Laurie Anderson
Lyric guide

The Beginning of Memory

Read The Beginning of Memory lyrics by Laurie Anderson on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Laurie Anderson visibility1 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Laurie Anderson Canonical path: /laurie-anderson/the-beginning-of-memory Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

The Beginning of Memory

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

Here's a story from an ancient play about birds called The Birds

And it's a short story from before the world began

From a time when there was no earth, no land.

Only air and birds everywhere.

But the thing was there was no place to land.

Because there was no land.

So they just circled around and around.

Because this was before the world began.

And the sound was deafening. Songbirds were everywhere.

Billions and billions and billions of birds.

And one of these birds was a lark and one day her father died.

And this was a really big problem because what should they do with the body?

There was no place to put the body because there was no earth.

And finally the lark had a solution.

She decided to bury her father in the back of her own head.

And this was the beginning of memory.

Because before this no one could remember a thing.

They were just constantly flying in circles.

Constantly flying in huge circles.

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "The Beginning of Memory"?

Laurie Anderson performs "The Beginning of Memory", and this lyric page sits inside the Laurie Anderson catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "The Beginning of Memory"?

Yes. The related section below points to Dark Time in Revolution and The Lake with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Laurie Anderson?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Laurie Anderson's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on The Beginning of Memory yet.