Bridges and Balloons
Newsom Joanna Lyrics
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With fate as malleable as clay
But ships are fallible, I say
And the nautical, like all things fades
And I can recall our caravel
A little wicker beetle shell
With four fine maste and lateen sails
Its bearings on cair paravel
Oh my love
Oh it was a funny little thing
To be
The ones
To've seen
The sight of bridges and balloons
Makes calm canaries irritable
And they caw and claw all afternoon
Catenaries and dirigibles
Brace and bouoy the living room
A loom of metals warp woof wimble
And a thimbles worth of milky moon
Can touch hearts larger than a thimble
Oh my love
Oh it was a funny little thing
To be
The ones
To've seen
Oh my love
Oh it was a funny little thing
It was a funny funny little thing
In "Bridges and Balloons," Joanna Newsom tells a story of sailing away with someone she loves on a winter's day. Fate, like clay, is malleable and the two set out on a journey with a sense of adventure and wonder. Newsom juxtaposes the fallibility of ships with the beauty and fragility of nature, comparing their caravel to a little wicker beetle shell with four fine masts and lateen sails, and with bearings on Cair Paravel.
As the story progresses, the sight of bridges and balloons changes the mood of the canaries nearby, making them irritable and causing them to caw and claw all afternoon. Newsom then introduces an image of a loom of metals that warp, woof, and wimble, and a thimble's worth of milky moon that can touch hearts larger than a thimble. These images conjure a sense of intricate and delicate beauty, highlighting the complexity of human emotions and relationships. Ultimately, "Bridges and Balloons" is a romantic ode to fleeting moments of joy and beauty amidst the unpredictability of life.
Line by Line Meaning
We sailed away on a winter's day
On a winter's day, we embarked on a boat journey.
With fate as malleable as clay
Our fate was uncertain and could be changed easily, just like how clay can be molded to any shape.
But ships are fallible, I say
However, ships are prone to making mistakes and are not invincible.
And the nautical, like all things fades
The nautical world, like everything around us, comes to an end eventually.
And I can recall our caravel
I can remember our small sailing ship, a caravel.
A little wicker beetle shell
It was a small boat that looked like a wicker beetle shell.
With four fine maste and lateen sails
It had four good masts and lateen sails.
Its bearings on cair paravel
Its bearings were towards a fantasy land called Cair Paravel.
Oh my love
Expressing love and affection.
Oh it was a funny little thing
It was a peculiar and entertaining experience.
To be
To exist in this moment and to have this experience.
The ones
The lucky few who got to see and experience something unique.
To've seen
To have witnessed something extraordinary.
The sight of bridges and balloons
Seeing bridges and balloons had a significant impact on us.
Makes calm canaries irritable
Even calm canaries become restless and agitated when they see such things.
And they caw and claw all afternoon
They make noise and scratch all day long.
Catenaries and dirigibles
Refers to the structures of bridges and balloons respectively.
Brace and bouoy the living room
The experience of seeing these things transformed our living room into something buoyant and stable.
A loom of metals warp woof wimble
The intricate and complex weaving of metal threads creates the structure of the bridges and balloons.
And a thimbles worth of milky moon
Even a tiny piece of the moon can have a profound effect on us.
Can touch hearts larger than a thimble
Something small or insignificant can have a big impact on our emotions and feelings.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Joanna Newsom
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind