The first time I ever heard of females being referred to as "birds" was during the early days of the English Invasion of 1964. The Beatles landed on Ed Sullivan in February, then came the Stones and the Dave Clark Five and the Mercy Beats and the Who and Freddy & The Dreamers and a hundred others. Somewhere in all that Limey influx and influence, I heard a band member refer to "all the lovely birds," as in the "fairer sex," and, or, female fans, some of whom graduated to being groupies.
And, by the way, "Limey" is an American slang word, probably first uttered in the 1850s as Americans encountered British sailers sucking on limes to reduce scurvy.
Fast forward to the Great Hunkerage (as my friend Vince Murray styles it), and I find myself revisiting and chuckling at those olden times when the world seemed to actually make some sense.
Daily Whip Out: "Femme Fatale"
Daily Whip Out: "Seeking Helene"
Daily Whip Out: "Elena"
Daily Whip Out: "Sharlot In Red"
“Once upon a time, when women were birds,
there was the simple understanding that
to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk
was to heal the world through joy.
The birds still remember
what we have forgotten,
that the world is meant to be
celebrated.”
—Terry Tempest Williams
there was the simple understanding that
to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk
was to heal the world through joy.
The birds still remember
what we have forgotten,
that the world is meant to be
celebrated.”
—Terry Tempest Williams
"Bird" probably derives from old English term "burd" or "byrde" meaning young woman , not the feathered variety .
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