Joanna Newsom - Soft as Chalk (with lyrics)

[@josephedwards4325]

Probably one of the best songs of the decade, in my humble opinion. It's like a play.

[@chim-choo-ree]

To be fair (and I'm totally unbiased 🙂), most of her songs are the best songs of the decade.

[@eccojamsvol.1285]

"time was just a line that you fed me when you wanted to stay" very underrated lyric, as all her lyrics are

[@amgm1996]

impossible not to think od divers, time is longer than the space is wide

[@chim-choo-ree]

*tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime

[@MortonSeinfeld]

How are her lyrics underrated when she's a successful musician primarily known for her song writing?

[@purpleandgreen]

"Those that go searching for love, only manifest their own loveless-ness. And the loveless never find love, only the loving find love. And they never have to seek for it." -D. H. Lawrence

[@jonismorgellons]

This is a nice quote but it doesn't really have much to do with the song, does it?

[@MarkHandlesFeatureBroke]

@@jonismorgellons Food for thought.

[@foolforyou69]

Fuck that guy honestly…

[@rruusseell9948]

@@jonismorgellons seems more in line with good intentions paving co.

[@MrTrillywilly]

"I roam around the tidy grounds of my dappled sanatorium. Coatless, I sit, amongst the moles, adrift, and I dote upon my pinesap gum. And the light, through the pines, in brassy tines, lays over me, dim as rum, and thick as molasses. And so time passes. And so, my heart, tomorrow comes." My favorite verse. What a brilliant writer.

[@N0BODY24]

Man. Love it. I hope this girl writes music forever.

[@crazyplant321]

I saw Joanna Newsom front row at the Melbourne Recital Centre, definitely the best concert i have ever been to! Ahhh she and her band were so amazing I have never heard anything like it.

[@mrtoastyman07]

what a gem, I read the words and try to understand how she crafted them intertwined seamlessly into the music... im speechless it is fantastic

[@tiffanyturrill]

i'm always convinced that one line or the other is the best one in the song... until the next line comes. :')

[@emzalot]

"There is no treason where there's only lawlessness." Oh my, Ms Newsom, you get it so right every time.

[@meatcreap]

"you give love a little shove and it becomes terror" She has some deep-seated wisdom. I come back to her music and it keeps giving me beauty and understanding in different ways. She feels and thinks in a way that adds density to her lyrics that is so cathartic to unpack. Each time I do, I do it in a different way and her tactful ambiguity pays dividends.

[@ZymekMusic]

Dude i have no idea how i ended up here, but i swear these 6:30 minutes :O, never have I felt so heavy with sadness and yet so hopeful for the future as I do now, what an adventure of a song!

[@mollybiehl]

Procrasti Nation I know exactly what you mean. Her songs are amazing like that. Check out tv's song Good Intentions Paving Company. That one really gives me the feeling you described.

[@drewjaqua2905]

yeah, quite a few of her songs have that effect on me ... powerful stuff

[@ellacrossey6080]

cj

[@mikoomaee9460]

I grew up with this song and hearing it again in brought back so many memories

[@rodriogq]

i'm pretty sure mourning doves become morning doves by the end of the song. this song i a testament to the beautiful transition of an aching heart into freedom. time alone will tell!

[@nickd2057]

This song is stupid good.

[@bzztblrg]

Haven't heard a song by her I don't like yet. It's really cool that someone exists that writes the exact kind of songs I wished I could write. It's also sad that I'll never write those songs now lol But I'm happy they exist :D

[@OO-rd9dx]

God, I feel exactly the same. its crazy

[@Truthiness231]

I get chills every time I hear this... one of the best songs ever ^.^

[@TheSecondChild]

I could listen to this one a loop forever.

[@oliveward4892]

the piano refrain from 2:46 sounds like bars 21-22 of Debussy's "La fille aux cheveux de lin" gorgeous

[@tommyo.7876]

It's interesting how there's a reprise of "Good Intentions Paving Company" slipped in the middle.

[@Carpinthr]

Good intentions paving company is about how she knows deeply the relationship won't work but decides to move forward anyway because she loves him so much. As they say, 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' - and this section of this album is all about the hell of the end of the relationship; this song is her finally getting really pissed off at him so the songs are linked nicely

[@peakdelvalle197]

She does this elsewhere on the album too-in California and it does not suffice share melodic motifs

[@joeagger]

this is one of my fav albums of all time, and it's brilliant the way that the 3 sides are sequenced. and this is kind of a weird comparison but whenever she sings "lawlessness" (at 1:02 for example) it reminds me of the song "Not to Touch the Earth" by The Doors

[@iaremiguel]

Her voice and lyrics are one of a kind!

[@cecinestpasunefillehumaine2624]

Why can't I stop listening to this song?

[@lizzybelle11]

i feel the same way... its like musical crack

[@bikewhorder]

I'm having the same problem, I can't get enough. I think there's an answer to a question I've been pondering in this song but I can't quite extract it.

[@batwick]

+Chris S it's childish wonder.

[@Staufferable]

Brilliant in a strange way!!!!

[@Yonarer]

Believe it or not, She's got a Brazilian fan in the very Amazon jungle.

[@serenadourado5403]

Two actually

[@larissafavacho1877]

Three actually

[@ladyheroin.v4143]

That's dope

[@marcelesoares4940]

four actually

[@myJDside]

Artista magnífica, assim como as riquezas amazônicas 🇧🇷❤️

[@FortYort]

this song starts out cool as shit, and just gets cooler as it goes along.

[@kmyres14]

i keep coming back to this song... the melody is brilliant :D :D and of course the lyrics are genius in true newsom style

[@angelfernandomartin8130]

this is amazing, what with this woman, how can she make this stuff

[@mew9217]

love did song, her voice is so unique

[@micaaaaaaaaaaa]

melhor música do mundo

[@gianfrancorosa8611]

The most beautiful song in the whole world

[@Julius2965]

what a beautiful song

[@TR-ru7tb]

Love it

[@Catflowerpower]

this is hauntingly perfect

[@GreatVoltairesGhost]

OH MY GOD how can one person be so talented?!?

[@juli3836]

una de sus mejores canciones 💙💙💙 la adoro

[@FutureMoth]

That totally adds a layer of depth I hadn't previously known! Thanks for sharing :)

[@andrewfortmusic]

Is that a reference to Debussy’s La Fille aux cheveux de lin at 3:46 ??

[@ShengMouaMusic]

(gasp!!) her voice did change. glad she recovered from those vocal cord nodules, she stiill sounds beautiful.

[@killuamybb6411]

she's so underrated I want to cry:(

[@barneymartingomez7959]

Nah

[@treyrosenmeyer]

That rif at 4:50 is so cool.I just love her.

[@tlrmcknnn]

The first time i heard this song i just about died at 2:25 .... actually i was thinking about something else and then joanna kicked me in the kneecaps and i melted while she ferociously danced on my puddle of a grave and used the billowing percussion to imprint the phrase "never doze off during one of my songs again" into my skull.

[@Grace-jn8de]

Both Make Hay and this start with So Long, and this song mentions mourning doves which can be heard in Time As A Symptom of Love. 🤔

[@chim-choo-ree]

The mourning doves are also heard on "Anecdotes".

[@justforthesparks]

JUST FIGURED OUT PART OF THIS SONG. its a reference to the brothers grim version of the three little pigs. in it the wolf can desguise himself as anything, except his voice will allways be low and scratchy and his paws will be big and hairy. so in order to catch the pigs he eats chalk so that his voice will be soft. i dunno, i felt pround after realizing that.

[@killuamybb6411]

justforthesparks ughh what? it's not about that at all

[@rodriogq]

"we talked as soft as chalk" wow that was a great realisation and adds so much to the interpretation of this bit of the song. i love it! thanks for sharing

[@sohakes]

@@killuamybb6411 It actually makes a lot of sense. The "who is there" too maybe. The songs is not about that, she just put a lot of references everywhere.

[@tylerradtke4110]

Actually it’s a different tale. The wolf and the seven goats or something like that

[@inafern]

very nice melodies

[@RightWingedHippiE]

so talented,,,,,, thats just how it is

[@wild_cosmia]

one of the best songs ever 💙💙💙 i'm obsessed with "you give love a little shove and it becomes terror"

[@RightWingedHippiE]

Talent....this is real talent. No BS like all the reality music shows. No politics just raw talent. Molto bene

[@James-do7fz]

that was very good.

[@makemeateeshirt]

Grows on me...like in a garden🎉😊 it's nice; like sipping a mint julep with the Raj and watching the muddy waters of the hindu kush cascade down the mountainside before repairing for a game of billiards...kinda nice...😊

[@DocSteupid55]

amazing song..

[@user-nh3xt5bo1i]

Yo. Mad good.

[@nabeelazoss9024]

the best one

[@c.l.kelley1125]

Gawd. So good.

[@maaskeimorgen]

Catch a cab and bags at the carousel... it's been a while since I read the catcher in the rye but somehow this makes me think of that

[@Autepify]

@ladyofthemystnin they don't sound at all alike, and joanna's lyrics highly differ from kate's. still, both amazing artists.

[@blbutler123]

this i my favorite song by her

[@tylerwareham940]

She is so intelligent.

[@BrradFromHouston]

Guess Spotify will never add her music.

[@KTechKez]

+Brad Bryan I don't think Drag City have any of their artists on there. I imagine its the labels choice, no?

[@mayamagination]

Its the most depressing thing thats happened so far in my LIFE WHY SPOTIFY WHY

[@plemgrubern]

+KTechKez yeah, same with bonnie prince billy, silver jews... it's real shittty

[@ReelMan729]

In the words of Newsom herself: "Spotify is like a villainous cabal of major labels. The business is built from the ground up as a way to circumvent the idea of paying their artists."

[@user-kh9ki3kq8m]

Brittany DeLuca all of her music is on iTunes.....

[@miistercrayon]

JUST TOO GOOD.

[@zillajratomicray]

Had to come back to this song after a black bear walked into my camp at Yosemite this weekend.

[@Darkanesha]

God, she's amazing...

[@gothbattyy]

Qcknd brought me here

[@peyton4614]

SarahRoseTea Ditto.

[@19KISStheSKY97]

she's just talking about talking softly late at night. chalk is very soft.

[@TSpike73]

@ladyofthemystnin yes, Bush and also, even though it does not need pointing out, Bing Crosby.

[@envisageCP]

Fair enough. You should check out her performance of this same song on Jimmy Fallon. It's on youtube. Also, her song "Book of Right On" is another good one, in my opinion.

[@envisageCP]

Why? For being original in a world of copycats? This is fucking art. Be grateful your ears got to experience something different than the usual commercialized bullshit. This goes for not only music, but other forms of art as well. We should be supporting stuff like THIS.

[@jklomai4182]

Damn! this is some good shit

[@poruntubete]

Does anyone know songs with this kind of standard played for example between 4:46 - 5:00? Thanks ;-)

[@3kaila3kaila3]

you might like thelonious monk! try Thelonious Alone In San Francisco

[@WillBraden]

You shoulnd feenl pround!

[@tephh7]

kewl!

[@angievigilante]

@illumiere I hear 'Peach, plum, pear'

[@xXerxes88]

She has really been working on her vibrato. Did I hear something about her getting some sort of throat surgery recently?

[@WillBraden]

Both?

[@RandomLevitation]

@livelyarts49 Swansea, '81 and The Sprout and the Bean (Featured in the movie The Strangers)

[@voodoosleeper]

I don't think this is what she meant with this song, but this song for me is about when I was trapped in an abusive relationship with a terrifying man who nearly murdered me multiple times, so werk lmao

[@alicemarks7468]

it makes me think of my abusive relationship too

[@concars1234]

She probably had it in mind. this song is very meta

[@kofismum]

The lyrics are in the video, my friend :D But actually, they ARE hard to make out, some of them. So put the gun away please :)

[@marzto]

Hi Clem!

[@Yonarer]

Her references take time to understand, but hey that's what Google is for, right. I looooove her. LOL

[@EstebanJulianRamos]

Elements of Nina Simone in this song. Just great stuff.

[@gavinyuangao4366]

thank god! someone finally noticed the Nina Simone influence in her music!!! most people just take the face value and compare her music to Kate Bush's when Bush and Joanna are nothing alike!!!

[@tlrmcknnn]

@livelyarts49 Go long, cosmia, baby birch and um..... every song she writes??

[@angievigilante]

@AviatorAndyK 'peach, plum, pear'

[@yungspaghetti]

songs hits way too hard after a breakup

[@concars1234]

Say honey did you belong to me tell me honey did I pass your test

[@deathspasm9]

4:50

[@lilywhisper]

I love you

[@flyfishingguide1991]

Same

[@MoonBurgle2]

never shot yourself. a patient ear is better than a hard hand.

[@billythemillipede6102]

Her voice kinda sound like those sweet grandma

[@dbomdnb]

Here we are Trying to explain myself in to, and out of a genealogy corner again

[@rowandubois4024]

Vocally Kate Bush, structurally Regina Spektor

[@the1musiclad]

@parisianna87 - I know, it's a joke isn't it. I think if it's not using the mainstream formula it needs to be in a video game or movie or something for it to gain attention. It's the unfortunate state of events we're in at the moment when a superb album (and artist) like this is overshadowed by a 15 year old boy and a fame seeking monster (with an aptly titled album).

[@gluntford]

@justforthesparks you should be proud! pretty awesome

[@cautionhorsey]

wowowowwow

[@QueXLcior]

Joanna

[@mlovecraftr]

Can you believe she is dating Andy Samberg?

[@Katastrophiies]

2:25- 2:47 makes me want to just move.

[@tabsnogs]

Marry me, Joanna?

[@mauricedeltaco3545]

I feel like this song is about manipulation in relationships.

[@alan98pl]

I just tried to write down the lyrics for like 15 minutes and gave up being unable to make out over half of the words. Is she singing not-so-clearly or am I so lacking in english and should shot myself ?

[@changstein]

alan98pl mixture of both

[@opalshuman]

@ladyofthemystnin lol wut

[@SickWhippet]

second one