After recording and self-releasing two EPs in 2002, Newsom was signed to the independent label Drag City. Her debut album, The Milk-Eyed Mender, was released in 2004 to critical acclaim and garnered Newsom an underground following. She would receive wider exposure with the release of Ys (2006), which charted at number 134 on the Billboard 200.
She released two further albums: Have One on Me (2010) and Divers (2015), the latter of which outsold all of her previous albums. Newsom has been noted by critics for her unique musical style, sometimes characterized as psychedelic folk, and for her prominent use of harp instrumentation. She has also appeared as an actress with roles in the television series Portlandia and in the 2014 film Inherent Vice.
"En Gallop
Joanna Newsom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am already gone
And the halls were lined
With the disembodied
And the dustly wings
Which fell from flesh
Gasplessly
Where the trees go
And I walk
From a higher education
For now and for hire
It beats me
But I do not know
And it beats me
But I do not know
It beats me
But I do not know
I do not know
Palaces and stormclouds
And the rought, straggly sage, and the smoke
And the way it will all come together
In quietness and in time
And you laws of property
Oh you free economy
And you unending afterthoughts
You could've told me before
Never get so attached to a poem
You forget truth that lacks lyricism
And never draw so close to the heat
That you forget that you must eat
"En Gallop" by Joanna Newsom is a hauntingly beautiful and poetic song that explores themes of mortality, letting go, and the complex nature of time. The opening lyrics set the mood, with Newsom describing the setting as "damp and ghostly" and confessing that she is "already gone." She then goes on to describe the hallways as being filled with disembodied dustly wings, creating a sense of otherworldliness and the unknown.
Throughout the song, Newsom continues to explore these themes, including references to higher education, the free economy, and unending afterthoughts. The line "And I go where the trees go" speaks to the cyclical nature of life and death, while the final verse serves as a reminder not to get too caught up in romanticizing the beautiful, poetic aspects of life while forgetting the practical necessities.
Line by Line Meaning
This place is damp and ghostly
The location is dark, dank, and eerie.
I am already gone
The singer is mentally absent or detached from the situation.
And the halls were lined
With the disembodied
And the dustly wings
Which fell from flesh
Gasplessly
The halls were filled with remnants of the dead and decaying life.
And I go
Where the trees go
And I walk
From a higher education
For now and for hire
The artist follows nature and intuition, rejecting formal education for a practical purpose.
It beats me
But I do not know
And it beats me
But I do not know
It beats me
But I do not know
I do not know
The artist is confused about a particular situation and doesn't have any answers.
Palaces and stormclouds
And the rought, straggly sage, and the smoke
And the way it will all come together
In quietness and in time
The singer observes a variety of elements that will ultimately merge into a unifying whole, eventually.
And you laws of property
Oh you free economy
And you unending afterthoughts
You could've told me before
The singer criticizes the societal systems that value materialistic accumulation and encourages hindsight instead of proactive advice.
Never get so attached to a poem
You forget truth that lacks lyricism
And never draw so close to the heat
That you forget that you must eat
It is important to avoid getting so caught up in art that one forgets about practical concerns.
Contributed by Samantha H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.