Swansea Lyrics
down with your bones so white
and watch the freight trains pound
into the wild, wild night
gnaw on your bones so white
and watch while the freight trains paw
paw at the wild, wild night
assateague knee-deep in seafoam
ho swansea! buttonwillow!
lagunitas! ho calico!
stare, distend, like endless toads
endlessly hop down the road
borne by wind, we southward blow
the wild blue yonder looms
till we are wracked with rheum
by roads, by songs entombed
is chew, and chew, and chew!
dear one, drive on
when all we want to do
is chew, and chew, and chew
down with your bones so white
watch while the freight trains pound
into the wild, wild night
to gnaw on your bones so white
and watch while the freight trains paw
paw at the wild, wild night
Dylan Thomas was from Swansea
I believe "chew and chew and chew" alludes to the old sound children give to a train's whistle and sound, while attached still to the image of the bone. I've only just heard the song for the first time, forgive that simplicity. I find it beautiful regardless.
I get the story of these two young friends in their hometown with it's toad-ugly houses and traintrack out-of-town sharing a last night together before they go off into the rest of their lives. When life is really just the struggle for the next thing you're going to feed your face with (chew-chew, choo-choo!) out in the wild blue yonder of adulthood until you run your body down, they're kind of making a pact or something to drive on and...do something? And of course the town and area where you grow up always turns into a ghostown for you... or you become the walkinghost. either way, nostalgia
Echoes of Sadie.
Swansea is a place in Wales.
this whole album makes me sob. its so so so beautiful.
Hey, samshipstone, very nice reasoning on the journey idea! I am with you on this. But I guess there's something underneath the journey, the gnawing white bones, watching the freight trains, chewing, is about memories of Sadie (her dog). I am afraid that some of her songs, entirely or part of them, are not understandable at all. They are very personal memories translated to a lyrical expression, so they are so cryptic that even for her they are symbols.
In my opinion, though I do love the ethereal way she makes scenarios, sometimes I regret the lack of clarity. I know many songs as ingenious as hers but clear. To me, that is how ingenious art is, sophisticated, but clear. Unless she is just trying to create an atmosphere, than the meaning doesn't really matter. But then, it is a pity to waste so many beautiful words in something meaningless for the listener.
Hi, just in response to nbril, i thought Sadie was about her dog, but I guess not any more. I just read this, the link is below.
"After the performance of "Ys," Newsom returned for another solo stint, this time warming up a bit more to the crowd by setting the record straight. She revealed that the song "Sadie" was not about her dog but instead about a loved one who passed on."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=8480
Really nice interpretations though, I think we all agree on the absolute magnificence of this song. Richard
Jjourney and loss of definitive destination.
"i'll eat you up i love you so"
the book 'where the wild things are' comes to mind.