Emily
Joanna NewsomVersion1
90
Chords in this song
Strum
D-DU-UDU
The meadowlark and the chim-choo-ree and the sparrow
Set to the sky in a flying spree, for the sport over the pharaoh
Little while later the Pharisees dragged comb through the meadow
Do you remember what they called up to you and me, in our window?
there is a rusty light on the pines tonight sun pouring wine, lord, or marrow
down into the bones of the birches and the spires of the churches jutting out from the shadows
the oak, and the axe, and the old smokestacks and the bale and the barrow
and everything sloped like it was dragged from a rope in the mouth of the south below
we've seen those mountains kneeling, felten and grey
we thought our very hearts would up and melt away
from that snow in the nighttime just going and going
and the stirring of wind chimes in the morning in the morning
helps me find my way back in
from the place where I have been
(instrumental segway)
and, Emily - I saw you last night by the river
I dreamed you were skipping little stones across the surface of the water
frowning at the angle where they were lost, and slipped under forever,
in a mud-cloud, mica-spangled, like the sky'd been breathing on a mirror
anyhow - I sat by your side, by the water
you taught me the names of the stars overhead that I wrote down in my ledger
though all I knew of the rote universe were those pleiades loosed in december
I promised you Id set them to verse so I'd always remember
that the meteorite is a source of the light and the meteor's just what we see
and the meteoroid is a stone that's devoid of the fire that propelled it to thee
and the meteorite's just what causes the light and the meteor's how it's perceived
and the meteoroid's a bone thrown from the void that lies quiet in offering to thee
you came and lay a cold compress upon the mess I'm in
threw the window wide and cried; Amen! Amen! Amen!
the whole world - stopped - to hear you hollering
you looked down and saw now what was happening
the lines are fadin' in my kingdom
though I have never known the way to border them in
so the muddy mouths of baboons and sows and the grouse and the horse and the hen
grope at the gate of the looming lake that was once a tidy pen
and the mail is late and the great estates are not lit from within
the talk in town's becoming downright sickening
in due time we will see the far butte lit by a flare
I've seen your bravery, and I will follow you there
and row through the nighttime gone healthy gone healthy all of a sudden in
search of the midwife who could help me who could help me
help me find my way back in
there are worries where I've been
(instrumental segway)
say, say, say in the lee of the bay; don't be bothered
leave your troubles here where the tugboats shear the water from the water
flanked by furrows, curling back, like a match held up to a newspaper
Emily, they'll follow your lead by the letter
and I make this claim, and I'm not ashamed to say I know you better
what they've seen is just a beam of your sun that banishes winter
let us go! though we know it's a hopeless endeavor
the ties that bind, they are barbed and spined and hold us close forever
though there is nothing would help me come to grips with a sky that is gaping and yawning
there is a song I woke with on my lips as you sailed your great ship towards the morning
come on home, the poppies are all grown knee-deep by now
blossoms all have fallen, and the pollen ruins the plow
peonies nod in the breeze and while they wetly bow, with
hydrocephalitic listlessness ants mop up their brow
and everything with wings is restless, aimless, drunk and dour
the butterflies and birds collide at hot, ungodly hours
and my clay-colored motherlessness rangily reclines
- come on home, now! all my bones are dolorous with vines
Pa pointed out to me, for the hundredth time tonight
the way the ladle leads to a dirt-red bullet of light
squint skyward and listen - loving him, we move within
his borders: just asterisms in the stars' set order
we could stand for a century, starin', with our heads cocked
in the broad daylight at this thing. Joy, landlocked
in bodies that don't keep, dumbstruck with the sweetness of be-
ing till we don't be told; take this and eat this
told; the meteorite is the source of the light and the meteor's just what we see
and the meteoroid is a stone that's devoid of the fire that propelled it to thee
and the meteorite's just what causes the light and the meteor's how it's perceived
and the meteoroid's a bone thrown from the void that lies quiet in offering to thee
Source: Songsterr · Rights holder? Request removal.
Readable chord sheet for Emily by Joanna Newsom
[Cm7]The meadowlark a[Gm]nd the chim-choo[F]-ree and the spa[Cm]rrow Set to the sky in a flying spree, for the sport over the pharaoh Little while later the Pharisees dragged comb through the meadow Do you remember what they called up to you and me, in our window? [Cm7]there is a rusty[Gm] light on the pi[F]nes tonight sun [Cm]pouring wine, lord, or marrow down into the bones of the birches and the spires of the churches jutting out from the shadows the oak, and the axe, and the old smokestacks and the bale and the barrow and everything sloped like it was dragged from a rope in the mouth of the south below [Ab]we've seen those[C] mountains kneel[G]ing, felten and [Am]grey we thought our very hearts would up and melt away [C]from that snow i[Cmaj7]n the nighttime [G]just going and g[Am]oing and the stirring of wind chimes in the morning in the morning [Dm]helps me[G] find my[Dm] way bac[G]k in from the place where I have been [F](instrum[Em]ental se[G]gway) [Em]and, Emily - I saw you l[A]ast night by the river I dreamed you were skipping little stones across the surface of the water [Bm]frowning at the angle wh[D]ere they were lost, and [C]slipped under forever, [Em] in a mud-cloud, mica-spangled, like the sky'd been breathing on a mirror [Em]anyhow - I sat by your s[A]ide, by the water you taught me the names of the stars overhead that I wrote down in my ledger [Bm]though all I knew of the[D] rote universe were thos[C]e pleiades loosed in dec[Em]ember I promised you Id set them to verse so I'd always remember [Em]that the meteorite is a [A]source of the light and the meteor's just what we see [Bm]and the meteoroid is a s[D]tone that's devoid of th[C]e fire that propelled it[Em] to thee [Em]and the meteorite's just[A] what causes the light and the meteor's how it's perceived [Bm] [D] [C] [Em] and the meteoroid's a bone thrown from the void that lies quiet in offering to thee [Cm7] you came and l[Gm]ay a cold compre[F]ss upon the mess[Cm] I'm in threw the window wide and cried; Amen! Amen! Amen! the whole world - stopped - to hear you hollering you looked down and saw now what was happening [Cm7]the lines are fa[Gm]din' in my kingd[F]om [Cm] though I have never known the way to border them in so the muddy mouths of baboons and sows and the grouse and the horse and the hen grope at the gate of the looming lake that was once a tidy pen and the mail is late and the great estates are not lit from within the talk in town's becoming downright sickening [Ab]in due time we w[C]ill see the far [G]butte lit by a f[Am]lare I've seen your bravery, and I will follow you there [C]and row through [Cmaj7]the nighttime go[G]ne healthy gone [Am]healthy all of a sudden in search of the midwife who could help me who could help me [Dm]help me [G]find my [Dm]way back[G] in there are worries where I've been [F](instrum[Em]ental se[G]gway) [Em]say, say, say in the lee[A] of the bay; don't be bothered leave your troubles here where the tugboats shear the water from the water [Bm]flanked by furrows, curl[D]ing back, like a match h[C]eld up to a newspaper [Em] [Em]Emily, they'll follow yo[A]ur lead by the letter and I make this claim, and I'm not ashamed to say I know you better [Bm]what they've seen is jus[D]t a beam of your sun tha[C]t banishes winter [Em] [Em]let us go! though we kno[A]w it's a hopeless endeavor the ties that bind, they are barbed and spined and hold us close forever [Bm]though there is nothing [D]would help me come to gr[C]ips with a sky that is g[Em]aping and yawning there is a song I woke with on my lips as you sailed your great ship towards the morning [Cm7]come on home, th[Gm]e poppies are al[F]l grown knee-dee[Cm]p by now blossoms all have fallen, and the pollen ruins the plow peonies nod in the breeze and while they wetly bow, with hydrocephalitic listlessness ants mop up their brow [Cm7]and everything w[Gm]ith wings is res[F]tless, aimless, [Cm]drunk and dour the butterflies and birds collide at hot, ungodly hours and my clay-colored motherlessness rangily reclines - come on home, now! all my bones are dolorous with vines [Ab]Pa pointed out t[C]o me, for the hu[G]ndredth time ton[Am]ight the way the ladle leads to a dirt-red bullet of light [C]squint skyward a[Cmaj7]nd listen - lovi[G]ng him, we move [Am]within his borders: just asterisms in the stars' set order we could stand for a century, starin', with our heads cocked in the broad daylight at this thing. Joy, landlocked in bodies that don't keep, dumbstruck with the sweetness of be- ing till we don't be told; take this and eat this [Cm7]told; the meteor[Gm]ite is the sourc[F]e of the light a[Cm]nd the meteor's just what we see and the meteoroid is a stone that's devoid of the fire that propelled it to thee and the meteorite's just what causes the light and the meteor's how it's perceived and the meteoroid's a bone thrown from the void that lies quiet in offering to thee