt like an accurate description of his inner world.
“It became an inspiration for the songs on [my most recent album] Inside Problems,” said Bird in a statement. “Who better to sing it with than Phoebe Bridgers? I sent her a demo and so, here we are. Thanks to Ms. Dickinson’s publisher at Harvard University Press for allowing us to use this poem. As I understand, her poems weren’t published as she intended them until the 1950s—that is, without the heavy hand of her male editors.”
Check out “I Felt A Funeral, In My Brain” above.
