This Side of the Blue by Joanna Newsom Lyrics Meaning – The Lyrical Tapestry of Human Existence
Lyrics
And I am progressing abominably
And I do not know my own way to the sea
But the saltiest sea knows its own way to me
And the city that turns, turns protracted and slow
And I find myself toeing th’Embarcadero
And I find myself knowing
The things that I knew
Which is all that you can know
On this side of the blue
And Jaime has eyes
Black and shiny as boots
And they march at you two-by-two
(Re-loo re-loo);
When she looks at you
You know she’s nowhere near through:
It’s the kindest heart beating
This side of the blue
And the signifieds butt heads
With the signifiers
And we all fall down slack-jawed
To marvel at words!
When across the sky sheet
The Impossible birds
In a steady illiterate movement homewards
And Gabriel stands beneath forest and moon
See them rattle & boo
See them shake and see them loom
See him fashion a cap from a page of Camus;
See him navigate deftly this side of the blue
And the rest of our lives
Will the moments accrue
When the shape of their goneness
Will flare up anew
Then we do what we have to do
(Re-loo re-loo)
Which is all that you can do
On this side of the blue
Oh it’s all that you can do
On this side of the blue
Joanna Newsom’s ‘This Side of the Blue’ is a piercing reflection on the conundrums of human existence, a journey through philosophy and introspection set to her distinctive harp. With a voice that bends and weaves like the strings she plucks, Newsom takes her listeners across a myriad of existential landscapes, from the depths of personal struggle to the vast, universal questions that plague the human mind.
Navigating through her intricate storytelling and the song’s baroque instrumentation, we are left with a rich tapestry of images and allegories. Each verse is a stroke of genius, offering a piece of a puzzle that may never be completed but always fascinates. Pulling from literary references and her own spellbinding narrative skills, Newsom crafts a song that is as daunting as it is beautiful in its uncertainty.
The Eternal Tug of War: Signified vs. Signifier
In a haunting call to linguistic arms, the ‘signifieds butt heads with the signifiers,’ painting a scene of conflict between meaning and representation. Newsom dissects the mercurial relationship between words and their meanings, suggesting a sense of disillusionment with language itself—a tool both mighty and ineffectual in our quest for understanding.
The imagery of slack-jawed observers marveling at words reflects our own bafflement in the face of language’s limitations. It’s an acknowledgment of the frustration that arises from our inability to fully articulate the profundity of our experience ‘on this side of the blue,’ the realm of the living.
Navigating Personal Mythologies and Collective Consciousness
Svetlana’s lemon-sucking across the table isn’t just a peculiar habit; it’s a metaphor for the bitterness that we endure as we progress ‘abominably’ through life. Jaime’s black-booted eyes ‘march at you two-by-two,’ suggesting a relentless, inescapable judgment and the ‘kindest heart beating’ as a beacon of hope amidst the march of life’s challenges.
Gabriel beneath the ‘forest and moon,’ crafting a life from existential philosophy, represents our attempts to find guidance and solace in the works of great thinkers. We all navigate through existence, and every character in Newsom’s song symbolizes an aspect of this journey—be it through sorrow, defiance, love, or introspection.
An Illiterate Movement Homewards: The Hidden Meaning of Flight
The ‘Impossible birds’ that streak across Newsom’s verbal sky present an enigma—entities that move with determined grace, devoid of the need for literacy or language. These creatures represent a pure, untainted progress towards a home that humans, burdened with consciousness and questioned existence, struggle to define or reach.
By describing the avian migration as ‘illiterate,’ Newsom points to an instinctual, unlearned aspect of existence that contrasts sharply with humanity’s often overthought life paths. The birds serve as an allegory for an underlying truth or destination that we, preoccupied with signs and words, can scarcely grasp.
The Poetic Resonance of Newsom’s Most Memorable Lines
Lines like ‘And the city that turns, turns protracted and slow’ and ‘The saltiest sea knows its own way to me’ resonate with a melancholic beauty that envelops the listener. Newsom aligns her lyrical craftsmanship with the unpredictability of life, illustrating the intricate dance between fate and will.
The recurrence of ‘Re-loo re-loo’ serves as a poignant refrain throughout the song, a cryptic echo that punctuates the inevitability of action amidst life’s vast uncertainties. Newsom draws these phrases across the canvas of her composition, not just as lyrics, but as brush strokes of human emotion and philosophical musing.
The Transcendent Ritual of Acceptance: Doing What We Have To Do
As the song builds to its conclusion, Newsom dwells on the concept of action in the face of the unknown—’Then we do what we have to do.’ This acceptance of practicality over understanding encapsulates the human condition; we move forward not because we comprehend our journey, but because we have no other choice.
The final acknowledgment that ‘it’s all that you can do on this side of the blue’ is a surrender to the limits of human experience. It’s a recognition of the boundaries of life, of the depth of blue mystery that lies beyond our reach, while also a gently empowering reminder to cherish the agency we do possess within those boundaries.
