No Provenance Lyrics

Lyric discussion by rickterp 

Cover art for No Provenance lyrics by Joanna Newsom

littlelifegiver definitely has some good points here.

I find it interesting that several songs on the first disc refer to being held (Easy, HOOM, Good Intentions Paving Co., and this one), and this one keeps returning to the line "in your arms" as a touchstone. In the narrative arc of HOOM, this feels like the final moment when she seems to be able to convince herself that this relationship can endure, even though there a tons of warning signs.

Any ideas on what the Big Return is? I wonder it's the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about because havoc will ensue, but the elephant is still there. This reminds me of the line "we're blessed and sustained by what is not said" in Easy.

I always imagine that line to mean something about going back home, to "Rome," and she's terrified because she feels the people there might question her changes, her relationship, etc.

There's still many songs I haven't spent a ton of time with (if I haven't commented on the song on this site, I have not combed through the lyrics) but it's really easy to notice connecting themes or ideas. I was considering that perhaps "Good Intentions Paving Company" is about a road trip, or at least traveling with this man. She's very defensive in much of these songs...

Oh, but to be honest, the very first thing I thought of when I heard "Big Return" was The Rapture. Ha.

When I read 'Big Return' I thought of her Saturn return, since she's coming up to the age that's meant to happen (twenty-nine-ish).