“Bird on the Wire” is one of Leonard Cohen’s signature songs. It was recorded 26 September 1968 in Nashville and included on his 1969 album Songs from a Room.
In the liner notes to the 1975 compilation The Best of Leonard Cohen, Cohen wrote about the song:
“I always begin my concert with this song. It seems to return me to my duties. It was begun in Greece and finished in a motel in Hollywood around 1969 along with everything else. Some lines were changed in Oregon. I can’t seem to get it perfect. Kris Kristofferson informed me that I had stolen part of the melody from another Nashville writer. He also said that he’s putting the first couple of lines on his tombstone, and I’ll be hurt if he doesn’t.”