Joanna Newsom - Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie Lyrics

This song makes me cry!

Top 10 Joanna Tracks:-
just my opinion:-
10) Have One On Me
9) Bridges and Balloons
8) Clam, Crab, Cockle Cowrie
7) Divers
6) Monkey and Bear
5) Time, as a Symptom
4) Baby Birch
3) In California
2) En Gallop
1) Goose Eggs

I used to think that "your skin is something I stir into my tea" was fantasy goblin nonsense, but mourning made me realize it was about remembering a person lost as you go about your daily business. Some mournings look like a road, thank you Joanna.

Well said.

I just found out about this person as she was referenced in a book about mermaids a friend gave me. I am having a mermaid year and my dreams run deep.

Great photo!

heard it for the first time, hit me like a ton of bricks!

this song is soothing, like she's singing to you and your hurt.

One of my favorites of hers💙

who's listening in Dec 2018?

Vecsei H Miklós

I love how this song sounds like a lullaby

This song pushed me into a depression for a few days. Thanks Joanna

so, for 2 years nobody felt this song comment worthy? Well, I guess I'm addressing you folks now. Strum and phrase, strum and phrase; this song is Dylan on harp.

Pg St ... Joanna is truely amazing and an inspiration, this song and "Ys" provides us a hint to the origin of all creativity, it's like "Tea with the Tillerman" (Cat Stevens), themes from "Yellow Shark" (Frank Zappa) and "Lungs" (Grace VanderWaal) in one brilliant song. The lady with the harp is someone very special and my only wish is, to be quiet and listen to her.

Tea for the Tillerman, exactly! Forgot that one. @Ralf Recknagel

That means no
Where I come from
I am cold, out waiting for the day to come

I chew my lips
And I scratch my nose
Feels so good to be a rose

Oh don't
Don't you lift me up
Like I'm that shy no-no-no-no-no, just give it up

Oh there are bats all dissolving in a row
Into the wishy-washy dark that cannot let go

Well I cannot let go
So I thank the lord
And I thank his sword
Though it be mincing up the morning, slightly bored

Oh oh oh, morning
Without warning
Like a hole
Oh, and I watch you go

There are some mornings when the sky looks like a road
There are some dragons who were built to have and hold
And some machines are dropped from great heights lovingly
And some great bellies ache with many bumblebees
And they sting so terribly

I do as I please
And now I'm on my knees
Your skin is something that I stir into my tea
And I am watching you
And you are starry, starry, starry

And I'm tumbling down
And I check a frown
That's why I love this town
Well just look around

To see me
Serenaded hourly
Celebrated sourly
Dedicated dourly

Waltzing with the open sea
Clam, crab, cockle, cowrie
Will you just look at me!

Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh

I love how raw and piercing her voice is in this version

Lisa simpson? is it you? O_o

Jeez only 400K views. What is going on with you, world?

Her music makes me feel like I'm listening to a secret I accidentally eavesdropped.

beautifully put

Probably my favorite of hers.
I've no idea what its about, and that has never once bothered me.

"Oh, would you just look at me" always made perfect sense.

this song to me is about suddenly realizing a relationship is one sided. they dont want to be around you that much anymore but you still do

I know you wrote this about a year ago, but can you expand on this please. Which lines prompt that for you? I'm sincerely curious.

There are some mornings when the sky looks like a road...

That means no
where I come from
I am cold, out waiting for the day to come

I chew my lips, and I scratch my nose
feels so good to be a rose

Oh don't, don't you lift me up
like I'm that shy, no no no no no,
just give it up
There are bats all dissolving in a row
into the wishy-washy dark that cannot let go
and I cannot let go
so I thank the lord
and I thank his sword
though it be mincing up the morning, slightly bored

O, morning without warning like a hole
and I watch you go
There are some mornings when the sky looks like a road
There are some dragons who were built to have and hold
And some machines are dropped from great heights lovingly
and some great bellies ache with many bumblebees
(and they sting so terribly)

I do as I please
Now I'm on my knees
Your skin is something that I stir into my tea
And I am watching you
and you are starry, starry, starry
and I'm tumbling down, and I check a frown
Well, just look around
It's why I love this town
just see me serenaded hourly! celebrated sourly!
dedicated dourly; waltzing with the open sea
Clam, crab, cockle, cowrie
will you just look at me?

thank you.

When my grandmother died, my dad played this on repeat for weeks. I started listening to it on repeat too, trying to unlock what about it resonated with him.

TheProjectMJ that's sad... this song it make me think about my life...

@Jose Ruano I guess it has that effect on multiple people!

Something about the unique words she uses for sentences gives me a rare feeling. It feels pure, soft and not really like everything else here on Earth. I am a dude, so I can relate to your gramps perhaps

maybe her voice reminds him of hers. there's a certain song I played on repeat when my grandmother past because it sounded like her singing in the background..brought me to tears..still does every now and then

algo tranquilo, me gusta

Visit the northeast beaches and you will never question this picture again.  God my memories from block island would only blow this up worse...If only you people knew.....

Her voice is similar to Valerie June

Amazing

I think this is either about a rape or abuse. It makes me cry every time though

my family looked at me like I was a nut case when this album came out back in the day and I was listening to it, not the type of thing your supposed to be into when your a teenage lad from the roughest council estate in your town in the north of England 😅 still love it though all these years later 😎 I almost don't feel like I'm worthy of listening to it, I'm sullying it's purity with my shallow souls very presence 😂

her music sounds too pure for anyone. it's magic

Combed Autumn this is my favourite comment on a youtube video, ever

Combed Autumn I'm a teenager and I'm in love with her music don't worry

Glad I'm not the only one

a shallow soul would not listen to this. thank you combed autumn

Such a beautiful song. I love Joanna's voice & her unconventional lyrics

That means no
where I come from
I am cold, out waiting for the day to come

I chew my lips, and I scratch my nose
feels so good to be a rose

Oh don't, don't you lift me up
like I'm that shy, no no no no no,
just give it up
There are bats all dissolving in a row
into the wishy-washy dark that cannot let go
and I cannot let go
so I thank the lord
and I thank his sword
though it be mincing up the morning, slightly bored

O, morning without warning like a hole
and I watch you go
There are some mornings when the sky looks like a road
There are some dragons who were built to have and hold
And some machines are dropped from great heights lovingly
and some great bellies ache with many bumblebees
(and they sting so terribly)

I do as I please
Now I'm on my knees
Your skin is something that I stir into my tea
And I am watching you
and you are starry, starry, starry
and I'm tumbling down, and I check a frown
Well, just look around
It's why I love this town
just see me serenaded hourly! celebrated sourly!
dedicated dourly; waltzing with the open sea
Clam, crab, cockle, cowrie
will you just look at me?

She reminds me of North Carolina

people hating on joanna have no musical taste at all. they live as sheep in the mainstream media with justin beiber etc. yes joanna is in the mainstream but her songs take me away with her and i see through her eyes on the wilderness that ahe sings so much about.

+mike price First artist since Tom Waits to get me. This first album is extraordinary. (And I'm mostly a jazz brazilian nut) Check out Anja Garbarek, (the soundtrack to Angel-A by Luc Besson used a number of her songs) and also David Sylvian's Nine Horses CD.

+sclogse1 tom waits is also another favourite of mine and i also like beruit who did elephant gun. i will be aure to check them out

+mike price or maybe they just like pop music better? Ain't nothing wrong with it.

and i no longer like your winey voys fuck the lord and fuck your musick

+johnm7831 Could be just the adjustment button on your butt plug. You never know.

very positive A

i love this one
but baby birch makes me cry so bad cuz i had an abortion and i knowwwwww, damn she opened my soul and took my feelings right out of me with that one

So have I please don't feel guilty. Cycles of eternity come on in again.

baby birch is pain, comfort, and understanding. Best wishes to you

It's wishy, washy wonderful §-)

Ein Song, bei dem ich Heimweh bekomme. Egal wohin.
Got a kind of desire. No matter whtch place, no matter whitch person. Touching... so close. Thanks, Joanna!

I don't even know how to comment on this. I'll just click thumbs up.

Amazing woman!

I heard this record on an NPR show while sitting in traffic on my home from work and downloaded it from iTunes on the spot. Fucking beautiful!

(I wanna go hoooooo-oooo-oooome)

"There are some mornings
when the sky looks like a road."

'There are mornings when the sky looks like a road', this lyric really moves me and I don't know why

same.. I think it has something to do with where it is placed in the song and how she sings it.. The contrast to the part before, its very calming.. dunno tho. 

and some great bellies ache with many bumblebees
and they sting so terribly

@Emanuel Tejeiro Best comment on here. BY. FAR.

Yeah me too. That whole bit is about preconceptions. Joanna is my favourite lyricist of all time. Some machines are dropped from great heights lovingly

Because the sky is home

Actually this is by far the worst version of this song. Live or Y's Street Band is how it's meant to sound.

+Carlibengarli you do know Y's street band is her band?

I was googling to see what a hybrid clam/crab animal would look like. Google took me here and now I'm kinda pissed off

This is the weirdest comment on youtube.

I laughed way too hard

Why are you assuming one animal? Your mind goes to weird places dude

so you didn't like the song?

pissed off?? i think u mean blessed

Hermosa canción!

Hermosa canción!

Her music. people either love it or hate it.

Who hates Joanna???

@Luke Banville apparently everybody

@Luke Banville I just don't get it. her harping is good and her singing is just kinda sporadic and her lyrics are wayyyyy bizarre 

@Thaddaeus Austin Seriously? Her lyrics are brilliant.

@Thaddaeus Austin The bizarre lyrics make them more brilliant ^

Sometimes you ruin things when you read too deeply into them. Sometimes the beautiful thing is the surface alone.

this is beautiful

I might cry

joanna newsom is wonderful though love her in my dance school i did a dance to book of right on

book of right on is better
just my opinion

I used to live in a big, white farm house that was once on a huge field. There a freeway built by it. In the winter months, I would always wake up at 4 a.m. and sit on the porch facing the freeway and listen to this song. It would be chilly and the cars would slowly and gradually become more often. The shadowed sun behind the clouds would rise and it was just a beautiful time in my life. I still want to move to the rainy coast of Maine, though. It would be a sort of sad beautiful.

I've always dreamed of moving to the rainy Maine coast and raising my children of a beautiful stormy farm. This song would be played forever.

omg i started laughin so hard

Thank you! xD

ahahahahahaha nice

Maybe not the beatles, because there is such a difference in my mind, but they're defiantly both completly amazing in their own great way!

*You're obviously *fucking dumb and retarded.

Just helping out! But did you notice the irony? Because I did!

This is so wonderful it hurts

Why do people insist on pointing out that some conjecture on the internet is merely an opinion, as if it's threatening the validity of other opinions out there by merely existing? It's a comment board, there are going to be opinions on it. We don't need you to point that out.

one of the greatest songs of all time.

Well isn't that all in a matter of opinion?

nope. gtfo.

1:27 wow that line hurts my soul, in a good way

Overrated ? Sure people buy into propaganda and other gimmicks , but how can you honestly say The Beatles are overrated ! Thats one of the stupidest comments I've ever read. You contradicted yourself there to buddy, you say they're 'ok' then say they are not good ... Lennon and McCartney are and always will be mass influential musicians for those of us who play and care about music. Again I say don't be silly

Fuck the Beatles, bever heard one good song by them

The beatles are the most overrated band in the world. they are somethat good, but they are no THAT good, they are just ok, and im sick of people that raise them so much, they are not good, just really overrated

How can you say 'Fuck the Beatles' ? They took the world by storm in the 60s true to the 80s and still to this day influence countless musicians . She is talented , but not as talented as the Beatles , as of yet ! Only time will tell . Don't be silly

no, fuck the beatles, this girl is actually good

no, fuck the beatles...

yeah, she may be the new kylie, but where's the hot pants man?

oh yeah.... OH YEAH feels so good to be a rose!

love it

Joanna Newsom isn't sublime. Sublime is Joanna Newsom.

Whoa @DeadPixels, I hope that was said tongue-in-cheek.

joanna newsom is the new Kylie minouge

Her lyrics mesmerize me.Yes you can compare her to Lennon, McCartney and Harrison.

I wonder if every Joanna Newsom video on Youtube have people arguing about her, comparing to 60's artists and such in the comment section.

there is something magical about 1:27. That line is just beautiful.

@opinioninflicting That. And Bob Dylan's inheritor.

@opinioninflicting You should never compare any 2 artists. They are individuals within themselves and should be treated as such. And individuals are set to change. As Joanna herself said, her music hasn't matured since Ys, it has been fully developed at each stage. Her voice has developed more, and she has gone through different things since then. I'm sure you are different to how you were 5 yrs ago as well. Does that mean you have also fallen apart?

@opinioninflicting No

I think her latest two albums are the best ever! Her first was also very good, but not as genius as the two thereafter. My opinion

@opinioninflicting Saying she's better than Dylan is you opinion, as is that she's falling apart. She's had to make some changes but I don't believe she is any less of a musician.

@opinioninflicting Or Bob Dylan. The voice of an incredible song writer the world grew to love and never turned back.

@UnnecassarilyGaming Lame.

@opinioninflicting Nice comparison!

This woman's music will be my future children lullabies......They will never have nightmares falling a sleep to melodies like this.

@Buelligan88 I would hope you'd be able to look past her voice, which I find charmingly unique, and appreciate the beautiful lyrics and the simple but perfect instrumentals.

@Buelligan88 But that's what I like about her. She has such a uniquely pretty voice.

This is almost good... but then she gets weird with the voice again.

In a weird way I always think of Joanna Newsom when I listen to bright eyes, they're both great and I love how honest their music sound