Throughout her 20s, Paulusma flirted with a number of occupations, from scholar (she embarked on a PhD after graduation from Cambridge University) to novelist (she was talented enough to bag a literary agent). But raised on a diet of Joni Mitchell and Carole King, music was always Paulusma’s first love. She wrote her first song aged ten, but it took 18 years of denial before she finally listened to her heart and recorded her debut album.
“Music had always been part of my life,” she says. “I’d been in bands, writing songs all along, but I’d just been doing it for the hell of it. It never crossed my mind to try and do it properly.”
It wasn’t until she recorded backing vocals for friends Ben & Jason’s last album that the penny finally dropped. “I had one of these earth shattering moments when I suddenly realised that everything I was doing was wrong and that I should be doing this instead,” she says. “It was like I got hit with an electric current – maybe I did – it was a pretty lo-fi studio so there was always that possibility! I just started crying. I thought, oh buggery fuck, here we go again.”
The Woods
Polly Paulusma Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel it in my leaves
The sap is rising up my veins
There's pollen on the breeze
I saw it all crystal clear
I know who brought those children here
The foxes gave them milk
Woodpeckers tried to hammer a home
The spiders spun them silk
I saw it all crystal clear
I know who brought those children here
No path out marked out with round white stones
No Guardian Angel to lead them home
Find them quick
Research before they disappear
The bracken folds down into mulch
The mushroom sprouts and spore
The berries swell and ripe, now burst
To carpet my forest floor
I saw it all crystal clear
I know who brought those children here
Lost and lonely, here all is still
If you don't take them, the earth surely will
Find them quick
Research before they disappear
The winter wind howls through my arms
My brooks begin to freeze
My secrets now lie blanketed
Beneath the moldering leaves
I saw it all crystal clear
I know who left those children here
The song "The Woods" by Polly Paulusma paints a vivid picture of a natural setting in transition. The initial lines of the first verse describe the singer, likely a tree or plant, basking in the summer sun and feeling it in their leaves. The imagery moves on to the sap rising up the veins, indicating growth and vitality. This growth is accompanied by pollen carried by the breeze, indicating the beginning of a natural cycle. The second verse introduces some mystique into the song, as the singer claims to know who brought children into the woods. The badgers and foxes have provided shelter and sustenance, while woodpeckers and spiders have also played a role. The third verse brings up the theme of needing to act quickly to preserve the natural surroundings. The image of the bracken folding down into mulch and the mushrooms sprouting suggests the cyclical nature of life in the woods. The repeated notion of the singer knowing who has brought the children to the woods and the need to find them quick also creates a sense of urgency and secrecy.
Overall, the song is a tribute to the beauty and mystery of the natural world, but also a cautionary tale about the need to preserve it. The imagery used in the song is particularly striking, evoking the different cycles of life within the woods. The theme of preservation comes through particularly strongly, with the lyricist urging the listener to take action before things disappear.
Line by Line Meaning
The summer sun plays on the ground
The warm sun is shining and reflecting across the forest floor.
I feel it in my leaves
As a tree, I am able to detect the warmth of the sun and it's effect on me.
The sap is rising up my veins
My tree's natural fluids are beginning to circulate more efficiently due to the increasing heat of the sun.
There's pollen on the breeze
The wind carries visible signs of the reproduction occuring in the forest.
I saw it all crystal clear
I had a moment of clarity in which I was able to fully comprehend what was happening around me.
I know who brought those children here
I have insight into the cause of the mysterious arrival of children in the forest.
The badgers tried to keep them warm
The badgers attempted to provide warmth and care for the children.
The foxes gave them milk
The foxes worked to provide sustenance and care for the children.
Woodpeckers tried to hammer a home
The woodpeckers attempted to create a safe shelter for the children.
The spiders spun them silk
The spiders provided their resources in an attempt to help the children.
No path out marked out with round white stones
There is no clear path marked out for the children to follow.
No Guardian Angel to lead them home
There is no one watching over the children to lead them in the right direction.
Find them quick
It is important to locate the children as soon as possible.
Research before they disappear
Gathering information about the situation and the children is crucial before they disappear.
The bracken folds down into mulch
The bracken is now falling onto the forest floor and decaying.
The mushroom sprouts and spore
The start of mushroom growth and reproduction is happening in the forest.
The berries swell and ripe, now burst
The berries in the forest are now beginning to grow and ripen, finally bursting.
To carpet my forest floor
All of these natural processes combine and collectively cover the forest floor.
Lost and lonely, here all is still
The forest is a peaceful but lonesome place.
If you don't take them, the earth surely will
If someone doesn't intervene, the forces of nature will take over and become the children's caretakers.
The winter wind howls through my arms
The cold winter wind is blowing through the trees.
My brooks begin to freeze
The water that flows through the brooks is beginning to freeze over.
My secrets now lie blanketed
The forest now has secrets, hidden under the layers of snow.
Beneath the moldering leaves
The leaves which have fallen and have begun to decay are now covering the forest floor.
I know who left those children here
I am aware of who left the children in the forest.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Woman Violin Maker
Wow. Rima is amazing artist. This video is gorgeous, it really gives magic to the song...
Jessie Hoyt
I've loved this song since I first heard
Daniel B James
Wow... A great slice of gothic folk music!
pfalzdxii
A gem. Many, many thanks... :)
Tim Chiavaroli
Only the discriminating eye of the true connoisseur, like my lovely friend MePamper, finds a thing as multifariously delicious as this! Polly Paulusma, a perfect diamond. Freed from the contact, proximity, and connection to ordinary everyday objects that pass before our ears and eyes as, "sellable talented product". Whimsically plops inside the waggishly dark image speculations and enthusiasms of Rima Staines. Nibbling away at "it", like radioactive squirrel genii blithe of all rules - WE win!
Andrew Ellison Wild Woodsman
Rima is a real artist, this video gives life to the song
rilkemaid
Oh, what a haunted delight.
port Cherish
I feel sorry for any musicians you may know personally.
Emily Lowrance
Thank you Bubbles :)