Emily
Joanna Newsom (with Northern Sinfonia) Lyrics

The meadowlark and the chim-choo-ree and the sparrow Set to the sky in a flying spree, for the sport over the pharaoh
The birds took off into the sky for a playful flight, perhaps to show off for the pharaoh

A little while later the Pharisees dragged comb through the meadow Do you remember what they called up to you and me, in our window?
The Pharisees came by and combed through the meadow. Do you recall what they shouted up to us from our window?

There is a rusty light on the pines tonight Sun pouring wine, lord, or marrow Down into the bones of the birches And the spires of the churches Jutting out from the shadows
The light from the sun is casting a rusty color on the pine trees. It's as if the sun is pouring out either wine or marrow into the birch trees and church spires that are protruding from the shadows.

The yoke, and the axe, and the old smokestacks and the bale and the barrow And everything sloped like it was dragged from a rope In the mouth of the south below
The yoke, axe, smokestacks, and farm equipment were all sloping downwards like they were being dragged by a rope. This was all occurring in the southern part of the area.

We've seen those mountains kneeling, felten and grey We thought our very hearts would up and melt away From that snow in the night time Just going And going And the stirring of wind chimes In the morning Helps me find my way back in From the place where I have been
The sight of the mountains covered in gray and white snow was so beautiful we thought our hearts would melt. And as the snow kept falling and the wind chimes rang in the morning, it helped bring us back from where we were to a better place.

And, Emily, I saw you last night by the river I dreamed you were skipping little stones across the surface of the water Frowning at the angle where they were lost, and slipped under forever, In a mud-cloud, mica-spangled, like the sky'd been breathing on a mirror
Last night I saw you by the river, Emily. You were skipping stones on the surface of the water. Your frown appeared as if you were disappointed in the angle at which the stones were lost and sinking. When they fell, it created a mud-cloud that shone like mica in the mirror.

Anyhow, I sat by your side, by the water You taught me the names of the stars overhead that I wrote down in my ledger Though all I knew of the rote universe were those pleiades loosed in December I promised you I'd set them to verse so I'd always remember
I sat by your side by the water, Emily. You taught me the names of the stars in the sky, which I recorded in my ledger. Even though I only had knowledge of the December sky's Pleiades, I promised to write them down in verse to always remember them.

That the meteorite is a source of the light And the meteor's just what we see And the meteoroid is a stone that's devoid of the fire that propelled it to thee And the meteorite's just what causes the light And the meteor's how it's perceived And the meteoroid's a bone thrown from the void that lies quiet in offering to thee
I wanted to remind myself that a meteorite is the source of light; a meteor is what we see in the sky; and a meteoroid is just a rock that's traveling through space without the fire to propel it to Earth. Though a meteorite causes the light, it's only how we perceive the meteor. A meteoroid is just a bone thrown from the void without any noise.

You came and lay a cold compress upon the mess I'm in Threw the window wide and cried, Amen! Amen! Amen! The whole world stopped to hear you hollering You looked down and saw now what was happening
You came to my aid and placed a cold compress on my troubles. You opened the window and shouted 'amen!' so loudly the whole world stopped to hear it. When you looked down, you saw what was happening.

The lines are fadin' in my kingdom Though I have never known the way to border 'em in So the muddy mouths of baboons and sows and the grouse and the horse and the hen Grope at the gate of the looming lake that was once a tidy pen And the mail is late and the great estates are not lit from within The talk in town's becoming downright sickening
The lines in my kingdom are fading, but I never knew how to border them in. As a result, the baboons, sows, grouse, horse, and hen all struggle with the gate of this once tidy pen that's now just a looming lake. The mail is late, and the great estates are not lit from within. The talk in town is becoming outrageous.

In due time we will see the far butte lit by a flare I've seen your bravery, and I will follow you there And row through the night time So healthy Gone healthy all of a sudden In search of the midwife Who could help me Help me find my way back in There are worries where I've been
At some point, we will spot a distant butte illuminated by a flare. I have seen your bravery and will follow you there. We'll row through the night time, somehow healthy all of a sudden, in search of a midwife that can help me find my way back from where I've been.

Say, say, say in the lee of the bay, don't be bothered Leave your troubles here where the tugboats shear the water from the water Flanked by furrows, curling back, like a match held up to a newspaper Emily, they'll follow your lead by the letter
In the shelter of the bay, don't be bothered. Leave your troubles here where the tugboats look like they're cutting water from water. The bay is surrounded by furrows that curl back like a match held to a newspaper. Emily, others will follow your lead precisely.

And I make this claim, and I'm not ashamed to say I knew you better What they've seen is just a beam of your sun that banishes winter
I'll make this assertion: I knew you better than most, and I'm not ashamed to say so. What others have seen is just a ray of sunshine that makes winter disappear.

Let us go! though we know it's a hopeless endeavor The ties that bind, they are barbed and spined and hold us close forever Though there is nothing would help me come to grips with a sky that is gaping and yawning There is a song I woke with on my lips as you sailed your great ship towards the morning
Let's go, even though we know it's futile. The ties that unite us are barbed and hold us close forever. There's nothing that could bring me to grips with the vast and endless sky. However, there's a song I woke up singing as your ship sailed towards the morning.

Come on home, the poppies are all grown knee-deep by now Blossoms all have fallen, and the pollen ruins the plow Peonies nod in the breeze and while they wetly bow, with Hydrocephalitic listlessness ants mop up-a their brow And everything with wings is restless, aimless, drunk and dour The butterflies and birds collide at hot, ungodly hours And my clay-colored motherlessness rangily reclines Come on home, now! all my bones are dolorous with vines
Come home, where the poppies are in bloom up to our knees, but the flowers have withered and their pollen is ruining the garden. The peonies are nodding in the breeze, and the ants look listless as they mop up sweat off their brow. Everything with wings seems lost and restless, and animals are colliding with each other at weird hours. My motherlessness is causing me to feel down and worn out. Come home now! I'm aching with vines crawling through my bones.

Pa pointed out to me, for the hundredth time tonight The way the ladle leads to a dirt-red bullet of light Squint skyward and listen Loving him, we move within his borders Just asterisms in the stars' set order
Pa pointed out, for the hundredth time, the way the ladle leads to a dirt-red bullet of light in the sky. Squint your eyes and listen. We move within the borders of his love, as asterisms in the stars' established order.

We could stand for a century Starin' With our heads cocked In the broad daylight at this thing Joy Landlocked In bodies that don't keep Dumbstruck with the sweetness of being Till we don't be Told, take this Eat this Told, the meteorite is the source of the light
We could stand there for ages, staring with our heads cocked towards that beautiful thing in broad daylight. Joy locked within us, though our bodies don't last. Dumbstruck with the sweetness of existence, until we're finally told, 'take this' and 'eat this.' Told the meteorite is at the source of light.