Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automatic Dlamini as a vocalist, guitarist and saxophonist. The band's frontman, John Parish, became her long-term collaborator. In 1991, she formed an eponymous trio called PJ Harvey and subsequently began her career as PJ Harvey. The trio released two studio albums called Dry (1992) and Rid of Me (1993) before disbanding, after which Harvey continued as a solo artist. Since 1995, she has released a further nine studio albums with collaborations from various musicians including Parish, former bandmate Rob Ellis, Mick Harvey and Eric Drew Feldman, and has also worked extensively with record producer Flood.
Among the accolades Harvey has received are both the 2001 and 2011 Mercury Prize for Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) and Let England Shake (2011), respectively, making her the only artist to have been awarded the prize twice. She has also garnered eight Brit Award nominations, seven Grammy Award nominations and two further Mercury Prize nominations. Rolling Stone awarded her three accolades: 1992's Best New Artist and Best Singer Songwriter, and 1995's Artist of the Year. Rolling Stone also listed Rid of Me, To Bring You My Love and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea on its list of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2011, she was awarded for Outstanding Contribution To Music at the NME Awards. In the 2013 Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music.
Bitter Branches
PJ Harvey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spreading out
There's none more bitter
Than the wood
Into the wide world
It grows
Soldier's feet
Standing in lines
And the damp earth underneath
Holding up their rifles
High
Holding their young wives
Who wave goodbye
Hold up the clear glass
To look and see
Soldiers standing
The roots twist underneath
Their young wives with white hands
Wave goodbye
Their arms as bitter branches
Spreading into the world
Wave goodbye
And wave goodbye
Wave goodbye
Wave goodbye
They wave goodbye
Wave goodbye
Wave goodbye
Wave goodbye
The lyrics of PJ Harvey’s song Bitter Branches describe the bitterness, pain, and destruction that come with war. The first two lines “Bitter branches, spreading out” sound like a metaphor for the way war spreads and branches out into people’s lives, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste. The following line “There’s none more bitter than the wood” reinforces this image, suggesting that war is the most bitter and destructive force in the world.
The next verse shifts to describe the soldiers themselves, who are depicted standing in lines and marching on the muddy earth. Their rifles are high, and they are accompanied by their young wives who are waving goodbye. The images are vivid and emotional, capturing the sense of sacrifice, loss, and bravery that define wartime. However, the lyrics also suggest that war consumes everything in its path, like the twisting roots underfoot that stand in for the bitter branches spreading out into the world.
The refrain “Wave goodbye” is repeated several times, emphasizing the sense of farewell and separation that is so powerful in this song. The waving hands of the young wives become like the bitter branches, representing the pain and heartache that war causes. Overall, Bitter Branches is a powerful expression of the human cost of war, capturing both its bravery and its tragedy.
Line by Line Meaning
Bitter branches
The painful scars and trauma of war.
Spreading out
The widespread influence the effects of war have on people and society.
There's none more bitter
The pain and bitterness of war is unparalleled.
Than the wood
The image of hard and enduring war-ravaged trees.
Into the wide world
The impact of war can be felt everywhere in the world.
It grows
The effects of war increase and spread.
Twisting under
The roots of war deeply entangled in every aspect of life.
Soldier's feet
The heavy boots of soldiers that trample and destroy.
Standing in lines
The ordered and uniform nature of war.
And the damp earth underneath
The dirty and harsh realities of war.
Holding up their rifles
The tools used to perpetrate violence and death.
High
The aggressive and intimidating nature of violence.
Holding their young wives
The emotional toll on families and loved ones.
Who wave goodbye
The bittersweet pain of separating from loved ones to go to war.
Hold up the clear glass
A metaphor for reflecting on the horrors of war.
To look and see
Acknowledging the harsh reality of war.
Soldiers standing
The human cost of war.
The roots twist underneath
The permanent and destructive impact of war.
Their young wives with white hands
The image of innocence and purity that is destroyed by war.
Wave goodbye
The pain of separation and the enduring effects of war.
And wave goodbye
The repeated nature of goodbyes in war.
Wave goodbye
The haunting pain of war and its victims.
Wave goodbye
The sorrow and grief of war.
They wave goodbye
Acknowledging the people left behind and the impact of war on them.
Wave goodbye
Concluding the song and re-emphasizing the themes of war and trauma.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Polly Harvey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ricardocabe
Bitter branches spreading out
There is none more bitter than the wood
Into the white world it grows
Twisting under soldiers' feet
Standing in line
The damp earth underneath
Holding up their rifles high
Holding their young wives
Who wave goodbye
Hold up the clear glass to look and see
Soldiers standing
And the roots twist underneath
Their young wives
With white hands wave goodbye
Their arms as bitter branches
Spreading into the world
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye
They wave goodbye, wave goodbye
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye
@gtavicegta
Bitter branches
Spreading out.
There's none more bitter
Than the wood.
Into the wide world,
It grows,
Twisting under
Soldier's feet,
Standing in line
And the damp earth underneath.
Holding up their rifles
High,
Holding their young wives
Who wave goodbye.
Hold up the clear glass
To look and see
Soldiers standing
And the roots twist underneath.
Their young wives with white hands
Wave goodbye.
Their arms as bitter branches
Spreading into the world.
Wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye.
Wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye.
Wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye.
Wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye.
Перевести на русский
@Rajat_1010
Bitter branches spreading out
There's none more bitter than the wood
Into the wide world it grows
Twisting under soldiers' feet
Standing in lines and the damp earth underneath
Holding up their rifles high
Holding their young wives who wave goodbye
Hold up the clear glass, look and see
Soldiers standing and the roots twist underneath
Their young wives with white hands wave goodbye
Their arms as bitter branches spreading into the world
Wave goodbye, they wave goodbye
Wave goodbye, they wave goodbye
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye
They wave goodbye, wave goodbye
@roiybenkel682
Bitter branches
Spreading out
There's none more bitter
Than the wood
Into the white world
It grows
Twisting under
Soldier's feet
Standing in line
And the damp earth underneath
Holding up their rifles high
Holding their young wives
Who wave goodbye
Hold up the clear glass
To look and see
Soldiers standing
And the roots twist underneath
Their young wives with white hands
Wave goodbye
Their arms as bitter branches
Spreading into the world
Wave goodbye
Wave goodbye
Wave goodbye...
@FTube2000
A Masterpiece. The whole album. PJ is one of the greatest most underrated artists alive.
@Zincink
I really love this song. You need to listen to it like 15+ times before you can leave for another song.
@666chinchilla
+zincink so so so true
@manori69
Haha that just happened to me.. just like u say it..it’s feels freeing right now! Kisses
@the2ndcoming135
Yeah, man. Be feeling the same way about certain ones👀
@apostate
Brilliant video. Love the subtexts and the approach with the lyrics
@ricardocabe
Bitter branches spreading out
There is none more bitter than the wood
Into the white world it grows
Twisting under soldiers' feet
Standing in line
The damp earth underneath
Holding up their rifles high
Holding their young wives
Who wave goodbye
Hold up the clear glass to look and see
Soldiers standing
And the roots twist underneath
Their young wives
With white hands wave goodbye
Their arms as bitter branches
Spreading into the world
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye
They wave goodbye, wave goodbye
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye
@gtavicegta
Bitter branches
Spreading out.
There's none more bitter
Than the wood.
Into the wide world,
It grows,
Twisting under
Soldier's feet,
Standing in line
And the damp earth underneath.
Holding up their rifles
High,
Holding their young wives
Who wave goodbye.
Hold up the clear glass
To look and see
Soldiers standing
And the roots twist underneath.
Their young wives with white hands
Wave goodbye.
Their arms as bitter branches
Spreading into the world.
Wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye.
Wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye.
Wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye.
Wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye.
Перевести на русский
@laurenceboivent7342
Elle rend hommage aux prolos. Passé le discours du mecano qui récite une partie des paroles de la chanson (il est carrément touchant), ça démarre. Enjoy ! J'adore cette chanson.
@theol.j.5963
Reminiscent of her older albums. My fav song on LES