Joanna Caroline Newsom is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actr… Read Full Bio ↴Joanna Caroline Newsom is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actress. Born and raised in Northern California, Newsom was classically trained on the harp in her youth and began her musical career as a keyboardist in the San Francisco-based indie band The Pleased.

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.

Swansea
Joanna Newsom Lyrics

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If you wanna come on down
Down with your bones so white
And watch while the freight trains pound
Into the wild wild night

How I would love to gnaw
Gnaw on your bones so white
And watch as the freight trains paw

Paw at the wild wild night

All these ghost towns
Wreathed in old loam
Assateague knee-
Deep in seafoam
Ho, swansea!
Buttonwillow!
Lagunitas!
Ho, calico!

And all these beastly bungalows
Stare distend like endless toads
Endlessly hop down the road
Borne by wind we southward blow

And yonder, wild and blue
The wild blue yonder looms
'Til we are wracked with rheum
By roads, by songs entombed

And all we wanna do
Is chew and chew and chew

Dear one
Drive on

When all we wanna do
Is chew and chew and chew

And if you wanna come on down
Down with your bones so white
And watch the freight trains pound
Into the wild wild night

How I would love to gnaw
To gnaw on your bones so-o white
And watch while the freight trains paw
Paw at the wild wild night

Paw at the wild wild night
Paw at the wild wild night

Overall Meaning

The song "Swansea" by Joanna Newsom is filled with themes of desire, nostalgia, and longing. The opening lines invite the listener to join the singer in watching the freight trains pound into the wild night, a metaphorical representation of the singer's desire for something wilder, untamed, and more exciting. The desire is further emphasized in the next verse, as the singer expresses their desire to "gnaw" on the bones of someone they seem to be enraptured with.

The lyrics then move on to describe various places (ghost towns, Assateague, Ho Swansea, Buttonwillow, Lagunitas, Ho Calico) that are infused with a sense of nostalgia and melancholy. The singer seems to be using these locations to further emphasize their desire for the wild and untamed, as they describe the "beastly bungalows" staring distantly like endless toads, and the endless road that they hop down, borne by the wind.

Towards the end of the song, the lyrics take on a more melancholic and resigned tone. The references to the wild blue yonder looming and the singer being wracked with rheum seems to suggest a sense of being trapped or stuck, unable to fully embrace the wild and adventurous spirit they desire. Ultimately, the singer seems resigned to merely chewing and chewing, a metaphor for the sense of dissatisfaction and longing that permeates the song.

Line by Line Meaning

If you wanna come on down
If you want to join me

Down with your bones so white
With your pure and innocent self

And watch while the freight trains pound
And observe the trains shake the ground

Into the wild wild night
During the vast darkness of the night

How I would love to gnaw
How I would love to experience

Gnaw on your bones so white
Your purity and innocence

And watch as the freight trains paw
And observe the trains shake the ground

Paw at the wild wild night
During the vast darkness of the night

All these ghost towns
All these unused towns

Wreathed in old loam
Covered in old soil

Assateague knee-
Assateague beach up to the knee-