Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)
Encyclopedia
"Feed the Birds" is a song written by the Sherman Brothers
(Richard M. Sherman
& Robert B. Sherman
) and featured in the 1964 motion picture Mary Poppins
. It is reputed to have been Walt Disney
's favorite song.
The song speaks of an old beggar woman (portrayed by actress Jane Darwell) who sits on the steps of Saint Paul's Cathedral
, selling bags of breadcrumbs to passers-by for tuppence a bag, so that the passers-by can feed the many pigeons who surround the old woman. (The scene is reminiscent of the real-life seed sellers in Trafalgar Square
.)
In 2005, Julie Andrews
selected the song as part of the album "Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs".
The song is also referenced in the Disney film Enchanted, a tribute and parody to classic Disney movies, in the form of an old woman named Clara who sells bird feed for "two dollars a bag". Additionally, this song and bird-feeding lady described therein have also been hinted in Chris Columbus' 1992 movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
, namely by the character known as the Pigeon Lady (interpreted by Academy-Award Winner Brenda Fricker
) and John Williams
' soundtrack theme.
books), she thought it was "nice" but inappropriate for a male voice. Robert Sherman then called in a Disney staff secretary to demonstrate the song again. Upon hearing a woman sing the song, Mrs. Travers' response was that she thought "Greensleeves
" (traditionally in E-minor, the same key as about half of "Feed The Birds") was the only truly appropriate song for the soundtrack, as it was "quintessentially English". (Mrs. Travers had originally wanted the only music in the film to be Edwardian period songs.) Eventually and reluctantly, Mrs. Travers acquiesced to the American songwriters' supplying the film's now-classic mid-twentieth century soundtrack.
Robert Sherman
recalls:
He also comments:
Tony Brown of The Plain Dealer related additional Sherman comments about the song and its role in Mary Poppins
in "Finding 'Mary Poppins' from book to movie to stage: Follow 'Feed The Birds'" http://www.cleveland.com/onstage/index.ssf/2009/07/finding_mary_poppins_from_book.html. Walt Disney World in "Disney’s Hitmaking Duo: The Sherman Brothers Were Walt Disney’s Go-to Guys" http://waltdisneyworldflorida.net/walt-disney-news/walt-disney-disneys-hitmaking-duo-the-sherman-brothers-were-walt-disneys-go-to-guys-3/ and Richard Sherman's son Gregg in "Growing Up With Mary" http://wdfmuseum.squarespace.com/posts/tag/mary-poppins concurred with Brown's account.
The song was sung by the movie's star Julie Andrews
to video of the elderly bird woman of the song. Walt Disney himself made the unusual request that the bird woman, though a non-speaking part (except for one line, stating the first line of the song's chorus), be a cameo by one of his favorite character actresses, Academy Award winner Jane Darwell. In her mid eighties and semi-retired from acting (she took episodic guest appearances about once per year in television shows), Darwell had recently moved into the Motion Picture Country Home because of her advanced age and feebleness. Needing neither the money nor the screen credit, she declined the role. Walt Disney, still insistent, personally drove to the retirement home to plead with her. Charmed and flattered that she was so wanted, she agreed to take the part. Walt later sent a limousine to bring her to the studio. It was her last screen appearance or acting role. Ironically Darwell outlived Disney by more than half a year.
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
(Richard M. Sherman
Richard M. Sherman
Richard Morton Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical film with his brother Robert Bernard Sherman....
& Robert B. Sherman
Robert B. Sherman
Robert Bernard Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical films with his brother Richard Morton Sherman...
) and featured in the 1964 motion picture Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
. It is reputed to have been Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's favorite song.
The song speaks of an old beggar woman (portrayed by actress Jane Darwell) who sits on the steps of Saint Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, selling bags of breadcrumbs to passers-by for tuppence a bag, so that the passers-by can feed the many pigeons who surround the old woman. (The scene is reminiscent of the real-life seed sellers in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
.)
In 2005, Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
selected the song as part of the album "Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs".
Use & placement
In contrast to the energetic nature of most of the film's songs, "Feed the Birds" has religious overtones and is played in a reverent tempo, similar to a hymn. This most serious of songs is thus used to frame the truly important moments in a film that is mostly humorous and lighthearted. It is used in three places:- First appearance is an orchestral segment at the beginning of the film's overture, thus starting the overture slowly. The overture then segues into some of the faster pieces in the film's score.
- Second appearance comes when Mary Poppins sings the song to the children as a sweet lullabyLullabyA lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
on the night before their trip to the bank. It begins with Mary showing them a water-filled globe of St. Paul's, whose "snowflakes" are in the shape of the many birds flying around the cathedral. While the children sit and listen with rapt attention, scenes cut away to beautiful dreamDreamDreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
like imagery of the cathedral and of the bird woman, with parts of the song accompanied by an off-screen choir and orchestra. The underlying lesson evident from the lyrics is to give such that God and all of Heaven approve: "All around the cathedral the saints and apostles, Look down as she sells her wares. Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling, Each time someone shows that he cares." The song and its story set in motion one of the critical pieces of dramatic action in the film, the next day.
- Third appearance is the following evening, a dramatic orchestral and choral rendition, as a sombre and thoughtful Mr. Banks walks to his place of employment, literally and figuratively alone in the streets of London, stopping by the place where the bird woman was earlier that day only to find it vacant before continuing on to the bank to face its board of directors to be fired. It segues into a short dirgeDirgeA dirge is a somber song expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. A lament. The English word "dirge" is derived from the Latin Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam , the first words of the first antiphon in the Matins of the Office...
-like segment as Mr. Banks reaches the door.
The song is also referenced in the Disney film Enchanted, a tribute and parody to classic Disney movies, in the form of an old woman named Clara who sells bird feed for "two dollars a bag". Additionally, this song and bird-feeding lady described therein have also been hinted in Chris Columbus' 1992 movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a 1992 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. It is the second film in the Home Alone series and the direct sequel to Home Alone. The film stars Macaulay Culkin in the lead role as Kevin McCallister, while...
, namely by the character known as the Pigeon Lady (interpreted by Academy-Award Winner Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker is an Irish actress of theatre, film and television. She had appeared in more than 30 films and television roles...
) and John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
' soundtrack theme.
Initial reactions
As the Sherman Brothers recall, when Richard Sherman first played and sang "Feed the Birds" to Pamela Travers (the author of the Mary PoppinsMary Poppins
Mary Poppins is a series of children's books written by P. L. Travers and originally illustrated by Mary Shepard. The books centre on a magical English nanny, Mary Poppins. She is blown by the East wind to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London and into the Banks' household to care for their...
books), she thought it was "nice" but inappropriate for a male voice. Robert Sherman then called in a Disney staff secretary to demonstrate the song again. Upon hearing a woman sing the song, Mrs. Travers' response was that she thought "Greensleeves
Greensleeves
"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song and tune, a ground of the form called a romanesca.A broadside ballad by this name was registered at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580 as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves". It then appears in the surviving A Handful of...
" (traditionally in E-minor, the same key as about half of "Feed The Birds") was the only truly appropriate song for the soundtrack, as it was "quintessentially English". (Mrs. Travers had originally wanted the only music in the film to be Edwardian period songs.) Eventually and reluctantly, Mrs. Travers acquiesced to the American songwriters' supplying the film's now-classic mid-twentieth century soundtrack.
Robert Sherman
Robert B. Sherman
Robert Bernard Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical films with his brother Richard Morton Sherman...
recalls:
- "On Fridays, after work, [Walt Disney would] often invite us into his office and we'd talk about things that were going on at the Studio. After a while, he'd wander to the north window, look out into the distance and just say, 'Play it.' And Dick would wander over to the piano and play 'Feed the Birds' for him. One time just as Dick was almost finished, under his breath, I heard Walt say, 'Yep. That's what it's all about.'"
He also comments:
- "Songs have been written about a myriad of subjects. 'Feed the Birds' is the first song written about the merits of giving charity."
Tony Brown of The Plain Dealer related additional Sherman comments about the song and its role in Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
in "Finding 'Mary Poppins' from book to movie to stage: Follow 'Feed The Birds'" http://www.cleveland.com/onstage/index.ssf/2009/07/finding_mary_poppins_from_book.html. Walt Disney World in "Disney’s Hitmaking Duo: The Sherman Brothers Were Walt Disney’s Go-to Guys" http://waltdisneyworldflorida.net/walt-disney-news/walt-disney-disneys-hitmaking-duo-the-sherman-brothers-were-walt-disneys-go-to-guys-3/ and Richard Sherman's son Gregg in "Growing Up With Mary" http://wdfmuseum.squarespace.com/posts/tag/mary-poppins concurred with Brown's account.
The song was sung by the movie's star Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
to video of the elderly bird woman of the song. Walt Disney himself made the unusual request that the bird woman, though a non-speaking part (except for one line, stating the first line of the song's chorus), be a cameo by one of his favorite character actresses, Academy Award winner Jane Darwell. In her mid eighties and semi-retired from acting (she took episodic guest appearances about once per year in television shows), Darwell had recently moved into the Motion Picture Country Home because of her advanced age and feebleness. Needing neither the money nor the screen credit, she declined the role. Walt Disney, still insistent, personally drove to the retirement home to plead with her. Charmed and flattered that she was so wanted, she agreed to take the part. Walt later sent a limousine to bring her to the studio. It was her last screen appearance or acting role. Ironically Darwell outlived Disney by more than half a year.
Literary sources
- Sherman, Robert B. Walt's Time: from before to beyondWalt's Time: from before to beyondWalt's Time: from before to beyond is a 252-page autobiographic, full color book by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman. It was edited by Imagineers Bruce Gordon, David Mumford and Jeff Kurtti and was published in 1998 by Camphor Tree Publishers who are out of Santa Clarita, California...
. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998. - Greene, Kathrine and Richard. "Inside The Dream: The Personal Story of Walt Disney". New York: Disney Editions, 2001.