There is something unsettling about seeing a bird on a wire — possibly this arises from the juxtaposition of wild and processed.
The memorable line, like a bird on a wire, came from Lenard Cohen. In the 1960s, he was living on the Greek island of Hydra when the beginning of electrical distribution resulted in a disturbing sight: Birds began to perch on the newly installed wires. This shift in the landscape prompted his iconic song about the freedom to choose. From the bird’s point of view, a wire was just another available perch, which was maybe what Cohen was getting at when he wrote:
Like a bird on the wire … I have tried in my way to be free.
In his song, Cohen used like as a comparative. However, I use it as a verb when I say: On balance, I don’t “like a bird on a wire”.
All of which makes the line ambiguous. Four birds on wires follow.
Mountain Bluebird
Tree Swallow
Rough-winged Swallow
Common Yellowthroat
The only time a bird can relax it’s feet are when they are
wrapped around a branch or wire etc.
John, I would have guessed that when a bird was perched, the muscles to its feet would be constantly having to adjust so as to maintain balance, but would be relaxed when the bird was flying.