Learn to Fly

It was one of the tracks originally written for Little Earthquakes that never saw the light of day. Evidently a sheet (or envelope, according to HereinMyHead) with the lyrics in Tori’s handwriting turned up on Ebay a while back.

During the Chicago VIP meet and greet, I pulled out a sheet with the supposed lyrics and asked her if they were the right words, and if she remembered how it went. ‘Oh yes,’ Tori said, ‘I remember it well.’ After reading the words she said, ‘How do they know?’ and I explained the Ebay story.

I asked if she was thinking about ever playing it and she said maybe. A hopeful maybe.

‘Maybe. Maybe I will,’ she said, smiling. ‘Maybe I just will! It’s given me an idea!’ She went on to explain how it wasn’t recorded for Little Earthquakes because she wasn’t able to work with the sound guy who did Mary and Sweet Dreams because of an issue with Atlantic. Tori said it was a song like Take Me With You that just ‘fell through the cracks.’

She asked if she could keep the handwritten set of lyrics, and I assured her that I could find another copy online.

Tori signed my tourbook “For Lily For Remembering…. <3 Tori Amos + Learn to Fly”

‘Thank you,’ she said, ‘I needed to be reminded.’

Full lyrics below cut.

Learn to Fly
got a red balloon it’s
got me dreamin dreamin
dreamin of you
i let it go
like you baby you
slipped through my hands
like my brain i know
has always been slow
so
i gotta learn to fly
or i’ll be drownin drownin
drownin in this
everyday day cry they say
even the best
swimmers can drown
that i know
cause i made a mess of my life
i know i made a mess of my life

like a bird on a wire
i feel
like a bird on a wire
then why do i fall
before i learn to fly
i guess i’ll learn to crawl

can a snake have wings
can a girl who lost her courage
teach a lion to sing
a beginning pilot
got a beginning plane
i can’t compare with your heavy metal dream
these dark ages got some
fancy machines

like a bird on a wire
i feel
like a bird on a wire
then why do i fall
before i learn to fly
i guess i’ll learn to crawl

like catfish said
catfish and eddie
gonna show you how girl
to walk on water, yeah
we’ll take it slow
we ain’t gonna rush you
we’ll start out small with
the mississippi yeah
they say i can’t look back
they say i can’t look back
why do i look below
oh god
i’m sinkin fast
gotta learn to fly
or i’ll be drownin drownin
drownin in this everyday cry
they say the best
swimmers can drown
with every stroke
i lie to myself
with every stroke
i lied to myself

like a bird on a wire
i feel
like a bird on a wire
then why do i fall
before i learn to fly
I guess I’ll learn to crawl