"My Window" is a song by The Residents, first released on the group's 2005 album Animal Lover.
History[]
After the release of The Residents' 23rd studio album Wormwood in 1998, the group began working on their next album of original material; all about the relationships between animals and people, told from the perspective of said animals.
The earliest version of 'My Window' is an unfinished 2 minute instrumental demo which was released on the 2008 Animal Lover instrumental album.
In December of 2004, Animal Lover was announced as a picture book + CD soundtrack, and that was the format the album was released in; although, as The Residents are best known for their music, the picture book side is often not acknowledged by fans. The booklet contains a short stories and song lyrics, with 'The Pigeon' story proceeding 'My Window.'
In 2008, The Residents performed the song live for the first time; albeit an abridged version, as the encore to The Bunny Boy live shows. This same arrangement of the song was performed on the 2010-2011 Talking Light tour, and in 2010, Randy Rose, backed by Uz Jsme Doma performed an extended version of the song at their Moravian Meeting concert.
The abridged version of the song appeared on the group's 37th studio album, Lonely Teenager, in 2011. In 2013, The Residents' released a remix of the song, through their bandcamp, based on an otherwise unreleased 2008 live recording.
The Pigeon[]
The pigeon was nervous. Some would say nervousness is the primary currency of a pigeon's internal existence, but even so, the bird was more than normally twitchy... perhaps even extraordinarily twitchy.
It had everything to do with the human. The man was also nervous and this was not his normal state. Here he comes again. He's coming, he's coming... no he walked on past. He was pacing, grumbling, sighing, staring at the sky... and looking at the pigeon... a lot.
Then there were the other pigeons. All of his friends and family. And one by one, they disappeared. He was coming again... two steps... three steps... FOUR!... no he's just getting his cup of tea. It wasn't the first time his friends had left. The human often took his favorite birds away for races or breeding. It had happened to the pigeon many times in the past, but the human never took them all, and they always returned.
And what about the dog... and the evil cat. They were gone, too. Even the two lovebirds, no longer twittering in their cage by the window. The pigeon was the only one left... him and the man. This was not good... not good at all.
It all started when the mailman brought that letter... and the human turned on his radio... and made some phone calls. Here he comes again... but this time he is getting closer... this time he's holding out his hands... this time... this time he's...
Lyrics[]
Steven said little Ted was dead I read in a letter today The same for Monica's monkey he said Quietly it passed away
(Mister Coo Coo has fallen asleep) His eyes were black and his beak was brown (Mister Coo Coo has fallen asleep) But soon his home will be underground
The wind was cold and the world was old When I went to my window today The sky was dark as a hopeless heart When I went to my window today
Talking Light version[]
Steven said little Ted was dead I read in a letter today The same for Monica's monkey she said Quietly it passed away
His eyes were black and his beak was brown Mister Coo Coo has fallen asleep And soon his home will be underground Mister Coo Coo has fallen asleep
The sky was dark as a hopeless heart When I went to my window today The wind was cold and the world was old When I went to my window today
Radio Thoreau version[]
As part of the 2013 "Radio Thoreau" project, a live version of this track recorded in Rennes, France, was one of the first remixed by Charles Bobuck to be more "commercial"
Credits[]
A Bobuck Fix
Performers: Carla Fabrizio, Nolan Cook, Joshua Raoul Brody & The Residents
Releases[]
- Animal Lover (2005)
- Animal Lover Instrumental (2008)
- El Año Del Muerto (2009)
- Lost In A Vacant Lot (2010)
- Talking Light Live In Rehearsal, Santa Cruz, California (2010)
- Lonely Teenager (2011)
- Talking Light Bimbo's (2011)
- Radio Thoreau (2013) (remix by Charles Bobuck)
- dot.com (2017 reissue) (remix by Charles Bobuck)