Sandmoon's ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' is a Cry for Freedom

CairoScene

19-02-2025

The track is a dream-pop tune based on a poem called 'Sympathy' by the late American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Feb 19, 2025
Beirut-based band Sandmoon has recently unveiled their new single, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings', a dream-pop tune echoing the promise of freedom amidst the brutal Israeli bombardments currently ravaging Lebanon and the Middle East.
The track's poignant lyricism, based on a poem by the prominent late 19th-century American poet and novelist Paul Laurence Dunbar titled 'Sympathy', paints a vivid picture of a caged bird longing to fly freely. Amidst crisp drum patterns, lush synths and warm guitar riffs, Sandra Arslanian, the band's lead singer, speaks of freedom and hope for a brighter future for her home country and the region at large. She uses the symbol of that bird to rail against societal oppression and looming uncertainty, and refer to the innate human right for autonomy, equality and self-expression.
'In the midst of his cage as in the midst of chaos, the bird sings for freedom. And so do we,' the band wrote in the announcement of the track.
The song is accompanied by an ethereal music video, directed by Elie Fahed, featuring Lebanese artist Shahd Kesibi dancing whimsically amidst floating bird feathers along the quiet streets of Beirut, mirroring the track's dreamy and peaceful nature.