Uploaded October 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago

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'Bluebird' by Charles Bukowski describes a speaker's relationship with his own emotions and inability to confess that he cannot always be strong and clever. The poem begins with a refrain that describes the existence of a “bluebird” in the speaker's “heart.” It represents his kinder, and more gentle emotions.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.

then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?

Read by Tom O’Bedlam

Composer: Martynas Lau
Song: Imperfections

#CharlesBukowski #bluebird #poetry

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