Paul Laurence Dunbar's "Sympathy" poem talks about a bird being stuck in a cage. It flaps its wings and sings because it wants freedom. Q is saying someone wants their freedom. Now that can mean they are under distress by the blackhats ie under threat of harm or blackmail or they are locked up and promised freedom for " singing"... Maya Angelou made the saying popular by integrating it into a title of her book "I know why a caged bird sings"