Marissa Nadler is an American dream folk musician and singer-songwriter. Sh… Read Full Bio ↴Marissa Nadler is an American dream folk musician and singer-songwriter. She plays six string guitar, 12 string guitar, piano, ukelele, banjo, and voice.
Nadler studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she began her performing career after writing songs for many years.

The foundation of her sound is her haunting mezzo-soprano, and a delicate 6-string acoustic guitar, often accompanied by a variety of instruments, including electric guitar, theremin, and piano. Nadler writes strange, yet classic, melancholy songs. Her voice is often bathed in a wash of reverb and space echo and creates a ghostly, atmospheric feeling to the music.

She has American Gothic leanings; her songs often take place in an imagined, idealistic time with a cast of characters of her own creation.

Official Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marissa-Nadler/300932499775
Bandcamp: http://marissanadler.bandcamp.com/

Calico
Marissa Nadler Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Take her to the river
Call her a river-child
Take her to the forest
Call her a little wild

Sell her to the gypsy
For a jar of metal coins
Take her to the mountain

And thrust yourself
Into her loins

Calico
Calico
Calico
Her lips are white as snow

She moved to the mountains
With a box all chiseled sharp
She moved to the highlands
With a box of books all dark

I knew her in the city
She and I would dance the night
Drink the wine of dripping berries
Toss the moon and count the lights

Calico
Calico
Calico
Her skin is soft as snow

Take her to the river
Call her a river-child

Take her to the forest
Call her a little wild

Overall Meaning

The song "Calico" by Marissa Nadler is both enchanting and haunting. The lyrics depict a wild, mysterious woman who has a certain allure that is both alluring and frightening at the same time. The lines "Take her to the river, Call her a river-child" and "Take her to the forest, Call her a little wild" suggest that the woman in question is carefree and untamed, perhaps even a bit feral. The lyrics move on to tell of her being sold to a gypsy for a jar of coins before moving on to a rather crude description of the singer's sexual encounter with her, "And thrust yourself into her loins." This suggests a certain level of brutality and disregard for her autonomy.

Nonetheless, the lyrics also reveal a certain admiration for this woman's spirit and independence. The lines "She moved to the mountains with a box all chiseled sharp, She moved to the highlands with a box of books all dark" evoke an image of a woman who is not afraid to explore and take risks. The singer has clearly known this woman for some time, referencing their nights spent drinking wine and dancing together in the city. There is a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past, suggesting that the singer may have lost touch with this woman or that something has changed between them.

Overall, "Calico" is a complex and nuanced song that explores themes of freedom, sexuality, and longing. The imagery is vivid and evocative, painting a picture of a woman who is both alluring and dangerous.

Line by Line Meaning

Take her to the river
Bring her to the flowing water body

Call her a river-child
Refer to her as a child of the river

Take her to the forest
Lead her to the wooded area

Call her a little wild
Address her as being untamed

Sell her to the gypsy
Trade her with the wandering tribe

For a jar of metal coins
In exchange for a vessel filled with metallic currency

Take her to the mountain
Escort her to the towering landform

And thrust yourself into her loins
Engage in sexual intercourse with her

Calico
Repetition of the song's title

Her lips are white as snow
Her mouth is pale like the snow

She moved to the mountains
She relocated to the high grounds