Monkey &Amp; Bear
Joanna Newsom Lyrics

Down in the green hay
In a peaceful and natural setting

Where monkey and bear usually lay
Where monkey and bear often rest together

They woke from a stable-boy's cry
They were awakened by a call for help from a stable-boy

He said; someone come quick!
The stable-boy urgently called for assistance

The horses got loose, got grass-sick!
The horses escaped and became ill from eating too much grass

They'll founder! Fain, they'll die
The horses are in danger of getting sick and potentially dying

What is now known by the sorrel and the roan?
What do the horses in the stable now understand?

By the chestnut, and the bay, and the gelding grey?
By the different colors and breeds of the horses

It is: stay by the gate that you are given
The horses know they should remain in their designated area

And remain in your place, for your season
And stay where you belong, according to your purpose

And had the overfed dead but listened
And if the overfed horses had only paid attention

To that high-fence, horse-sense, wisdom...
To the wise advice about staying in their enclosure

Did you hear that, Bear? Said monkey
Did you hear that, Bear? Monkey asked

We'll get out of here, fair and square
We'll escape from this place properly and justly

They left the gate open wide!
They intentionally left the gate open

So

My bride

Here is my hand, where is your paw?
I am reaching out to you, where is your hand?

Try and understand my plan, Ursula
Please make an effort to comprehend my strategy, Ursula

My heart is a furnace
My heart burns intensely

Full of love that's just, and earnest
Filled with pure and sincere love

Now; you know that we must unlearn this
Now, you understand that we need to change our ways

Allegiance to a life of service
Devotion to a life of servitude

And no longer answer to that heartless
And no longer obey that heartless

Hay-monger, nor be his accomplice
Hay seller and refuse to be associated with him

(that charlatan, with artless hustling!)
(that deceitful person, with obvious deception!)

But; Ursula, we've got to eat something
But, Ursula, we need to find food

And earn our keep, while still within
And support ourselves, while still inside

The borders of the land that man has girded
The boundaries of the land that humans have enclosed

(all double-bolted and tight-fisted!)
(locked securely and unwilling to share!)

Until we reach the open country
Until we reach a place of freedom

A-steeped in milk and honey
Immersed in abundance and prosperity

Will you keep your fancy clothes on, for me?
Will you continue to wear your elegant attire, for my sake?

Can you bear a little longer to wear that leash?
Can you tolerate a bit longer being restrained?

My love, I swear by the air I breathe:
My love, I promise earnestly

Sooner or later, you'll bare your teeth
Eventually, you will show your true strength

But for now, just dance, darling
But for now, just dance, my love

C'mon, will you dance, my darling?
Come on, will you dance, my love?

Darling, there's a place for us
Love, there's a place where we belong

Can we go, before I turn to dust?
Can we depart before I perish?

Oh my darling, there's a place for us
Oh my love, there's a place where we can be

Oh darling

C'mon will you dance, my darling?
Come on, will you dance, my love?

Oh, the hills are groaning with excess
Oh, the hills are overwhelmed with abundance

Like a table ceaselessly being set
Like a table constantly being prepared

Oh my darling, we will get there yet
Oh my love, we will eventually reach that place

They trooped past the guards
They walked swiftly past the guards

Past the coops, and the fields, and the farmyards
Beyond the chicken coops, fields, and farm areas

All night, till finally:
Throughout the night, until at last:

The space they gained grew
The distance they covered increased

Much farther than the stone that bear threw
Much farther than the stone that bear had tossed

To mark where they'd stop for tea
To indicate where they would take a break

But walk a little faster
But keep moving at a quicker pace

And don't look backwards
And don't turn your gaze behind

Your feast is to the East, which lies a little past the pasture
Your meal awaits in the Eastern direction, just beyond the grazing area

When the blackbirds hear tea whistling, they rise and clap
When the blackbirds hear the sound of tea boiling, they respond with enthusiasm

And their applause caws the kettle black
And their applause sounds like the cawing of blackbirds

And we can't have none of that!
And we cannot allow that!

Move along, Bear; there, there; that's that
Keep going, Bear; come on; that's how it is

Though cast in plaster
Although it may be difficult to accept

Our Ursula's heart beat faster
Ursula's heart raced with anticipation

Than monkey's ever will
More than the monkey's heart ever will

But still;

They have got to pay the bills
They have to support themselves financially

Hadn't they?
Isn't that the case?

That is what the monkey'd say
That is what the monkey would say

So, with the courage of a clown, or a cur
So, with the bravery of a fool or a coward

Or a kite, jerking tight at its tether
Or a kite being pulled tightly by its string

In her dun-brown gown of fur
In her plain brown fur coat

And her jerkin' of swansdown and leather
And her jacket made of swan feathers and leather

Bear would sway on her hind legs;
Bear would sway while standing on her hind legs

The organ would grind dregs of song, for the pleasure
The barrel organ would play a leftover and less appealing song, for the amusement

Of the children, who'd shriek
Of the children, who would scream

Throwing coins at her feet
Throwing coins towards her

Then recoiling in terror
Then flinching in fear

Sing, dance, darling
Sing, dance, my love

C'mon, will you dance, my darling?
Come on, will you dance, my love?

Oh darling, there's a place for us
Oh my love, there's a place where we belong

Can we go, before I turn to dust?
Can we leave before I perish?

Oh my darling, there's a place for us
Oh my love, there's a place where we can be

Oh darling

C'mon, will you dance, my darling?
Come on, will you dance, my love?

You keep your eyes fixed on the highest hill
You continue to focus on the highest peak

Where you'll ever-after eat your fill
Where you will always have more than enough to eat

Oh my darling, dear, mine
Oh my love, my dear

If you dance
If you dance

Dance, darling, and I love you still
Dance, my love, and I will still love you

Deep in the night
Late at night

Shone a weak and miserly light
A dim and meager light illuminated

Where the monkey shouldered his lamp
Where the monkey carried his lamp on his shoulder

Someone had told him
Someone had informed him

The bear had been wandering
The bear had been wandering around

A fair piece away from where they were camped
A significant distance from their campsite

Someone had told him
Someone had informed him

The bear'd been sneaking away
The bear had been secretly leaving

To the seaside caverns, to bathe
To the coastal caves, to bathe

And the thought troubled the monkey
And this idea worried the monkey

For he was afraid of spelunking down in those caves
Because he was scared of exploring those caves

Also afraid what the village people would say
He was also afraid of what the villagers would say

If they saw the bear in that state;
If they saw the bear in that condition

Lolling and splashing obscenely
Lying lazily and splashing inappropriately

Well, it seemed irrational, really; washing that face
Well, it seemed illogical, truly; washing that grimy face

Washing that matted and flea-bit pelt
Cleansing that tangled and infested fur

In some sea-spit-shine, old kelp dripping with brine
Using seawater and dripping kelp to clean

But monkey just laughed, and he muttered;
But the monkey simply laughed and muttered

When she comes back, Ursula will be bursting with pride
When Ursula returns, she will be filled with pride

Till I jump up!
Until I suddenly rise!

Saying: you've been rolling in muck!
Saying: you've been rolling in dirt!

Saying: you smell of garbage and grime!
Saying: you have a stench of trash and filth!

But far out
But far away

Far out
Far away

By now
By this point

By now
By this point

Far out, by now, Bear ploughed
Far away, by now, Bear swam

'Cause she would not drown:
Because she refused to drown

First the outside-legs of the bear
First, the exterior legs of the bear

Up and fell down, in the water, like knobby garters
Rising and then falling into the water, like loose garters

Then the outside-arms of the bear
Then the outer arms of the bear

Fell off, as easy as if sloughed from boiled tomatoes
Fell off easily, as if peeled from boiled tomatoes

Low'red in a genteel curtsy
Lowered gracefully like a formal curtsey

Bear shed the mantle of her diluvian shoulders;
Bear removed the covering of her water-soaked shoulders

And, with a sigh,
And, with a sigh

She allowed the burden of belly to drop like an apron full of boulders
She let go of the weight of her stomach, like releasing an apron full of large rocks

If you could hold up her threadbare
If you were to examine her worn-out

Coat to the light where it's worn translucent in places
Coat in the light, you would see that it is translucent in certain areas

You'd see spots where
You would notice areas where

Almost every night of the year Bear had been mending suspending that baseness
Almost every night of the year, Bear had been repairing and holding back that inferiority

Now her coat drags through the water
Now, her coat hangs and slows her down in the water

Bagging, with a life's-worth of hunger, limitless minnows;
Collecting countless minnows, driven by a hunger that has lasted a lifetime

In the magnetic embrace
In the captivating hold

Balletic and glacial of Bear's insatiable shadow;
Graceful yet frigid like the insatiable shadow of Bear;

Left there!
Left behind!

Left there!
Left behind!

When Bear left Bear
When Bear abandoned her old self

Left there!
Left behind!

Left there!
Left behind!

When Bear stepped clear of Bear
When Bear distanced herself from her previous identity

Sooner or later you'll bare your teeth.
At some point, you will show your true strength.