This song is both really cryptic and seems to be receiving the least amount of attention and love out of all of Have One On Me.
There are whole stanzas that I just don't get, but I believe the general theme can be made clear.
I believe the narrator (Joanna, I suppose) is in a sort of relationship where she is protected and shielded and sort of hidden from the world. She yearns for the safety and the warmth of his arms, but it's not as good as she'd like to believe, because even though, "the grass was tall," it was, "strung with burrs."
There are three scenes that I've unwound. The first refers to the couple spinning straw into gold. I take this to mean that the two of them (or perhaps only the narrator) believed that they, together, could make the impossible happen. And it seems they did. But when the gold was shaped back into bales (maybe not gold after all?) the narrator is "burned" by the other. Yet she revels in it. (Note that someone is also "burned" in Does Not Suffice.)
Later, a whole civilization is left alone because the two go off together, until it dissolves. This recalls this quote from the Arthur interview Joanna did: "In some ways [Emily] is a tribute to her, and in other ways it was like a plea, a letter to her about some stuff that’s happening close to home, and a reference to the fact that a lot of the little structures and kingdoms and plans we built when we were younger are just falling to fucking pieces.” In the song, even though people are calling for help with flares, the narrator doesn't even see them, because she is hidden and protected by his arms.
The horse scene is the most sprawling, most beautiful, and the most important. I believe that the horse is meant to represent a part of the narrator. This part is stubborn and feisty and doesn't like being locked away -- like the narrator currently is. But this part of her has been so strongly repressed that it takes the form of a pathetic horse. It is small, sickly and pale, but it still tries as hard as it can to escape. The gate holds fast. Neither the narrator nor her partner seem to feel a whole lot of a sympathy for this struggling animal. He seems to accept it, while she launches into a question (knowing the answer) of what part of her he loves more? She follows with that answer, and asks to be led -- because she certainly couldn't find her own way -- back to the farm so she can resume the safety of his arms.
This song reminds me of the theme in Easy. In Easy the narrator is trying so hard to convince herself and her man of something that is merely not true, ignoring all the signs. Again, she's entirely ignoring a part of herself that is warning her, bucking and rearing against the entrapments. She knows, in a way, that's she cannot sustain life this way, the horse will soon die, and a whole part of her will be missing, but she pushes that thought aside, unwilling, and sinks back into him, in this man that has had her so enamored she can't seem to make herself leave.
about the gold not being gold, i would like to point out that she says "bales of bullion" and bullion means gold or silver (precious metals).
about the gold not being gold, i would like to point out that she says "bales of bullion" and bullion means gold or silver (precious metals).
also i would like to point out provenance is defined as "the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature". and since she says no provenance - could that mean no ownership, meaning the horse doesn't belong to her or her partner?
also i would like to point out provenance is defined as "the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature". and since she says no provenance - could that mean no ownership, meaning the horse doesn't belong to her or her partner?
i really liked your interpretation, but this song still confuses me a lot. but thanks to you it's not just a bunch of...
i really liked your interpretation, but this song still confuses me a lot. but thanks to you it's not just a bunch of really amazing and beautiful words/themes/poetic devices strung together any longer. hopefully i get to figure it out more and more for myself as time goes by. *fingers crossed >_<
I agree with you that it's about being in a locked-up relationship. The title itself seems to be referring to the fact that the narrator's significant other is keeping her from returning to her family, from even thinking about her other relationships. Being so immersed in this strange love, she has no provenance. This song seems to be yet another turning point for the narrator. She's beginning to see that maybe her family and friends were right about this dude, and that he just kept her from seeing "their...
I agree with you that it's about being in a locked-up relationship. The title itself seems to be referring to the fact that the narrator's significant other is keeping her from returning to her family, from even thinking about her other relationships. Being so immersed in this strange love, she has no provenance. This song seems to be yet another turning point for the narrator. She's beginning to see that maybe her family and friends were right about this dude, and that he just kept her from seeing "their flares". It's pretty common, though disgusting, for women and men in abusive relationships to be cut off from their family and friends. Being afraid of the Big Return might be that she doesn't want to go back to her hometown for fear of being rejected, since she had basically forgotten about everyone in her past (due to her s.o.'s warm arms that are really just burning). But she does want to go back at this point.
I love the spinning straw into gold. I wonder if it is meant to remind us of that one tune: "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold." Seems like this man isn't really gold at all, but he's trying to make her feel like he is more important than everything in her life up to this point, even her very origin. But the narrator's not that dumb... gold doesn't burn like this scarecrow.
It reminds me of Easy too. The differences are there though since she's at a different point in her relationship. In No Provenance, the narrator seems to at least acknowledge that she needs to break free. Her "dirty little dog sized horse" isn't really that at all, but her s.o. would have her believe that this part of her is worthless. I'm happy to see that by this song she might escape the flaming barn, since she finally notices the flames' existence.
But, like Eveiamnot, to me there are some parts of this song that don't fit entirely into that lone interpretation. I don't know... I have read a couple of comments on this site that talk about abortions, miscarriages, and the like. I don't know if that is - really - apparent, but it seems to be in this song and album. It reminds me of Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants." (I've heard Newsom likes him a lot as well.) A lot of the songs on HOOM seem to be about motherly longing. Not sure who the narrator is meant to be, but I feel so bad for her while listening to this album. Of course, that is a wild guess, but it makes sense to me with the (maybe) newborn horse, and tons of references throughout the album.
Women can be so silly and stupid when it comes to men, but these songs are so full of honesty and vulnerability that it might help others see when they're in a f***-up of a relationship too. Joanna Newsom is like an otherworldly, "via satellite feed", guidance counselor. Too bad most people can't get past the "squeaky voice" (but I love it).
This song is both really cryptic and seems to be receiving the least amount of attention and love out of all of Have One On Me.
There are whole stanzas that I just don't get, but I believe the general theme can be made clear.
I believe the narrator (Joanna, I suppose) is in a sort of relationship where she is protected and shielded and sort of hidden from the world. She yearns for the safety and the warmth of his arms, but it's not as good as she'd like to believe, because even though, "the grass was tall," it was, "strung with burrs."
There are three scenes that I've unwound. The first refers to the couple spinning straw into gold. I take this to mean that the two of them (or perhaps only the narrator) believed that they, together, could make the impossible happen. And it seems they did. But when the gold was shaped back into bales (maybe not gold after all?) the narrator is "burned" by the other. Yet she revels in it. (Note that someone is also "burned" in Does Not Suffice.)
Later, a whole civilization is left alone because the two go off together, until it dissolves. This recalls this quote from the Arthur interview Joanna did: "In some ways [Emily] is a tribute to her, and in other ways it was like a plea, a letter to her about some stuff that’s happening close to home, and a reference to the fact that a lot of the little structures and kingdoms and plans we built when we were younger are just falling to fucking pieces.” In the song, even though people are calling for help with flares, the narrator doesn't even see them, because she is hidden and protected by his arms.
The horse scene is the most sprawling, most beautiful, and the most important. I believe that the horse is meant to represent a part of the narrator. This part is stubborn and feisty and doesn't like being locked away -- like the narrator currently is. But this part of her has been so strongly repressed that it takes the form of a pathetic horse. It is small, sickly and pale, but it still tries as hard as it can to escape. The gate holds fast. Neither the narrator nor her partner seem to feel a whole lot of a sympathy for this struggling animal. He seems to accept it, while she launches into a question (knowing the answer) of what part of her he loves more? She follows with that answer, and asks to be led -- because she certainly couldn't find her own way -- back to the farm so she can resume the safety of his arms.
This song reminds me of the theme in Easy. In Easy the narrator is trying so hard to convince herself and her man of something that is merely not true, ignoring all the signs. Again, she's entirely ignoring a part of herself that is warning her, bucking and rearing against the entrapments. She knows, in a way, that's she cannot sustain life this way, the horse will soon die, and a whole part of her will be missing, but she pushes that thought aside, unwilling, and sinks back into him, in this man that has had her so enamored she can't seem to make herself leave.
about the gold not being gold, i would like to point out that she says "bales of bullion" and bullion means gold or silver (precious metals).
about the gold not being gold, i would like to point out that she says "bales of bullion" and bullion means gold or silver (precious metals).
also i would like to point out provenance is defined as "the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature". and since she says no provenance - could that mean no ownership, meaning the horse doesn't belong to her or her partner?
also i would like to point out provenance is defined as "the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature". and since she says no provenance - could that mean no ownership, meaning the horse doesn't belong to her or her partner?
i really liked your interpretation, but this song still confuses me a lot. but thanks to you it's not just a bunch of...
i really liked your interpretation, but this song still confuses me a lot. but thanks to you it's not just a bunch of really amazing and beautiful words/themes/poetic devices strung together any longer. hopefully i get to figure it out more and more for myself as time goes by. *fingers crossed >_<
I love your interpretation of this song!
I love your interpretation of this song!
I agree with you that it's about being in a locked-up relationship. The title itself seems to be referring to the fact that the narrator's significant other is keeping her from returning to her family, from even thinking about her other relationships. Being so immersed in this strange love, she has no provenance. This song seems to be yet another turning point for the narrator. She's beginning to see that maybe her family and friends were right about this dude, and that he just kept her from seeing "their...
I agree with you that it's about being in a locked-up relationship. The title itself seems to be referring to the fact that the narrator's significant other is keeping her from returning to her family, from even thinking about her other relationships. Being so immersed in this strange love, she has no provenance. This song seems to be yet another turning point for the narrator. She's beginning to see that maybe her family and friends were right about this dude, and that he just kept her from seeing "their flares". It's pretty common, though disgusting, for women and men in abusive relationships to be cut off from their family and friends. Being afraid of the Big Return might be that she doesn't want to go back to her hometown for fear of being rejected, since she had basically forgotten about everyone in her past (due to her s.o.'s warm arms that are really just burning). But she does want to go back at this point.
I love the spinning straw into gold. I wonder if it is meant to remind us of that one tune: "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold." Seems like this man isn't really gold at all, but he's trying to make her feel like he is more important than everything in her life up to this point, even her very origin. But the narrator's not that dumb... gold doesn't burn like this scarecrow.
It reminds me of Easy too. The differences are there though since she's at a different point in her relationship. In No Provenance, the narrator seems to at least acknowledge that she needs to break free. Her "dirty little dog sized horse" isn't really that at all, but her s.o. would have her believe that this part of her is worthless. I'm happy to see that by this song she might escape the flaming barn, since she finally notices the flames' existence.
But, like Eveiamnot, to me there are some parts of this song that don't fit entirely into that lone interpretation. I don't know... I have read a couple of comments on this site that talk about abortions, miscarriages, and the like. I don't know if that is - really - apparent, but it seems to be in this song and album. It reminds me of Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants." (I've heard Newsom likes him a lot as well.) A lot of the songs on HOOM seem to be about motherly longing. Not sure who the narrator is meant to be, but I feel so bad for her while listening to this album. Of course, that is a wild guess, but it makes sense to me with the (maybe) newborn horse, and tons of references throughout the album.
Women can be so silly and stupid when it comes to men, but these songs are so full of honesty and vulnerability that it might help others see when they're in a f***-up of a relationship too. Joanna Newsom is like an otherworldly, "via satellite feed", guidance counselor. Too bad most people can't get past the "squeaky voice" (but I love it).