Acid Bird Releases Gigs Lyrics Comments

Details

Author
Robyn Hitchcock
According to our records, Robyn has played this song 176 times, most recently at World Café Live on April 24, 2024. He first performed it at Hope & Anchor on January 23, 1981, 43 years and 3 months earlier.
Title Artist Label Type Year
Black Snake Diamond Role Robyn Hitchcock Armageddon Records Album 1981
Zinc Pear Robyn Hitchcock & The Soft Boys Armageddon Records Promo 1981
Gotta Let This Hen Out! Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians Midnight Music Album 1985
The Man Who Invented Himself Robyn Hitchcock United Records Compilation 1986
A Soft Boy No More Robyn Hitchcock Blue Lake Records Bootleg 1988
Catalog Sampler Robyn Hitchcock (& the Egyptians) Rhino Records Promo 1994
Stand Back, Dennis! Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians Bootleg 1994
The Kershaw Sessions Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians Strange Roots Album 1994
Robyn Hitchcock Sampler Robyn Hitchcock Rhino Records Promo 1995
Uncorrected Personality Traits Robyn Hitchcock Rhino Records Album 1997
I Wanna Go Backwards Robyn Hitchcock Yep Roc Records Album 2007
Selections From the I Wanna Go Backwards Box Set Robyn Hitchcock Yep Roc Records Promo 2007
Luminous Groove Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians Yep Roc Records Album 2008
Patreon 2022 Robyn Hitchcock Internet 2022
Venue Billed As City State Country Date
Hope & Anchor The Soft Boys London England UK 01/23/1981
Hope & Anchor The Soft Boys London England UK 01/30/1981
Golden Lion (last Soft Boys gig) The Soft Boys London England UK 02/08/1981
Hope & Anchor Robyn Hitchcock and the New Apes London England UK 04/04/1981
The Venue Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 07/09/1981
Great Northern Hotel The Soft Boys Cambridge England UK 01/19/1982
Hope & Anchor "Robyn Hitchcock & Chums" (First Egyptians gig) London England UK 09/29/1984
Dingwalls Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 11/17/1984
The Bell Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 12/17/1984
Dingwalls Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 03/15/1985
Institute of Contemporary Arts Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 03/23/1985
Marquee Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 04/27/1985
Clarendon Hotel Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 05/17/1985
Institute of Contemporary Arts Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 05/23/1985
Irving Plaza Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians New York New York US 06/21/1985
Cabaret Metro Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Chicago Illinois US 06/22/1985
Club Lingerie Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Los Angeles California US 06/28/1985
Maxwell's Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Hoboken New Jersey US 08/01/1985
Irving Plaza Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians New York New York US 08/02/1985
Jonathan Swift's Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Cambridge Massachusetts US 08/03/1985
Mountford Hall Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Liverpool England UK 10/25/1985
UMIST Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Manchester England UK 10/26/1985
7th St. Entry Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Minneapolis Minnesota US 11/17/1985
Mabel's Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Champaign Illinois US 11/19/1985
Patio Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Indianapolis Indiana US 11/20/1985
688 Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Atlanta Georgia US 11/22/1985
UCSD Gym Steps Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians San Diego California US 03/13/1986
I-Beam Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians San Francisco California US 03/17/1986
Berkeley Square Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Berkeley California US 03/19/1986
Starry Night Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Portland Oregon US 03/21/1986
Moore Theatre Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Seattle Washington US 03/22/1986
First Avenue Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Minneapolis Minnesota US 03/26/1986
Blind Pig Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Ann Arbor Michigan US 03/27/1986
9:30 Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Washington DC US 03/28/1986
Zentrum Zoo Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Tubingen Germany 04/13/1986
Metropol Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Aachen Germany 04/15/1986
Rose Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Cologne Germany 04/16/1986
Fabrik Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Hamburg Germany 04/20/1986
BBC Radio One 'In concert' Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 06/10/1986
Town and Country Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 06/10/1986
Glastonbury Festival Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Pilton England UK 06/21/1986
CND Festival Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Pilton England UK 06/22/1986
[unknown venue] (Brighton, England UK) Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Brighton England UK 10/03/1986
BBC Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 11/01/1986
The Ritz Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians New York New York US 11/01/1986
Paradise Rock Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Boston Massachusetts US 11/02/1986
Cabaret Metro Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Chicago Illinois US 11/07/1986
Tartan Bar Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Leeds England UK 01/24/1987
Town and Country Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 01/25/1987
Stereodrome Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Bologna Italy 02/11/1987
Stereodrome Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Bologna Italy 02/12/1987
Vinile Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Rosà Italy 02/15/1987
Glastonbury Festival Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Pilton England UK 06/19/1987
Uptown Lounge Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Athens Georgia US 03/25/1988
Paradise Rock Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Boston Massachusetts US 04/01/1988
Graffiti Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Pittsburgh Pennsylvania US 04/05/1988
St. Andrew's Hall Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Detroit Michigan US 04/07/1988
Cabaret Metro Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Chicago Illinois US 04/09/1988
Union Theatre Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Madison Wisconsin US 04/10/1988
The Fillmore Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians San Francisco California US 04/13/1988
John Anson Ford Theater Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Los Angeles California US 04/15/1988
Inkstick Shibura Factory Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Tokyo Japan 09/16/1988
The Ritz Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians New York New York US 09/20/1988
Town and Country Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 10/06/1988
Rosemont Horizon Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Chicago Illinois US 03/06/1989
Arco Arena Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Sacramento California US 03/13/1989
TT the Bear's Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Cambridge Massachusetts US 06/18/1989
St. Andrew's Hall Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Detroit Michigan US 06/28/1989
Hultsfred Festival Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Hultsfred Sweden 11/08/1989
Maxwell's Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Hoboken New Jersey US 12/30/1990
Max's on Broadway Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Baltimore Maryland US 01/01/1991
Tramps Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians New York New York US 09/12/1991
Town and Country Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 11/01/1991
Daily's Melody Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Stockholm Sweden 11/14/1991
Mein Batschkapp Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Frankfurt Germany 11/20/1991
University London Union (ULU) Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 01/17/1992
Variety Playhouse Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Atlanta Georgia US 01/29/1992
Toad's Place Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians New Haven Connecticut US 02/04/1992
Campus Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Providence Rhode Island US 02/05/1992
Iron Horse Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Northampton Massachusetts US 02/06/1992
The Ritz Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians New York New York US 02/07/1992
El Mocambo Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Toronto Ontario Canada 02/10/1992
Boulder Theatre Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Boulder Colorado US 02/19/1992
HUB Ballroom Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Seattle Washington US 02/22/1992
Roseland Theater Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Portland Oregon US 02/23/1992
Slim's Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians San Francisco California US 02/26/1992
The Palace Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Los Angeles California US 02/28/1992
Astoria The Soft Boys London England UK 01/15/1994
Corn Exchange The Soft Boys Cambridge England UK 01/17/1994
BBC - Mark Radcliffe Session The Soft Boys London England UK 01/18/1994
Isle of Wight Bus Tour Robyn Hitchcock Isle of Wight England UK 08/10/1996
The Evershot Village Hall Robyn Hitchcock Evershot England UK 08/17/1996
The Roadhouse Robyn Hitchcock Manchester England UK 09/05/1996
Raoul's Robyn Hitchcock Portland Maine US 03/20/1997
Melarkey's Robyn Hitchcock Sacramento California US 06/03/1997
Great American Music Hall Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 06/04/1997
WOW Hall Robyn Hitchcock Eugene Oregon US 06/05/1997
TT the Bear's Robyn Hitchcock Cambridge Massachusetts US 03/29/2005
Academy II Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Birmingham England UK 01/20/2006
Rescue Rooms Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Nottingham England UK 01/21/2006
The Junction Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Cambridge England UK 01/22/2006
Komedia Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Brighton England UK 01/23/2006
Scala Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 London England UK 01/25/2006
Fleece and Firkin Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Bristol England UK 01/26/2006
Phoenix Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Exeter England UK 01/27/2006
ABC Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Glasgow Scotland UK 01/30/2006
Belly Up Tavern Robyn Hitchcock with Minus 5 Solana Beach California US 02/23/2006
The Key Club Robyn Hitchcock with Minus 5 West Hollywood California US 02/25/2006
Slim's Robyn Hitchcock with Minus 5 San Francisco California US 02/27/2006
Doug Fir Lounge Robyn Hitchcock with Minus 5 Portland Oregon US 03/03/2006
Crocodile Café Robyn Hitchcock with Minus 5 Seattle Washington US 03/04/2006
Hyde Park, O2 Wireless Festival Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 London England UK 06/22/2006
The Charlotte Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Leicester England UK 06/23/2006
Cannon Hill Park Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Birmingham England UK 06/24/2006
Loppen Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Copenhagen Denmark 07/04/2006
Rockefeller Music Hall Robyn Hitchcock & the Minus 3 Oslo Norway 07/06/2006
Cornbury Park Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 Charlbury England UK 07/09/2006
FAB Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 Tokyo Japan 10/08/2006
The Gov Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 Adelaide South Australia Australia 10/14/2006
Beachland Ballroom Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 Cleveland Ohio US 11/12/2006
Maxwell's Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 Hoboken New Jersey US 11/18/2006
Belcourt Theatre Robyn Hitchcock Nashville Tennessee US 03/18/2007
The Bell House Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 New York New York US 06/11/2009
Rough Trade Brooklyn Robyn Hitchcock & Yo La Tengo New York New York US 02/28/2017
The Bowery Ballroom Robyn Hitchcock & Yo La Tengo New York New York US 03/01/2017
The Troubadour Robyn Hitchcock & The LA Squires Los Angeles California US 05/03/2017
The Federal Bar Robyn Hitchcock & The LA Squires Los Angeles California US 05/07/2017
Canton Waterfront Park Robyn Hitchcock & The LA Squires Baltimore Maryland US 07/06/2017
The Fillmore Robyn Hitchcock & The LA Squires San Francisco California US 07/25/2017
The Fillmore Robyn Hitchcock & Yo La Tengo San Francisco California US 09/29/2017
Regent Theatre Robyn Hitchcock & Yo La Tengo Los Angeles California US 10/01/2017
Neptune Theatre Robyn Hitchcock & The Nashville Fabs Seattle Washington US 10/05/2018
Aladdin Theater Robyn Hitchcock & The Nashville Fabs Portland Oregon US 10/06/2018
Golden Gate Park Robyn Hitchcock & The Nashville Fabs San Francisco California US 10/07/2018
Thalia Hall Robyn Hitchcock & The Nashville Fabs Chicago Illinois US 10/10/2018
The Bowery Ballroom Robyn Hitchcock & The Nashville Fabs New York New York US 10/12/2018
The Basement Robyn Hitchcock & The Nashville Fabs Nashville Tennessee US 11/09/2018
Robyn & Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift Nashville Tennessee US 07/24/2020
Robyn & Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift Nashville Tennessee US 07/31/2020
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 10/14/2020
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 10/16/2020
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 02/12/2021
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 05/05/2021
Private House Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift Nashville Tennessee US 07/23/2021
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 09/01/2021
Phoenix Robyn Hitchcock Exeter England UK 09/09/2021
Ipswich Transport Museum Robyn Hitchcock Ipswich England UK 09/11/2021
The Horn Robyn Hitchcock St Albans England UK 09/14/2021
Ramsgate Music Hall Robyn Hitchcock Ramsgate England UK 09/15/2021
Rondo Theatre Robyn Hitchcock Bath England UK 09/17/2021
The Bodega Robyn Hitchcock Nottingham England UK 09/23/2021
Foxlowe Arts Center Robyn Hitchcock Leek England UK 09/24/2021
More Music Robyn Hitchcock Morecombe England UK 09/25/2021
The Crescent Robyn Hitchcock York England UK 09/28/2021
St Mary's Creative Space Robyn Hitchcock Chester England UK 09/30/2021
Summerhall Robyn Hitchcock Edinburgh Scotland UK 10/02/2021
Musikfest Cafe Robyn Hitchcock Bethlehem Pennsylvania US 10/14/2021
The Hangar Theatre Robyn Hitchcock Ithaca New York US 10/15/2021
Higher Ground Showcase Robyn Hitchcock South Burlington Vermont US 10/16/2021
One Longfellow Square Robyn Hitchcock Portland Maine US 10/20/2021
Calvin Theatre Robyn Hitchcock Northampton Massachusetts US 10/21/2021
StageOne Robyn Hitchcock Fairfield Connecticut US 10/23/2021
Private House Robyn Hitchcock Sydney New South Wales Australia 03/03/2022
Southbank Centre - Queen Elizabeth Hall Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 03/19/2022
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 03/23/2022
Henry Tudor House Robyn Hitchcock Shrewsbury England UK 05/05/2022
HIPNIC Robyn Hitchcock Big Sur California US 05/21/2022
Azkena Rock Festival Robyn Hitchcock & Los del Huevos Band Vitoria-Gasteiz Álava Spain 06/18/2022
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Davey Lane London England UK 06/29/2022
Alexandra Palace Theatre Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 02/25/2023
The Court House Robyn Hitchcock Bangor Northern Ireland UK 03/05/2023
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 03/08/2023
Claypath Delicatessen Robyn Hitchcock Durham England UK 08/19/2023
McGonigel's Mucky Duck Robyn Hitchcock Houston Texas US 01/19/2024
White Eagle Hall Robyn Hitchcock Jersey City New Jersey US 04/23/2024
World Café Live Robyn Hitchcock Philadelphia Pennsylvania US 04/24/2024

Comments

From Robyn on Patreon in 2022
On the 1981 “Black Snake Diamond Role” album this song is all about the sound, really - double-tracked Telecaster recorded with a wah-wah pedal accidentally left on maximum treble. I laid this over a bed of flanged bass, served with a drizzle of watercress and sun-dried tomatoes, as it were. Morris Windsor had never heard the song before, but so intuitive is his drumming that the part he played has remained a template for all those who’ve played it since.

Lyrics

Sucking on a tap that never dries
Could you take it right between your eyes?
Bending blood, bending blood
The father stood, the father's hood
Black shadow on an acid bird that etched her way across a field
So long ago

Walking through the fields in summer heat
Look at all the creatures 'round your feet
Pumping blood, pumping blood
The mother gave, the mother gave
White ointment of an acid kiss that burned upon the lips she gave you
So long ago
So long ago

Fun in the sun, luck in the bloodstream
Shallow bodies writhing on the grass
Fun in the sun, hair in the slipstream
Tadpoles shooting through a hollowed glass

Cutting out a silhouette of dreams
Everything is older than it seems
Son of blood, son of blood
The baby shakes the baby snakes
That crawl across the acid rings that flicker from your corpuscles
One sunny day
One sunny day

Fun in the sun, everyone knows it
They could be as mellow as the hay
Fun in the sun, everyone blows it
They grow up and instantly turn grey
Black shadow of an acid bird that etched its way across a field (Black shadow of an acid bird that etched its way across)
So long ago
So long ago

Ah

<Alternates>
Would you take it right between your eyes?  2a
The baby shakes, the baby wakes            21a
We could be as mellow as the hay           26a
They grow up and instantly decay           28a