CAnary
"canary" is an ode to physical, mental, and emotional sensitivity. I wrote it my junior year of high school, while I was on medically mandated vocal rest, struggling with a a then undiagnosed autoimmune disorder. One night my mom and I were watching TV and a Subaru commercial came on. In it, a family gets a new puppy and a new Subaru. At the end of the commercial, the dog is very old and the car is still in pristine condition which I guess is supposed to motivate you to buy a Subaru but just made me think about the finitude of life and the inescapability of death and I burst into tears started blabbering about how this dog was gonna die soon. My mom looked over at me and said, “wow, you are so sensitive” and I couldn’t exactly argue. Writing this song saved me in so many ways: chief among which was simply me discovering that I could express and heal and laugh via songwriting.
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I’m little and I’m yellow-bellied.
Dark-eyed, never quiet.
At least my hair is soft and feathery
And all this soul I have- you couldn’t buy it.
I saw a Subaru commercial yesterday
And I cried.
’Cause there was a dog who grew old and it was implied
That he died.
Two hundred feet
Deep in the dark,
Carrying a spark to see:
I’m the first one sensin’ it
Cause I’m just a little sensitive.
I’m a canary in a coalmine.
I wanna fly away, fly away.
But there’s no air in this coalmine
But I will sing today, sing today.
But my throat is tight my voice is dying
And I’m scared of the dark.
Wish I could be with my friends, flying.
Wish I could sing like a lark.
But I’m sick all the goddamn time,
And that’s fine.
It’s just my wings feel heavy and my brain’s not mine,
But that’s fine.
Two hundred feet
Deep underground.
The silence sounds deafening:
I’m the first one sensin’ it
Cause I’m so damn sensitive.
I’m a canary in a coalmine.
I wanna fly away, fly away.
But there’s no air in this coalmine
But I will sing today, sing today.
(Instrumental break, vocalization)
Two hundred feet
Deep in the dark,
And I’m the spark you’re carrying:
I’m the first one sensin’ it:
Sometimes it pays to be sensitive.
I’m a canary in a coalmine.
I wanna fly away, fly away.
There’s no air, I’m leaving this coalmine
And I will sing today, sing today -
Mirabai Kukathas - lyrics, melody, vocals
Matt "Sabyu" Sablan - acoustic guitar, bass, drums, production
Thaddeus Turner - electric guitar
Daniel Pak - production
Erica Gill - cover art photography
canary at the UW
caanry at SoundOff! 2020