This place is damp and ghostly
I am already gone
And the halls were lined with the disembodied
And the dustly wings, which fell from flesh
Gasplessly

And I go where the trees go
And I walk from a higher education
For now and for hire

It beats me, but I do not know
And it beats me but I do not know
It beats me, but I do not know
I do not know

Palaces and storm clouds
The rough, straggly sage
And the smoke
And the way it will all come together
In quietness and in time

And you laws of property
Oh, you free economy
And you unending afterthoughts
You could've told me before

Never get so attached to a poem
You forget truth that lacks lyricism
Never draw so close to the heat
That you forget that you must eat, oh


Lyrics submitted by Mopnugget

"En Gallop" Lyrics as written by Joanna Newsom

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

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En Gallop song meanings
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    General Comment

    This is one of my favourite Joanna Newsom songs. For me the meaning seems clear- it's about growing out of university and graduation, realising that post-student life is very different from what was expected. So. Verse by verse:

    "This place is damp and ghostly I am already gone And the halls were lined with the disembodied And dustly wings, which fell from flesh Gasplessly"

    It seems this takes place soon after graduation, perhaps it even details graduation itself. We move quickly from present tense to past tense. I think the wings represent the aspirations of the students living in the halls, and how those aspirations die away without ceremony (gasplessly) after graduation. The tone of the verse is one of sombre melancholy, with death-like imagery and sad reflection- that's what makes me think this person is somewhat relieved to be leaving, like they've grown up and they think they're ready for the next step.

    "And I go where the trees go And I walk from a higher education For now and for hire"

    Now the song takes on a more upbeat sound, it's a bit faster and more powerful, the imagery is of life, trees, walking from higher education, from the misery of the first verse. She is for hire, ready and expecting to find a job and make something of herself.

    "And it beats me, but I do not know It beats me but I do not know I do not know"

    Now she realises that in actual fact, while she thought she was so educated in the ways of the world, she actually knows very little, and it's annoying (it beats me but I do not know). After throwing everything she had into university, she is left fairly ignorant of real life.

    "Palaces and storm clouds The rough, straggly sage And the smoke And the way it will all come together In quietness and in time"

    Ok, so unable to cope with the all too real situation she finds herself in, she retreats to the fantasy of real life. The first three line of this verse are like something out of a fairytale, juxtaposed immediately with the belief that things will somehow all just work out, in the last two lines. A pretty common belief for those studying the arts at uni (as Newsom did).

    "And you laws of property Oh, you free economy And you unending afterthoughts You could've told me before"

    Now she's angry at the reality, unable to sustain her fantasy of how she thought things would turn out, she gets annoyed at the pressures of everyday life, getting onto the housing ladder, earning enough money just to pay the bills, she wishes she'd known more about these pressures when she was still an undergrad. The unending afterthoughts could be the debts she owes to pay for her time at university. I prefer the Walnut Whales version of this when she kind of shrilly shouts bitch! at the start of the first three lines :)

    "Never get so attached to a poem You forget truth that lacks lyricism Never draw so close to the heat That you forget that you must eat, oh..."

    Ok so my favourite part of this song, it's like she is stepping outside of herself and her situation to give a word of advice to the listener. Don't get so involved with your studies (which ultimately will prove useless), that you forget that at the end you will have a ton of debt and bills to pay. Do something useful and learn about the real world before delving into complex imagery and metaphor.

    I could probably learn a thing or two from this song :P

    poweroutageon June 12, 2008   Link

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