Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
Download available in 16-bit/44.1kHz.
$1USD or more
about
“Birds have become my spirit animal - they help connect me to nature, which is always healing,” says Austin singer-songwriter SUZANNA CHOFFEL about her new song, “BIRD BY BIRD,” out today. Inspired by the New York Times best-selling Anne Lamott modern classic, Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Choffel wrote “Bird By Bird” for her stepdaughter, who was dealing with overwhelming mental health struggles of depression and anxiety.
“It’s a book about creative writing, and it starts with a great introduction with a story from Anne Lamont’s childhood about her brother being overwhelmed by a research paper on birds he had put off until the night before it was due,” Choffel explains. “Her father ends up telling him, ‘Hey, it’s okay, let’s just take it bird by bird.’ I loved that way of thinking about overwhelming projects.”
“When I sat down and wrote ‘Bird By Bird’ for my step-daughter, she was struggling with depression and anxiety, and I was always trying to get her to get out of her head a bit and realize all of life is just taking one thing a time, one step at a time, one issue at a time. This lyric really represents what I was sharing with her. Bird by bird and stone by stone, we can piece this world together / you don’t have to be alone.”
Most humans need to hear this sentiment at some point, as we burrow deeper into virtual connections at the expense of tangible experiences (a subject she addresses further on her forthcoming album, Bird by Bird, out on September 27.
“After I wrote the song, I started to notice birds more in general - not sure if I manifested that or it’s just this phase of life where you suddenly become a bird nerd. The mantra of ‘bird by bird’ or ‘little by little’ has helped me in my work and life. I picture a flock of birds and then zero in on just one. It helps.”
“Bird By Bird” is produced by longtime Choffel friend/collaborator David Garza, co-producer on Fiona Apple’s GRAMMY®-winning album, Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Drummer Amy Wood and bassist Sebastian Steinberg perform on the album and its title track, recorded at the famed Sonic Ranch in West Texas; guest contributions on Bird By Bird(including violin by Warren Hood and Carrie Rodriguez) were recorded at Austin’s Cedar Creek Studio.
lyrics
You wake up lonely and afraid
You think the world has thrown a shade
But if you look outside your window
You will see me down below.
Down at the front steps to your door
I want to show you there is more
Than just that tiny little prison
Of a mind you’re trapped in.
Bird by bird and stone by stone
We can piece this world together
You don’t have to be alone.
Tooth by tooth and bone by bone
You can piece yourself together
Find the peace you’ve never known.
And when you step into the light
Put back the swing into your fight
The world will welcome you back in
Just like it’s been there all along.
You are the fire you are the wind,
Summon your power, become your friend
For when there’s no one else you always have yourself.
Bird by bird and stone by stone
We can piece this world together
You don’t have to be alone.
Tooth by tooth and bone by bone
You can piece yourself together
Find the peace you’ve never known.
Bird by bird, stone by stone, tooth by tooth, and bone by bone.
Bird by bird, stone by stone, tooth by tooth, and bone by bone.
Bird by bird and stone by stone
We can piece this world together
You don’t have to be alone.
Tooth by tooth and bone by bone
You can piece yourself together
Find the peace you’ve never known.
Suzanna Choffel is many things: a rising star, an undeniable musical force and a unique voice (a “honeyed husk,” as it’s
been posited) who feels equally at home singing in a dimly-lit, smoky club as she does front and center in front of (literally) millions. She’s “graceful” and yet, as Rolling Stone asserts, possessing “all the vibe in the world.”...more
because Meggan has the sweetest, most genuine delivery of everything she does, like it comes straight from the source with no interference. a true gem of Austin, TX she shines originality. Suzanna Choffel
Dan's voice will blow your mind AND soul away. his songs are a combination of raw talent and hard-worked craft. go get lost in his dreamy world. Suzanna Choffel
Yorkshire songwriter and guitarist Kindelan explores life's in-between moments on a debut EP of soulful and sweet jazz. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 1, 2023
This four-track live EP from singer Merryn Jeann has a sense of otherworldliness in its mystic, magical compositions. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 3, 2022
Johanna Samuels writes introspective and empathetic songs that explore authenticity with lovely, low-key pop melodies. Bandcamp New & Notable May 20, 2021