A copy and paste for you

Dear Reader,

I heard a song that I first heard in Iceland recently and it stirred up some memories. I was inspired to do a little research and because I think too much, tossed in my 2 cents on www.songmeanings.com about a Joanna Newsome song. Here is the audio:




and the lyrics:

We should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on

I killed my dinner with karate
Kick 'em in the face, taste the body
Shallow work is the work that I do

Do you want to sit at my table?
My fighting fame is fabled
And fortune finds me fit and able

And you do say
That you do pray
And you say
That you're ok

Do you want to run with my pack?
Do you want to ride on my back?
Pray that what you lack does not distract

And even when you run through my mind
Something else is in front, oh, you're behind
And I don't have to remind you
To stick with your kind

And you do say
That you do pray
And you say
That you're ok

And even when you touch my face
You know your place
And even when you touch my face
You know your place

And we should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on

And, if you've got time to kill, my explaination of why this song is the way it is:

"I have to say, I don't quite agree with the consensus on the thread that this song is about romantic relationships or religious subjects... there is nothing so specific in the lyrics that points directly to that.

One of the beautiful things about song writing is using vagueness as a canvas for listeners to project their own mentality and experiences onto the music.

And I think that's what Joanna Newsome is doing quite effectively here; riding the line, sitting right on the fence, in that grey area where ambiguity flirts with clarity.

Let's talk about children, wolves, and how it relates to forming identity.

"We should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on --------------------------- “Shine a light on” quite a common way to say “illuminate” or to expose a certain truth. Now, the book of “right-on”: If there was a big book describing what is “right-on”, then it by virtue of being about what is right-on, it must be, RIGHT-ON... Right? On?

I killed my dinner with karate
Kick 'em in the face, taste the body
Shallow work is the work that I do" -------- Playing with food? A forceful display of personality? Shallow work... are children not involved in what adults see as shallow? Depends on how you think but I’d say you might concede that it’s possible.

"Do you want to sit at my table?
My fighting fame is fabled
And fortune finds me fit and able" ------------- I think of the kids table : ) And a kung fu movie.

"Do you want to run with my pack? ------- first animal/canine reference which has everything to do with social structure.
Do you want to ride on my back?-------- ride on my back; piggy back? another image of childhood.
Pray that what you lack does not distract" --------- almost xenophobic! "you can join me, you're from another kind but as long as your deficiencies don't inconvenience me, you're cool to stick around."

And you do say
That you do pray
And you say
That you're ok ---------- is this not what everyone does when we want to be accepted or seek approval from others? Social dynamics, identity.... are we getting somewhere?? : )


And even when you run through my mind
Something else is in front, oh, you're behind
And I don't have to remind you
To stick with your kind ----------------------- kind of an oddball lyric to me. Almost as if this person joining the pack is needy and clingy and there's always something to look forward to outside them. Like a bratty little sibling. Children, again. (on the themes of being childish, there is something to be said for the way words are enunciated and the timbre of JN's voice... she once said she was disappointed in critics saying that her singing sounded childish, however, it's almost impossible not to think of an 8 year old Björk when you hear JN's voice. Nothing to be disappointed about... the way she sings is an effective way to curry favor with listeners: like a high forehead implies youth, so does this singing. ok lets move on...)


And even when you touch my face
You know your place
And even when you touch my face
You know your place------------------- okay, here's a lyric that for me, almost certainly implies some kind of intimate relationship. Certainly there are roles in intimate relationships. For example, a man wouldn't try to take on the role of his female partners best female friend. If he does, he's pushed the "girl looses attraction for boy" button. The big red button. With his fist. In this regard, as the lyric says, "you know your place".


As for religion, the words "the book of" seems to imply something super heavy, revered, holy, etc. and the colloquialism "right-on" is the complete opposite of that... very hipster, actually, and putting together something very heavy with something very light is quite trendy these days; incongruity+irony=identity. (Oh and having the word "pray" in a song doesn't mean there's struggle with god going on. In this case the lyrics are essentially saying you're praying that you're ok.)

The most reasonable explanation in my mind is that the song is about identity. And in a way, her voice sounding young further strengthens this connection I see, of seeking and hoping and creating identity. In a world where a young person, especially a young woman is told so many things, and one is bombarded with billions of ads and signals and sight/sounds and enough information and enough push-pull to stun an ox, (especially a kid like Joanna Newsome who grew up with no TV, radio, media, etc) then identity is very likely a huge issue. Isn’t it always?

Ok, it’s about identity. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it until I decide to change it."

ok bye!
-e