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.
Three Little Babes
Joanna Newsom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And three little babes had she
She sent them away to a far country
To learn their grammary
They hadn't been gone but a very short time
About three months and a day
When the lark spread over this whole wide world
It was on a cold, cold Christmas night
When everything was still
And she saw her three little babes come runnin'
Come runnin' down the hill
She set them a table of bread and wine
That they might drink and eat
She spread them a bed of a winding sheet
That they might sleep so sweet
'Take it off, take it off!', cried the eldest one
'Take it off, take it off!', cried she
'For I shan't stay here in this wicked world
When there's a better one for me'
'Cold clods, cold clods inside my bed
Cold clods, down at my feet
The tears my dear mother shed for me
Would wet my winding sheet'
'The tears my dear mother shed for me
Would wet my winding sheet
Would wet my winding sheet'
The song "Three Little Babes" by Joanna Newsom tells the story of a knight and his lady who had three children. The lady sends the children to a far country to learn their grammar, but they are taken away by the lark. On a cold Christmas night, the lady sees her three children running down the hill and sets them a table of bread and wine and a bed of a winding sheet. One of the children then asks to have their winding sheet removed, as they do not want to stay in this "wicked world" but instead move on to a better one. The song ends with the repeated line about the tears shed by their dear mother wetting their winding sheet.
The story has a melancholy and eerie tone, with the idea of the children being taken away by a bird, and the children themselves seemingly content with leaving the world of the living. The song could be interpreted as a commentary on mortality and the afterlife, or simply as a strange folktale.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a knight and a lady bright
Once upon a time, there lived a nobleman and a fair lady.
And three little babes had she
They had three lovely children.
She sent them away to a far country
She decided to send the children away to another land, where they could learn their lessons and grow.
To learn their grammary
To receive education and learn new things.
They hadn't been gone but a very short time
The children were away for just a few months.
About three months and a day
To be precise, they were away for nearly three months.
When the lark spread over this whole wide world
It was unfortunate that the children were taken away by death, which is represented by the metaphorical 'lark'.
And taken those babes away
And the children died young.
It was on a cold, cold Christmas night
One Christmas season night, the mother saw the children in her dreams.
When everything was still
Everything was peaceful and silent.
And she saw her three little babes come runnin'
She dreamt that the children were running towards her.
Come runnin' down the hill
The place where she saw them running was perhaps a hill or a slope.
She set them a table of bread and wine
In her dream, she prepared a feast for them.
That they might drink and eat
So that they could enjoy a good meal.
She spread them a bed of a winding sheet
The 'bed of a winding sheet' means preparing for their burial.
That they might sleep so sweet
The mother hoped that the children would have a peaceful and comfortable sleep in their coffin.
'Take it off, take it off!', cried the eldest one
The eldest child probably felt uncomfortable in their coffin and wanted to come out.
'Take it off, take it off!', cried she
The mother was desperate to make her children happy and comfortable.
'For I shan't stay here in this wicked world
The eldest child felt that the world they lived in was bad and didn't want to stay there anymore.
When there's a better one for me'
She believed that she would have a better life in the afterlife.
'Cold clods, cold clods inside my bed
The second child felt the cold earth surrounding their grave.
Cold clods, down at my feet
The earth was especially cold at the child's feet.
The tears my dear mother shed for me
The mother was devastated by the loss of her children.
Would wet my winding sheet'
The third child's shroud was likely to be dampened by the mother's tears.
'The tears my dear mother shed for me
Even in afterlife, the children were aware of their mother's sorrow.
Would wet my winding sheet
And the youngest child was comforted by the thought that her mother still loved her.
Contributed by Caroline R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.