I dont get the sense that this song is a call and response at all. The whole song is from her perspective and there is no need to overcomplicate it by adding a second narrator. That said, and despite what you may want the lyrics to mean, I do think there are religious AND moral undertones--it is obviously a point of contention between her and the one she is singing to that he/she didn't get or subscribe to any moral agenda while they were an item and hey, maybe he/she should have, maybe she wouldnt be singing this song to him if that were the case. Joanna Newsom has a number of clear references to religion and the Bible in her work so this is not surprising (Sprout and the Bean: "should we break some bread?" ; Sadie: "all day long we talk about mercy/lead me to water Lord I sure am thirsty,";). This is not to necessarily say Newsom is religious--her take is usually a bit cynical on religion and when she references it, one can tell she has a history and knowledge of Christianity but is too smart to preach it blindly without any new insights. In the ten years i havebbeen listening to her i get the sense she is wholly Post-Christian. Finally I dont think this song is about arrogance or superiority as someone else stated, but that it is simply a manifesto, and she is trying to show her boldness and fearlesness by talking about her kill and how fit and able she is at her proverbial table. She is not literally killing and there is no literal table: these are metaphors. The theme of boldness and dogged fearlessness I mention actually appears in other works of hers, like in 'Cassiopeia' where she states "like a Texan drying jerky, but his meaty mits can't hurt me." Hope this helps!
I dont get the sense that this song is a call and response at all. The whole song is from her perspective and there is no need to overcomplicate it by adding a second narrator. That said, and despite what you may want the lyrics to mean, I do think there are religious AND moral undertones--it is obviously a point of contention between her and the one she is singing to that he/she didn't get or subscribe to any moral agenda while they were an item and hey, maybe he/she should have, maybe she wouldnt be singing this song to him if that were the case. Joanna Newsom has a number of clear references to religion and the Bible in her work so this is not surprising (Sprout and the Bean: "should we break some bread?" ; Sadie: "all day long we talk about mercy/lead me to water Lord I sure am thirsty,";). This is not to necessarily say Newsom is religious--her take is usually a bit cynical on religion and when she references it, one can tell she has a history and knowledge of Christianity but is too smart to preach it blindly without any new insights. In the ten years i havebbeen listening to her i get the sense she is wholly Post-Christian. Finally I dont think this song is about arrogance or superiority as someone else stated, but that it is simply a manifesto, and she is trying to show her boldness and fearlesness by talking about her kill and how fit and able she is at her proverbial table. She is not literally killing and there is no literal table: these are metaphors. The theme of boldness and dogged fearlessness I mention actually appears in other works of hers, like in 'Cassiopeia' where she states "like a Texan drying jerky, but his meaty mits can't hurt me." Hope this helps!