I'm here three days after she debuted five new songs, two about her children. In one of them she sang "I am not alone, I have my daughter." She remains the same great songwriter no matter what, but it is so lovely to see her sing about motherhood with such raw joy all these years later.
This speaks to me so hard.. I just tried to look into the town I grew up in, and move back, but my lost love moved there, lol.. Life is lovely.. even if I can’t go there..
good lord you can see she's really reliving what she's singing about during the climax. as far as i know she played this song every night of the HOOM tour and i do hope for her wellbeing that this performance just happened to be a particularly emotional one and that she wasn't, like, tearing a wound open on stage every night, cathartic as this recording is to watch
Im not smart enough to understand the meaning of this song, but its my favourite song of all time. My wife had two miscarriages and this song was the song I would listen to and cry with during those sad times. We have two beautiful kids now, but I still always get emotional hearing this tune.
I never looked at the lyrics of this song but they are pretty amazing, if you always recognized Joanna Newsom as a great talent alongside great poets and literary figures. It's like...everyone you ever shut the door on, so many people. genius.com/Joanna-newsom-baby-birch-lyrics
@@Turtleproof I’d like to think the rabbit was a metaphor for her unborn, she tried to hunt it but eventually only skinned it, like she took the “skin” of her unborn (features and future personality). But the skinned rabbit escaped, and its flesh remained, maybe as the memory of the presence of her unborn still remains, and she will always look for it. That’s my interpretation of the rabbit verse
For posterity since the old video was removed: I listen to this song after a long night of partying with the boys. I sit on my porch at 3 am and think about my life......Don't get me wrong, I love trance. But this winds me down bro.
It's kind of painfull. but when I saw her in this concert, I just graduated from art school and I gave up some of my hopes for myself, when I saw her perform. It is such a compelling level she has reached so early in her life. I stopped a bit trying to strive for perfecting myself in my arts. ..
This and the film Roma are two of the most profound expressions of the suffering women go through when circumstances don't work out. Joanna Newsom needs to be given more recognition. She really is a genius. Also how does she always give me goosebumps by singing "how are you"??
I saw her in New York (El Museo del Barrio) in September 2019, and she played this. Someone recorded the performance and put it on RUclips - you guys should check it out. It was a beautiful performance, but at the same time so different from this one. This performance from 2010, equally as beautiful, reflects the rawness I would imagine accompanies the pain/grief/possibly regret or guilt, I don't want to assume/intensity of this being so recent and probably still very fresh. The JN who played this song last September was - not shockingly since there's almost a decade's difference here, and none of this is news to anybody, but - married, a mom to a young daughter, (presumably) much more financially secure, and of course just older, and naturally more mature and wiser. The 2019 performance was so much more calm, like she had found a little bit of closure regarding this time in her life and had made some peace with herself and what happened. It was really moving to see.
I was at that performance as well and I completely agree. I also loved that while performing “Peach, Plum, Pear”, she sang “I was blue, and unwell” instead of “I am blue, and unwell”, just made me so happy for her, you can tell she’s in a much better place, I felt so inspired by it.
I can't remember the last time a live performance made me cry but this just did. From the "blacksmith, barber, butcherboy" part on, which is my favourite part, I was just overwhelmed. The studio recording is powerful enough but the sudden surge of energy, her voice, the way she plays the harp is just filled with emotion. Singers try to convey a feeling but she just lets us in fully and I feel exactly what she feels, or at least it feels like I do. So, so powerful and beautiful. Thank you so much for uploading this.
Wherever this came from inside her mind or spirit, her ability to transport you to that exact moment is so inescapable. Whether it’s a testimonial or just amazingly inspired it’s clear that it’s so important, because it’s clearly so important to her. It’s such beautiful artistry.
This is the song for Baby Birch Though I will never know you And at the back of what we've done There is the knowledge of you Well, I wish we could take every path Could spend a hundred years adoring you Yes, I wish we could take every path 'cause you know I hated to close the door on you Do you remember staring up at the stars? So far away in their bullet-proof cars When we heard the rushing, slow intake Of the dark, dark water and the engine brakes And I said how about them engine brakes? And if I should die before I wake Will you keep an eye on baby birch? Because I'd hate to see her make the same mistake When it was dark I called and you came When it was dark I saw shapes When I see stars I feel your hand And I see stars and I reel again Well mercy me, I'll be goddamned It's been a long, long time since I last saw you And I have never known the plan It's been a long, long, time How are you? Your eyes are green, your hair is gold Your hair is black, your eyes are blue I closed the ranks and I doubled back But you know I hated to close the doggone door on you We take a walk along the dirty lake Hear the goose cussing at me over her eggs You poor little cousin, I don't want your dregs A little baby fussing over my legs There is a blacksmith and there is a shepherd and there is a butcher boy And there is a barber who's cutting and cutting away at my only joy I saw a rabbit as slick as a knife and as pale as a candlestick And I had thought it'd be harder to do but I caught her and skinned her quick, held her there Kicking and mewling upended unspooling unsung and blue Told her wherever you go little runaway bunny I will find you And then she ran As they're liable to do Be at peace baby, and be gone Be at peace baby, and be gone Lyrics for me
Usually it's closer to the end of this song that makes me cry but today I broke down by about two minutes in. Thanks for sharing this version. This song is just pure emotion.
[Verse 1] This is the song for Baby Birch I will never know you And at the back of what we've done There is the knowledge of you [Verse 2] Well, I wish we could take every path Could spend a hundred years adoring you Yes, I wish we could take every path 'Cause you know I hated to close the door on you [Verse 3] Do you remember staring up at the stars So far away in their bulletproof cars? When we heard the rushing, slow intake Of the dark, dark water and the engine breaks [Verse 4] And I said, how about them engine breaks? And, if I should die before I wake Will you keep an eye on Baby Birch? Because I'd hate to see her make the same mistake [Bridge 1] When it was dark, I called and you came When it was dark, I saw shapes When I see stars, I feel in your hand And I see stars and I reel again See upcoming pop shows Get tickets for your favorite artists You might also like Easy Joanna Newsom No Provenance Joanna Newsom Sprout and the Bean Joanna Newsom [Verse 5] Well mercy me. I'll be goddamned It's been a long, long time since I last saw you And I have never known the plan It's been a long, long time, how are you? [Verse 6] Your eyes are green, your hair is gold Your hair is black, your eyes are blue I closed the ranks, and I doubled back But you know I hated to close the doggone door on you [Bridge 2] We take a walk along the dirty lake Hear the goose cussing at me over her eggs You poor little cousin, I don't want your dregs A little baby fussing over my legs There is a blacksmith and there is a shepherd And there is a butcher-boy And there is a barber who's cutting and cutting away At my only joy I saw a rabbit as slick as a knife And as pale as a candlestick And I had thought it'd be harder to do But I caught her, and skinned her quick Held her there, kicking and mewling Upended, unspooling, unsung and blue Told her "Wherever you go, little runaway bunny, I will find you" And then she ran, as they're liable to do [Outro] Be at peace baby, and be gone Be at peace baby, and be gone
Thinking about the abortion/miscarriage theory: When she's singing "And I thought it'd be harder to do but I caught her and skinned her quick. Held her there etc", she says it so much like a tragic heroine, describing clearly and plainly the atrocities she herself commited, Medea-like. Clearly and plainly but also violently because she could never do it in any other way, because destiny. She sings destiny from the mingled perspectives of both the Gods, who idly rain down suffering upon humans, and of humans, who knows the arbirtrariness of it all but suffer and make suffer nonetheles, and then are left to endlessly and sourly imagine all the different paths their lives could have taken. That’s where I think the power of the song comes from.
@@JESUS.CHRIST.SAVES777 Nice try, the singer never committed "atrocities" she went to the hospital for a procedure. If you took even one semester of physiology classes you might learn a bit.
Too me its obviously an abortion. She did it and it was easier than she thought, and later knew the brutality of it and in her music embodied the brutal murderer.
I believe it's an abortion she sings about if you look to the line "And I had thought it'd be harder to do but I caught her and skinned her quick" the way I interpret the line its seems as if in the moment she thought it'd be hard but it wasn't but as time progressed guilt began to grow on her increasingly over what she'd done and the thought of what could have been.
I had heard it was about the baby she wanted to have with her then-boyfriend. When they broke up, she had to let that dream go. Either way, the principal is the same. It is heartbreaking.
This is the song for Baby Birch Though I will never know you And at the back of what we've done There is the knowledge of you Well, I wish we could take every path Could spend a hundred years adoring you Yes, I wish we could take every path 'cause you know I hated to close the door on you Do you remember staring up at the stars? So far away in their bullet-proof cars When we heard the rushing, slow intake Of the dark, dark water and the engine brakes And I said how about them engine brakes? And if I should die before I wake Will you keep an eye on baby birch? Because I'd hate to see her make the same mistake When it was dark I called and you came When it was dark I saw shapes When I see stars I feel your hand And I see stars and I reel again Well mercy me, I'll be goddamned It's been a long, long time since I last saw you And I have never known the plan It's been a long, long, time How are you? Your eyes are green, your hair is gold Your hair is black, your eyes are blue I closed the ranks and I doubled back But you know I hated to close the doggone door on you We take a walk along the dirty lake Hear the goose cussing at me over her eggs You poor little cousin, I don't want your dregs A little baby fussing over my legs There is a blacksmith and there is a shepherd and there is a butcher boy And there is a barber who's cutting and cutting away at my only joy I saw a rabbit as slick as a knife and as pale as a candlestick And I had thought it'd be harder to do but I caught her and skinned her quick, held her there Kicking and mewling upended unspooling unsung and blue Told her wherever you go little runaway bunny I will find you And then she ran As they're liable to do Be at peace baby, and be gone Be at peace baby, and be gone
I'm here three days after she debuted five new songs, two about her children. In one of them she sang "I am not alone, I have my daughter." She remains the same great songwriter no matter what, but it is so lovely to see her sing about motherhood with such raw joy all these years later.
I missed that where can we hear those?
@@danoconnit's called "little hand" (and there's a few others) she played it live in 2023 search it on here
This speaks to me so hard.. I just tried to look into the town I grew up in, and move back, but my lost love moved there, lol..
Life is lovely.. even if I can’t go there..
Hurts more that the melody is like a lullaby in the first half
When she rests her head on the harp... cry
I noticed that again and my thought was, "Having and playing a full-size harp is a committed relationship."
This song speaks to many of us. ✨
I still can't look directly at this video without crying
We’ve all felt the path and it’s lost love.
Here’s hoping you’re not alone..
✨🤗✨
good lord you can see she's really reliving what she's singing about during the climax. as far as i know she played this song every night of the HOOM tour and i do hope for her wellbeing that this performance just happened to be a particularly emotional one and that she wasn't, like, tearing a wound open on stage every night, cathartic as this recording is to watch
Same as my love would probably once sing to me…
Im not smart enough to understand the meaning of this song, but its my favourite song of all time. My wife had two miscarriages and this song was the song I would listen to and cry with during those sad times. We have two beautiful kids now, but I still always get emotional hearing this tune.
It is about that very thing, the barber and butcher are the surgeons, the blacksmith is the one with the tongs. The rabbit may be her joy that fled.
I never looked at the lyrics of this song but they are pretty amazing, if you always recognized Joanna Newsom as a great talent alongside great poets and literary figures. It's like...everyone you ever shut the door on, so many people.
genius.com/Joanna-newsom-baby-birch-lyrics
I think you may just be smart enough.
@@Turtleproof I’d like to think the rabbit was a metaphor for her unborn, she tried to hunt it but eventually only skinned it, like she took the “skin” of her unborn (features and future personality). But the skinned rabbit escaped, and its flesh remained, maybe as the memory of the presence of her unborn still remains, and she will always look for it.
That’s my interpretation of the rabbit verse
OK
from the "there was a blacksmith..." part onwards, she looks like a madwoman. furious, desperate, devastated, crazed...so powerful 😭
Very well understood🎶✊🏼☮️
❤
Does she acknowledge and let go?
one of the luckiest things happened to my life...finding her music
Same
I hope you never forget your first love..
greatest living songwriter...
and it's not even close.
Usually these statements are just fans (over)hyping their fave artist. In Joanna's case it's more like a simple fact.
@@charliez077 Genuinely
i meeeean....sufjan stevens, maybe?
@@k_a_y_l_e_e not even close
the backing band did a fantastic job here at accentuating the most intense moments
Yep
agreed although mixer was a bit loud - need to turn the harp up.
Absolutely BONE-CHILLING performance. She never misses
THANK THE LORD that someone preserved this. Saw that the original had been deleted and almost had a panic attack.
Frost Bite SAME 😭 so grateful!
Actually, this is the original. I re-uploaded it :)
possibly the most beautiful song ever written
I’m with you T-dank. So magical
And the most painful
Don’t worry.. it’s “Only skin”
For posterity since the old video was removed:
I listen to this song after a long night of partying with the boys. I sit on my porch at 3 am and think about my life......Don't get me wrong, I love trance. But this winds me down bro.
iconic comment. Some things are not meant to disappear so easily.
The fact that his profile picture was a very Chad looking one adds to the feel as well
God bless ya
✨✊✨
The way she is able to put all of her emotion into the music is incredible. I don’t think I could perform this song without sobbing.
You’re never alone.. ✨
Seeing her tears and sweat in this performance... cry
Thank god someone saved this performance
The feedback that starts up around 7:40 gives me chills. Leave it to her to pull something like that off.
If this also reminds anyone else of a baby that they never ended up meeting. I shed a tear alongside you.
It's kind of painfull. but when I saw her in this concert, I just graduated from art school and I gave up some of my hopes for myself, when I saw her perform. It is such a compelling level she has reached so early in her life. I stopped a bit trying to strive for perfecting myself in my arts. ..
This and the film Roma are two of the most profound expressions of the suffering women go through when circumstances don't work out.
Joanna Newsom needs to be given more recognition. She really is a genius.
Also how does she always give me goosebumps by singing "how are you"??
I saw her in New York (El Museo del Barrio) in September 2019, and she played this. Someone recorded the performance and put it on RUclips - you guys should check it out. It was a beautiful performance, but at the same time so different from this one. This performance from 2010, equally as beautiful, reflects the rawness I would imagine accompanies the pain/grief/possibly regret or guilt, I don't want to assume/intensity of this being so recent and probably still very fresh. The JN who played this song last September was - not shockingly since there's almost a decade's difference here, and none of this is news to anybody, but - married, a mom to a young daughter, (presumably) much more financially secure, and of course just older, and naturally more mature and wiser. The 2019 performance was so much more calm, like she had found a little bit of closure regarding this time in her life and had made some peace with herself and what happened. It was really moving to see.
I was at that performance as well and I completely agree. I also loved that while performing “Peach, Plum, Pear”, she sang “I was blue, and unwell” instead of “I am blue, and unwell”, just made me so happy for her, you can tell she’s in a much better place, I felt so inspired by it.
Oh, thanks for sharing, gotta check it out!
That was a beautiful account, thanks for writing it.
I can't remember the last time a live performance made me cry but this just did. From the "blacksmith, barber, butcherboy" part on, which is my favourite part, I was just overwhelmed. The studio recording is powerful enough but the sudden surge of energy, her voice, the way she plays the harp is just filled with emotion. Singers try to convey a feeling but she just lets us in fully and I feel exactly what she feels, or at least it feels like I do. So, so powerful and beautiful. Thank you so much for uploading this.
Love this comment. ❤
She simultaneously ruined and completed my whole life with this performance
Wherever this came from inside her mind or spirit, her ability to transport you to that exact moment is so inescapable. Whether it’s a testimonial or just amazingly inspired it’s clear that it’s so important, because it’s clearly so important to her. It’s such beautiful artistry.
This is the song for Baby Birch
Though I will never know you
And at the back of what we've done
There is the knowledge of you
Well, I wish we could take every path
Could spend a hundred years adoring you
Yes, I wish we could take every path 'cause you know
I hated to close the door on you
Do you remember staring up at the stars?
So far away in their bullet-proof cars
When we heard the rushing, slow intake
Of the dark, dark water and the engine brakes
And I said how about them engine brakes?
And if I should die before I wake
Will you keep an eye on baby birch?
Because I'd hate to see her make the same mistake
When it was dark I called and you came
When it was dark I saw shapes
When I see stars I feel your hand
And I see stars and I reel again
Well mercy me, I'll be goddamned
It's been a long, long time since I last saw you
And I have never known the plan
It's been a long, long, time
How are you?
Your eyes are green, your hair is gold
Your hair is black, your eyes are blue
I closed the ranks and I doubled back
But you know I hated to close the doggone door on you
We take a walk along the dirty lake
Hear the goose cussing at me over her eggs
You poor little cousin, I don't want your dregs
A little baby fussing over my legs
There is a blacksmith and there is a shepherd and there is a butcher boy
And there is a barber who's cutting and cutting away at my only joy
I saw a rabbit as slick as a knife and as pale as a candlestick
And I had thought it'd be harder to do but I caught her and skinned her quick, held her there
Kicking and mewling upended unspooling unsung and blue
Told her wherever you go little runaway bunny I will find you
And then she ran
As they're liable to do
Be at peace baby, and be gone
Be at peace baby, and be gone
Lyrics for me
"Be at peace baby, and be gone"
Bruh so heartbreaking
Where to start, one of the most beautiful and devastating works of art.
This is something I’d expect my first love to sing to me..
I never recovered from losing her..
Miss her so much..
Usually it's closer to the end of this song that makes me cry but today I broke down by about two minutes in. Thanks for sharing this version. This song is just pure emotion.
Bless you for capturing this. I’ve been watching for five years and keep coming back.
I don't know why this song breaks me every time. Amazing.
this is one of the most beautiful performances ive ever seen.. i always come back to this its my crying spot!
The best bridge ever.
I love this performance so much. I cry every time I listen to it
How does one not get goosebumps at the wonderfully raucous climax of this amazing piece of art??!! Stunning and gripping.
Thank you for saving this. This performance made me bawl out of nowhere for reasons I still can't quite explain.
this is a religious experience to listen to
Joanna's music will never leave me. Fucking incredible.
❤
K.Bush,L.Germano,J.Mitchell, un bel mix, un pizzico di follia, ed ecco a voi la miglior compositrice del nuovo millennio
Accidentally hit dislike. She’s a literal Angel and Andy Samberg is her husband. I love it. Bless you guys ❤️
god i cant listen to this song without weeping
a perfect climax. the end is too beautiful
I lay here and weep, mesmerized
Thank you, sweetest of hearts, for being a conduit for the the divine.
Finally some live jojo with quality audio
this never fails to make me cry
TIL the harp is a percussion instrument. ♥
i love her music so much ;w;
[Verse 1]
This is the song for Baby Birch
I will never know you
And at the back of what we've done
There is the knowledge of you
[Verse 2]
Well, I wish we could take every path
Could spend a hundred years adoring you
Yes, I wish we could take every path
'Cause you know I hated to close the door on you
[Verse 3]
Do you remember staring up at the stars
So far away in their bulletproof cars?
When we heard the rushing, slow intake
Of the dark, dark water and the engine breaks
[Verse 4]
And I said, how about them engine breaks?
And, if I should die before I wake
Will you keep an eye on Baby Birch?
Because I'd hate to see her make the same mistake
[Bridge 1]
When it was dark, I called and you came
When it was dark, I saw shapes
When I see stars, I feel in your hand
And I see stars and I reel again
See upcoming pop shows
Get tickets for your favorite artists
You might also like
Easy
Joanna Newsom
No Provenance
Joanna Newsom
Sprout and the Bean
Joanna Newsom
[Verse 5]
Well mercy me. I'll be goddamned
It's been a long, long time since I last saw you
And I have never known the plan
It's been a long, long time, how are you?
[Verse 6]
Your eyes are green, your hair is gold
Your hair is black, your eyes are blue
I closed the ranks, and I doubled back
But you know I hated to close the doggone door on you
[Bridge 2]
We take a walk along the dirty lake
Hear the goose cussing at me over her eggs
You poor little cousin, I don't want your dregs
A little baby fussing over my legs
There is a blacksmith and there is a shepherd
And there is a butcher-boy
And there is a barber who's cutting and cutting away
At my only joy
I saw a rabbit as slick as a knife
And as pale as a candlestick
And I had thought it'd be harder to do
But I caught her, and skinned her quick
Held her there, kicking and mewling
Upended, unspooling, unsung and blue
Told her "Wherever you go, little runaway bunny, I will find you"
And then she ran, as they're liable to do
[Outro]
Be at peace baby, and be gone
Be at peace baby, and be gone
God she sounded sooooo good in this era
Such a rare talent! Mesmerizing
My heart breaks for her
Thank god for her
2 am and i think about the child i lost. all those tears.
No words. Just gratitude.
Bob Dylan joanna newsom. Best song writers of all time
id put fiona apple too
You poor little cousin, I don't want your dregs.
Heartache for Laughter. I perceived it, you felt and expressed it best.
I love her.
It’s crazy how underrated she is. She’s a fucking genius.
literal legend
I WAS THERE
Sobbing
this is a work of great art.
Brilliant insight
WOW, she definitely understands that chaos and creativity are undoubtedly linked together as great bedfellows!!!
Well Done🎶✊🏼☮️
Does anyone know what 8-stringed instrument that is at 8:35?
probably a bouzouki
My cat likes this song
💙💙💙
The voice crack @:59 kills me.
i love you so much joanna
Вот такой нынче панк-рок! Девочка молодчинка!
Love from kamchatka
beautiful...
Thinking about the abortion/miscarriage theory: When she's singing "And I thought it'd be harder to do but I caught her and skinned her quick. Held her there etc", she says it so much like a tragic heroine, describing clearly and plainly the atrocities she herself commited, Medea-like. Clearly and plainly but also violently because she could never do it in any other way, because destiny. She sings destiny from the mingled perspectives of both the Gods, who idly rain down suffering upon humans, and of humans, who knows the arbirtrariness of it all but suffer and make suffer nonetheles, and then are left to endlessly and sourly imagine all the different paths their lives could have taken. That’s where I think the power of the song comes from.
Please, stop. It's a medical procedure she needed at the time.
@@Turtleproof You sound like a simple robot. If she saw it the way you just explained it, this song wouldn't exist.
@@JESUS.CHRIST.SAVES777 Nice try, the singer never committed "atrocities" she went to the hospital for a procedure. If you took even one semester of physiology classes you might learn a bit.
Too me its obviously an abortion. She did it and it was easier than she thought, and later knew the brutality of it and in her music embodied the brutal murderer.
Genious
😭😭😭😭
4:11 --> really pretty part!
Deep cover sun araw
She seems so sad.
This song is either about a miscarriage or a regretted abortion - that's probably why :(
now i understand. wow.
I believe it's an abortion she sings about if you look to the line "And I had thought it'd be harder to do but I caught her and skinned her quick" the way I interpret the line its seems as if in the moment she thought it'd be hard but it wasn't but as time progressed guilt began to grow on her increasingly over what she'd done and the thought of what could have been.
I had heard it was about the baby she wanted to have with her then-boyfriend. When they broke up, she had to let that dream go. Either way, the principal is the same. It is heartbreaking.
Honestly don't know how she managed the performance. But she's got 1000x more talent than me so that's probably partly why...
This is the song for Baby Birch
Though I will never know you
And at the back of what we've done
There is the knowledge of you
Well, I wish we could take every path
Could spend a hundred years adoring you
Yes, I wish we could take every path 'cause you know
I hated to close the door on you
Do you remember staring up at the stars?
So far away in their bullet-proof cars
When we heard the rushing, slow intake
Of the dark, dark water and the engine brakes
And I said how about them engine brakes?
And if I should die before I wake
Will you keep an eye on baby birch?
Because I'd hate to see her make the same mistake
When it was dark I called and you came
When it was dark I saw shapes
When I see stars I feel your hand
And I see stars and I reel again
Well mercy me, I'll be goddamned
It's been a long, long time since I last saw you
And I have never known the plan
It's been a long, long, time
How are you?
Your eyes are green, your hair is gold
Your hair is black, your eyes are blue
I closed the ranks and I doubled back
But you know I hated to close the doggone door on you
We take a walk along the dirty lake
Hear the goose cussing at me over her eggs
You poor little cousin, I don't want your dregs
A little baby fussing over my legs
There is a blacksmith and there is a shepherd and there is a butcher boy
And there is a barber who's cutting and cutting away at my only joy
I saw a rabbit as slick as a knife and as pale as a candlestick
And I had thought it'd be harder to do but I caught her and skinned her quick, held her there
Kicking and mewling upended unspooling unsung and blue
Told her wherever you go little runaway bunny I will find you
And then she ran
As they're liable to do
Be at peace baby, and be gone
Be at peace baby, and be gone