I found a little plot of land
In the Garden of Eden
It was dirt and dirt is all the same
I tilled it with my two hands
And I called it my very own
There was no-one to dispute my claim

Well, you'd be shocked
At the state of things
The whole place
Had just cleared right out
It was hotter'n hell
So I laid me by a spring, for a spell
As naked as a trout

The wandering eye that I have caught
Is as hot as a wandering sun
But I will want for nothing more
In my garden
Start again
In my hardening to every heart but one

Meet me in the garden of Eden
Bring a friend
We are going to have ourselves a time
We are gonna have a garden party
It's on me
No, sirree, it's my dime
We broke our hearts
In the war between
St. George and the dragon
But both, in equal parts
Are welcome to come along
I'm inviting everyone

Farewell to loves that I have known
Even muddiest waters run
Tell me, what is meant by sin, or none
In a garden
Seceded from the union
In the year of A.D. 1?

The unending amends you've made
Are enough for one life
Be done
I believe in innocence, little darling
Start again
I believe in everyone
I believe, regardless
I believe in everyone


Lyrics submitted by kitteh, edited by sethbrown, random_monkey, Spiderland

'81 Lyrics as written by Joanna Newsom

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

'81 song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

33 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    Just to clarify: Joanna was born in '82, not '81. The civil war was 1861-1865. However, the American revolution effectively ended in 1781, with the surrender of yorktown. So among the many other things this song is about, it is very possible that we're talking about America ("seceded from the union" here being intentionally misleading, more accurately seceded from the commonwealth). Which makes "Sr. George and the dragon" almost hilarious, being both St. George and George III of England. And as the song is about rebirth, even though we "broke our hearts in the war", she's welcoming "both, in equal part," loyalist and rebel. Which all flows nicely into the strange, ambivalent patriotism of "Good Intentions Paving Company"

    America has long been a metaphor for rebirth, new jerusalem, from Blake through the romantics. And the wordplay here plays with the religiousness of it, A.D. 1, novus ordo seclorum.

    atnrydelon October 02, 2010   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.