Joy
P.J. Harvey Lyrics


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Joy was her name
A life un-wed
Thirty years old
Never danced a step

She would have left these red hills far behind if not for her condition
'Would have left these red hills long ago if not for my condition'
Pitiful Joy
She looked away
Into a hollow sky
Came face to face

With her own innocence surrounding her until it never was a question
Innocence so suffocating, now she cannot move, no question

No hope for Joy
No hope or faith
She wanted to go blind
Wanted hope to stay





'I've been believing in nothing since I was born, it never was a question.'

Overall Meaning

The ballad "Joy" by P.J. Harvey seems to be a somber reflection on life and hope in the face of adversity. The singer of the song is a woman named Joy who is unmarried and has never danced due to an unknown condition mentioned in the lyrics. She is unhappy with her current situation and feels trapped in her surroundings, longing to leave her hometown, signified by the "red hills" mentioned in the lyrics.


Joy's situation is pitiable, and the lyrics suggest that she was never able to question her innocence, leading to a suffocating sense of naivety that prevents her from moving forward with her life. There seems to be no hope for Joy, as she lacks faith and cannot see a future for herself. The final line of the song, "I've been believing in nothing since I was born, it never was a question," speaks to a sense of hopelessness that pervades the entire song.


Overall, "Joy" is a haunting and introspective ballad that explores themes of hope, innocence, and despair in a powerful and emotionally evocative way.


Line by Line Meaning

Joy was her name
The woman in the song is named Joy


A life un-wed
Joy never got married


Thirty years old
Joy is 30 years old


Never danced a step
Joy never danced before


She would have left these red hills far behind if not for her condition
If Joy wasn't dealing with her condition, she would have left the red hills a long time ago


Pitiful Joy
Joy is pitiful


She looked away
Joy looks away


Into a hollow sky
Joy looked up at a hollow sky


Came face to face
Joy directly faced


With her own innocence surrounding her until it never was a question
Joy was suffocated by her own innocence to where it became unquestionable


No hope for Joy
Joy has no hope


No hope or faith
Joy has neither hope nor faith


She wanted to go blind
Joy wishes to be blind


Wanted hope to stay
Joy wants to maintain hope


I've been believing in nothing since I was born, it never was a question.
Joy has never believed in anything and it's always been that way. This is not up for debate or questioning.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: POLLY HARVEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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