In the new video for Andrew Bird‘s “Give It Away”, a mom and dad host an idyllic birthday party for their son and his friends, and they hire a human piñata as entertainment for the kids. After he performs various tricks to amuse them and make them laugh, the inevitable happens (we’re talking about a piñata, after all): the bat comes out and the kids start taking swings at him. But the ending is not nearly as morbid or predictable as one might have initially thought: it’s actually rather sweet and surprisingly sympathetic. Watch below.

Andrew Bird’s new album, Break It Yourself, is out now on Mom+Pop.

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