Feed the Birds facts for kids
"Feed the Birds" is a famous song from the 1964 movie Mary Poppins. It was written by the talented Sherman Brothers (Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman). The song tells the story of an old woman, often called the "Bird Woman," who sits outside St Paul's Cathedral in London. She sells bags of breadcrumbs for just twopence so people can feed the many pigeons flying around her. This scene is a bit like the real-life people who used to sell birdseed in Trafalgar Square.
In the original Mary Poppins book, Mary Poppins takes the children to give money to the Bird Woman. But in the movie, things are a bit different. The children's father doesn't want them to feed the birds. Mary Poppins, who sang the song to the children the night before, is actually on her day off. The Bird Woman was played by Academy Award winner Jane Darwell, and it was her very last movie role.
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Where You Hear "Feed the Birds" in the Movie
Unlike most of the fun and upbeat songs in Mary Poppins, "Feed the Birds" is a calm and serious song. It's used at important moments in the film, which is mostly funny and lighthearted. You can hear it in four main parts:
- The song first appears at the very beginning of the movie. It's part of the orchestral music that plays before the film starts. This slow start then leads into faster songs.
- The second time is when Mary Poppins sings it to the children. She sings it as a sweet lullaby the night before they go to the bank. Mary shows them a special globe of St. Paul's. Inside, the "snowflakes" look like birds flying around the cathedral. As the children listen, the movie shows dream-like scenes of the cathedral and the Bird Woman.
- The third time you hear it is later that same evening. It's a very short part, just before the chimney sweeps appear in their famous dancing scene.
- The fourth and final time is also that evening. It's a powerful orchestral and choir version. This plays as a sad and thoughtful Mr. Banks walks alone through the streets of London. He stops where the Bird Woman was earlier, but she isn't there. He then continues to the bank, knowing he might lose his job. This scene makes you wonder if the Bird Woman has passed away.
The song has also been referenced in other movies. In the Disney film Enchanted, an old woman sells bird feed for "two dollars a bag." And in the 1992 movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the character known as the Pigeon Lady and the music by John Williams also remind people of "Feed the Birds."
How People First Reacted to the Song
The Sherman Brothers remember playing "Feed the Birds" for Pamela Travers. She was the author of the Mary Poppins books. At first, she thought the song was "nice" but didn't think a man should sing it. After hearing a woman sing it, Ms. Travers still felt that "Greensleeves" was the only proper song for the movie. She thought it was "quintessentially English" and had originally wanted only old Edwardian songs in the film. But in the end, she agreed to let the American songwriters create the movie's music.
Robert Sherman shared a special memory about Walt Disney:
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."
"Feed the Birds" was known as one of Walt Disney's favorite songs. Robert Sherman also said:
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 shared more of Sherman's thoughts about the song's meaning in Mary Poppins:
... [w]e seized on one incident, in Chapter 7 of 'Mary Poppins Comes Back', the second book -- the bird woman. And we realized that was the metaphor for why Mary came, to teach the children -- and Mr. Banks -- the value of charity. So we wrote the song and took it up to Walt's office and played it and sang it for him. He leaned back in his chair, looking out the window, and he said: 'That's it, isn't it? That's what this is all about. This is the metaphor for the whole film.' And that was the turning point in our lives ... We were full-time staff, so we had an office at the studio, and every so often Walt would call us up to his office on a Friday afternoon. We knew what he wanted. When we got there, he would say, 'I just wanted to know what you boys were up to these days.' Then he would turn around in his chair and stare out the window, like the first time we played it for him, and he would say, 'Play it.' And we would ... And you could just see Walt thinking, 'That's what it's all about, everything we do at Disney.'
Walt Disney himself made a special request for the Bird Woman role. Even though she didn't have many lines, he wanted Academy Award winner Jane Darwell to play her. She was in her mid-eighties and had mostly retired from acting. She didn't need the money or the fame, so she first said no. But Walt Disney really wanted her. He personally drove to her retirement home to ask her. She was so touched that she agreed. It was her last acting job.
A Special Story About Walt Disney
Richard Sherman was asked to help dedicate a statue of Walt Disney at Disneyland. It's called the Partners statue and shows Mickey Mouse and Walt holding hands. Sherman played some songs there. Before his last song, he said: "Now, I'll play Walt Disney's favorite song... and it's just for him." He then played "Feed The Birds." Sherman was told that as the song was ending, a bird flew down from the sky where he was playing, then flew back into the clouds. Sherman believes it was Walt Disney himself.
- Sherman, Robert B. Walt's Time: from before to beyond. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.
- Greene, Katherine and Richard. Inside The Dream: The Personal Story of Walt Disney. New York: Disney Editions, 2001.
See also
In Spanish: Feed the Birds para niños
