Newsom, Joanna - Go Long Lyrics






Last night again, you were in my dream
Several expendable limbs were at stake
You were a prince, spinning rims
All sentiments Indian-given and half-baked

I was brought in on a palanquin
Made of the many bodies of beautiful women
Brought to this place, to be examined
Swaying on an elephant, a princess of India

We both want the very same thing
We are praying, I am the one to save you
But you don't even own your own violence
Run away from home, your beard is still blue

With the loneliness of you mighty men
With your jaws, and fists, and guitars, and pens
And your sugarlip
But I've never been to the fire pits with you mighty men

Who made you this way? Who made you this way?
Who is going to bear your beautiful children?
Do you think you can just stop, when you're ready for a change?
Who will take care of you when you're old and dying?

You burn in the Mekong to prove your worth
Go long, go long right over the edge of the earth
You have been wronged, tore up since birth
You have done harm, others have done worse

Will you tuck your shirt? Will you leave it loose?
You are badly hurt, you're a silly goose
You are caked in mud, and in blood, and worse
Chew your bitter cud, grope your little nurse

Do you know why my ankles are bound in gauze?
Sickly dressage, a princess of Kentucky
In the middle of the woods, which were the probable cause
We danced in the lodge like two panting monkeys

I will give you a call for one last hurrah
And if this tale is tall, forgive my scrambling
But you keep palming along the wall
Moving at a blind crawl but always rambling

Wolf-spider, crouch in your funnel nest
If I knew you, once, now I know you less
In the sinking sand, where we've come to rest
Have I had a hand in your loneliness?

When you leave me alone in this old palace of yours
It starts to get to me, I take to walking
What a woman does is open doors
And it is not a question of locking or unlocking

Well, I have never seen such a terrible room
Gilded with the gold teeth of the women who loved you
Now though I die, magpie, this I bequeath
By any other name, a Jay is still blue

With the loneliness of you mighty men
With your mighty kiss that might never never end
While, so far away, in the seat of the West
Burns the fount of the heat of that loneliness

There's a man who only will speak in code
Backing slowly, slowly down the road
May he master everything that such men may know
About loving, and then letting go





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Newsom, Joanna Go Long Comments
  1. T.... b....

    ohmygod this is great

  2. n.... ....

    And suddenly I knew what love was. But not the kind of love you’re thinking of. For I have not experienced that yet. No, it’s the kind love that brings you closer to art. Something so favorable it affects you on a deeply personal and spiritual level.

    For me it’s Joanna Newsom.

    So I’m taking a bath and relaxing while listening to this and I start to really feel the music.
    My body moved in such a fashion (albeit weirdly or what have you) that felt fucking fantastic. And it made me realize that we can get to those mind altering and expanding places without the drugs or alcohol. It’s really not even that difficult.

    But that attachment is perhaps something to be wary of, for example you don’t want to love something so much that it takes over the part of you that only you know how to do.
    You don’t wanna become dependent on it so much so that it changes your identity.

    Having a connection with another human being is a different story. You can love someone so much that the love transcends into enlightenment with each other.
    And maybe that’s perfect. Idk.

    I feel like this is the difference between your definition of love in the internal world and love in the external world. Whatever interacts with you or rather has an impact in either of those two realms, determines how much love you project onto them. And that in turn will decide what kind of life you will lead.

    Anyways, I’m really just rambling here. This topic is complex as fuck. And could certainly be covered
    so much more than a few paragraphs in a YouTube comment.

    I’m at a point in my life where I can tell change is coming but I’m afraid I’ll try an force it. And I’m not sure if it’s external or internal. Maybe both.
    But, I don’t know if I can last much longer.
    I’ve been yearning for external love myself for so long.

  3. D.... P....

    This song let's me feel just a sliver of what it is to suffer as a woman

  4. D.... P....

    Fucking masters piece. Unfathomably good.

  5. J.... S....

    One of the most magical songs ever made..

  6. J.... B....

    "We both want the very same thing" shithouse mouse, ain't that the truth. I hope we do

  7. A.... D....

    Your music, your voice, your beauty.. Thebbest thing is how you make your songs long, I personally enjoy every second of it!

  8. v.... ....

    We are both praying I’m the one to save you.

  9. T.... K....

    I started listening like mad to Go Long while I lived abroad a year ago and fell in love with someone who lived in my native country. ( we both love her music ) and we were separated for months. I listened this song non stop, every day and now when he broke up with me after living together a year , I again started listening it and it fills me with much sorrow and beauty. Thinking a lot about the Blue Beard and the devouring energy with he covers everything, Self-harm and self-destruction and love and and and ... my love for him.

  10. B.... D....

    Shes so bold and forthright, stronger than her opposite on that night
    Not that humbly softspoken genius
    In the pits though, a different Jo??

  11. B.... ....

    Holy mother of Goddddddddddd

  12. C.... G....

    Just genius!

  13. R.... P....

    That rad harp solo at the end blows my mind every time

  14. H.... ....

    I fell the need to express how deeply in love I am with her voice. It's become obsessive, idk who to go to for help...

  15. L.... D....

    You think you can just stop when you’re ready for change. Who will take care of you when you’re old and dying?

  16. M.... B....

    you're a silly goose

  17. r.... e....

    will this song ever NOT give me goosebumps? all these years and still

  18. H.... c....

    This is gold

  19. j.... a....

    _when you leave me alooooone in this ol’ palace of yours.....it starts to get to me I taaaake to walking_
    ugh. so exquisite. one of my fav Joanna songs for sure 💓

  20. L.... C....

    Read The Tale of Blue Beard. Perrault's Fairytales, I believe and come back and listen to this song.

  21. A.... K....

    Among the best of her works.

  22. C.... ....

    Just beautiful, what heaven sounds like I believe

  23. V.... P....

    this is one of my favourites!

  24. S.... H....

    This video is sped up.

  25. a.... k....

    absolutely savage..a capricorn move

    a.... k....

    Or a scorpio... A scorpio I know is like this...

  26. L.... ....

    The way she sings "and your sugar lips" slays me!

    L.... ....

    Real quick

  27. m.... l....

    Beautiful.

  28. B.... ....

    Definitely appropriate for handplates...

    B.... ....

    same....

  29. J.... D....

    I normally listen to rap... like kendrick lamar and joey badass, but i love this

  30. u.... ....

    100% about Will Oldham. she even throws his own album titles in the last verse: "backing slowly down the road" (his album Ease Down the Road), "may he master everything" (his album Master and Everyone), "about loving and then letting go" (his album The Letting Go)

    u.... ....

    i think the "you"/subject of the song is bill callahan, but the man she mentions in the last verse is will oldham!

  31. E.... ....

    I am moved by an unbearable sadness whenever I listen to this song. It touches something deep inside me, it's roots in experience...far too close to home. Beautiful genius.

  32. a.... ....

    The legend of Bluebeard was the inspiration for the song

  33. A.... N....

    There is so much wisdom and perspective in this song. It's rhymes are timeless

  34. V.... ....

    This is a condemnation of toxic masculinity, and it is so fucking good. Joanna Newsom is an incredible songwriter.

    V.... ....

    I think it's the opposite, it's a desperate attempt to sympathize with and understand masculinity and men, despite feeling unable to do so. Newsom is not the kind of person who uses phrases like 'Toxic masculinity', she is radically empathetic and generous of spirit, and in my opinion, one of the most important voices on the topic of gender to date.

    V.... ....

    "Toxic masculinity" as it's defined by pop feminists, is just a synonym for masculinity. Many women genuinely don't understand how big an influence a man's hormonal profile has on his behavior. And not just a man's inherent hormonal profile, but the pressure contemporary society itself puts on men. Sexual selection is much harsher on men than it is on women. Unlike most women, Newsom is empathetic enough to actually understand this. "You burn in the Mekong to prove your worth." Bless this woman, she gets it.

    V.... ....

    Penny Larios Women don't live with male hormones. There are elements of masculinity that are so destructive that they look pathological to outsiders, but the women who want to separate that violence from masculinity itself don't know what it's like to live in a male body. If testosterone were discovered and synthesized today, and men weren't born producing it but had to buy it on the streets, it would be considered a dangerous drug and be made illegal. Teenage boys can't think of anything except fucking and fighting, and it barely goes away in your 20s. It's how we are. And that, combined with the pressures sexual selection places on men (over 80% of women on tinder get dates, while fewer than 18% of men do), means that men have to live in a very different, more violent and competitive world than women do. We can't exist any other way.

    V.... ....

    "She's not condemning, or condoning, she's expressing her understanding, and at the same time mourning that such things are happening", "I think it's the opposite, it's a desperate attempt to sympathize with and understand masculinity and men, despite feeling unable to do so.". Reading back over my comment, I can see where I missed the mark in my interpetation. I think this is just a testament to what a skilled writer Joanna is, the greatness of a work lies not in what it says but what it implies.

    V.... ....

    I think it's just about Will Oldham lol

  35. D.... M....

    Wuthering Heights?!?!?!?

  36. L.... C....

    I think it's: made "for" the many bodies of beautiful women. Not from.

    L.... C....

    It is "made of" in the lyrics leaflet that comes with the CD. The song refers to the Bluebeard folktale in which Bluebeard has a room full of his dead wifes' corpses.

  37. J.... L....

    this song makes me realise what an as hole I can be. my wife and son came to see me in hospital this morning, she is sick of me being si miserable and bitter when they visit, and most if the time this morning I was being showered by a cute student nurse I kept thinking of the line "chew your bitter cud grope your little nurse. I don't think new some is talking about a literal nurse here bug to it still resonates with me ad I am being cared for by these beautiful young women and not properly making an effort with the one I love when she comes to visit. does not suffice has a similar effect as I imagine her singing it to me before leaving me

    J.... L....

    Insight brought upon by the poetic words of a songwriter and nestled in the mind tightly by the strings of her harp.

    J.... L....

    Don't do meth kids.

  38. z.... ....

    This woman is a genius.

    z.... ....

    i agree and i like your profile picture.

    z.... ....

    I just want to comment about how direct and personal and real this comment is.

    z.... ....

    And beautiful too

  39. U.... V....

    This song is so much better when you actually listen to/read the lyrics (I am an idiot)

  40. J.... J....

    This song brings my thoughts to the current of today's social and relationship connectivity. The variants of close yet separate inbetweens of men and women today, specially the young. Connections that are made strangely with such desire but lacking something short of the completeness seeked. 

    Things like tinder, snapchat, and other apps could be easily be the intermediate subject as well.

    Looking through cellphone history can be the same as opening doors, its not a question of locking or unlocking.

    A song this grand can transcend historic age, at least that's how I feel and I love it.

    J.... J....

    @Jon Jcc thanks for this :)

  41. H.... C....

    so haunting, and beautiful!!

  42. T.... ....

    Capo 4 : Em G Em G Em G D C.

    Whole song, genius.

    T.... ....

    Good point brother! Don't know now where I got capo 4 from, but capo 5 and then we are playing the same chords ;) I will however play it your way from now on, so cheers! :)

    T.... ....

    @Benedict H While it's probably easier to play Am, C etc I think those chords are all one semitone to high, shouldn't it be Abm, B, Abm, B, Abm, B, Gb, E? Otherwise it sound off to me on my piano (*my piano is in tune).

    T.... ....

    relievingdeath1234 or G#m, B (3x) F# E

  43. d.... c....

    fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

  44. A.... P....

    so jealous of Andy Samberg, indeed. 

  45. T.... ....

    i cry every time. makes me think of my lonely dad.

  46. S.... R....

    there be references in this song to will oldham who sings under the name bonnie prince billy. he has a blue beard.

    S.... R....

    Also many references to the story of bluebeard who married a woman and gave her keys to all the rooms in his manor. He told her not to use a certain key. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened the door to find the bodies of his previous wives that he had killed.

    S.... R....

    Metaphor for a man who has had lots of female interests/companions and her despair in the fact that she may not be as significant to him as she wants to be and her perceived impotency as a woman. Most poetic song about a lady-killer I ever done heard

    S.... R....

    @Sarah Matthes And the very real pain that can cause. Also works for lots of kinds of deception and abuse.

    S.... R....

    hmmm, I think most of the song is in reference to her former BF Bill Callahan within the allogorical framework of the legend of Bluebeard...

  47. t.... ....

    Andy Samberg is a lucky man.

    t.... ....

    DREAM Corp they just became parents so I dont think that will happen anytime soon lol

    t.... ....

    lol andy samberg is awesome and his dad's not a phone.

    t.... ....

    how DARE YOU?????? I love them both with my whole heart

    t.... ....

    y'all rude as fuck they're adorable and so happy together :(

    t.... ....

    I agree!

  48. A.... ....

    "You are happy* hurt, You're a silly goose"

    A.... ....

    AjitTheUndefeatable it's badly hurt...

  49. A.... B....

    It's not at all about global issues!! HAHA!! Blue Beard tale it is, it's just obvious

  50. J.... S....

    Care to elaborate a bit?

  51. M.... B....

    I found my boyfriend cheating on me and this song has never sounded so painful to me before now

  52. m.... ....

    So then who is the fifth?

  53. L.... C....

    It's the tale of Blue Beard, look it up. Not everything is politics, people -___-

    L.... C....

    Writing a song about (a story about) a man who's abusive to his partners is political, especially when it references toxic masculinity more broadly, which it does.
    Fucked up gender relations are political.

    L.... C....

    brace yourself but multiple  differing yet connected narratives can be woven into one song. mind blowing I know

  54. J.... L....

    The suspension on "a Jay" is fucking masterful

  55. R.... J....

    this is on repeat.

  56. T.... ....

    Lawl, my cat is named Cassiopeia. I named her for the constellation, but I love the song too.

  57. M.... L....

    This song reminds me so much of Heathcliff and Catherine.

  58. J.... C....

    Joanna speaks of my past. She is lovely and I enjoy her music to a good cry!

  59. A.... ....

    Interesting... But you´re right, my head might explode so I will just enjoy the beautiful music, there are too many ways to interpret it, I guess everyone has their own n.n

  60. a.... ....

    We musn't try to understand art. Our heads might explode <3

  61. w.... ....

    The Mekong, is I believe pertaining to the legend of the Nāga/The Curse of Kadru, which deals with sacrifices & saviors of women from the torment of men. The line "Caked in mud & blood" I personally get the impression is about wearing the stains & scars of fights as a medal of honor & being proud of your visceral nature. "Grope your little nurse" could be in reference to subverting the nature of a relationship with someone trying to help you by making it sexual. This is all speculative at best.

    w.... ....

    this is very good!

    w.... ....

    Thanks for the clarification, great interpretation! As a women listening to Joanna Newsom, who write so beautifully on the experiences women can relate to, I wonder if men appreciate the quality and thoughtfulness of her lyrics, or if it too elicits some sort of emotion and feelings.

    w.... ....

    Or maybe that men sexualize everything including nurses

    w.... ....

    also being dominating and exploitive towards those who try to support you

  62. A.... ....

    I see, but still don´t understand, Why does she mention the Mekong? and the parts that say "you are caked in mud and in blood." and "Grope your little nurse"?

  63. w.... ....

    This song is supposedly about her relationship with the great Bill Callahan (Smog). Which to me, seems to make it even more poignant.

  64. A.... ....

    Is this song about a soldier? a soldier who fought in the vietnam war? some parts make me think so.

  65. s.... ....

    Stupid eyes, stop crying please :..(

  66. P.... W....

    Gives me chills every time.

  67. A.... R....

    The simplest of things are the most beautiful, "when you leave me alone in this old palace of yours".

  68. G.... Q....

    "Well I have never seen such a terrible room, gilded with the gold teeth of the women loved you!" That's a direct reference to the legend of Bluebeard where one of his wives find the room filled with the bodies of all his last wives on hooks. The mental image of walking into that room filled with decaying bodies is so close to the revulsion and shock I felt when I discovered I'd been cheated on in my last relationship. How can you describe something like that? She's amazing.

  69. b.... ....

    Listen to that: "chew your bitter cud / grope your little nurse." Just ignore the meaning for a moment and savour those sounds. Bitter cud. Little nurse. Bitter. Little.

  70. G.... Q....

    "And though I die, Magpie, this I bequeath: By any other name a Jay is still Blue." She referring to the Magpie and Blue Jay birds. The Magpie finds a mate and stays with her while a Blue Jay mates many and stays alone. She's saying that she's the Magpie and he's the Blue Jay. :C WHO HURT YOU, JOANNA? WHO HURT YOU?!?!?!

  71. R.... ....

    It's funny 'cause most of Joanna's songs are sad, -at least most of them are sad for me, including this one- but you can't stop listening to them.

  72. m.... ....

    so as she's spinning a web to catch me when i'm super sensitive and cracked.brilliantly emotional.

  73. J.... ....

    @HillaryClinton Hello, Hillary Clinton.

  74. d.... ....

    "When you leave me alone in this old palace of yours, it starts to get to me."

    my god, the imagery in this song is insane.

  75. z.... ....

    Broke my young heart.

  76. J.... Z....

    My heart is melting. ... help.

  77. d.... ....

    i find it funny that so many people would hate this song and listen to justin beiber. why listen to someone so shallow and main stream as justin when u can be listening to joanna? her lyrics have meaning. she has meaning. she has true raw beauty and talent. u cant say that about many of the mainstream clones.

  78. m.... ....

    Agreed agreed. Who else is there? Radiohead as a group of artists? Tori Amos? I know it's outside the genre here but...Tool? Joanna has reinspired me to add vibrance and care in my own crafts and i am so thankful. My cat (nerd that I am) is named Cosmia. ~le sigh~ I do want to know about other artists that are as sensitive and intentional and passionate.

    m.... ....

    michaelschell Anais Mitchell might tickle you, but nothing compares to Joanna.

  79. H.... ....

    I want this girl to be the Wealhtheow to my Beowulf.

  80. k.... ....

    @HillaryClinton I don't know whether I like your comment so much because it's true or because I'm picturing Hillary Clinton sitting at her computer listening to Joanna Newsom.

  81. D.... L....

    @catholicknees Me too! I love her delicate innuendo. It reminds me of my favorite line in Only Skin- 'In my doorway we shucked and jived'

  82. l.... ....

    I heard her play this live a couple of days ago and suddenly came up with the theory it might be about Will Oldham. In the last seven lines are "..down the road", "master everything" and "...letting go". I thought they were all references. And, if you squint and read the other lyrics with this in mind you can make other obscure references, there's a blue, a beard, a palace. I'm probably reading too much into it.

  83. A.... B....

    @squirtgunrobbery she performed this live at green man festival, it left a very deep impact on me

  84. t.... ....

    @HillaryClinton My favorite as well. Joanna Newsom is the perfect artist for someone who completely understands music, someone who likes to pick apart lyrics, and someone who knows emotion's relationship with music. Those artists are nearly impossible to find these days which is why she is so mystifying. She has the ability to surprise and enchant those who are literate, those who are musically inclined and everything in between. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.

  85. A.... P....

    i dont think this song is specifically about the Bluebird. It's more about the distance between men and women. Essentially, it is a very heartbreaking and bittersweet song.

    A.... P....

    and the title, 'go long' and later 'right over the edge of the earth'...so much in this image

  86. a.... ....

    I love the bluebeard reference

  87. d.... ....

    @SupineMonkey I am listening to the album at the moment (on vinyl which I strongly recommend). After umpteen listens my view is still as above. I for one love the harp and kora coda on "Go Long". Hopefully it doesn't mar your enjoyment too much. What I now want is a Toumani Diabete and Joanna Newsom album. That could be magic...

    d.... ....

    daegrant this is the best comment I have ever read

  88. D.... L....

    @daegrant I do find myself slowly warming to the rest of the album. I still find the harp coda at the end of this track to be weirdly jarring and out of place. Am I the only one?

  89. d.... ....

    SupineMonkey, I don't go that far, I think it's a great album with some wonderful tracks (of which this is also my favourite) but it is not a patch lyrically on Ys and doesn't have the ambition and audacity of that release. It's still one of the best recordings I have heard this year though...

  90. D.... L....

    I hate to say it, but I find this triple album repetitive and sub-par lyrically compared to the flawless Ys. This song is the exception. So lovely, perfect, and memorable. I can do without the triple time epilogue, but that aside I can listen to this track on repeat for hours.

  91. 1.... ....

    I love her harp playing so much on this one (not that I don't on others;). It sounds like the ultimate otherworldly music box.

  92. d.... ....

    the tale of bluebeard!

  93. c.... ....

    My favorite so far.