[Ann]

This is where we get to discuss Joanna's beautiful new song, unofficially called The Diver's Wife. It's amaaaazing.

You can find speculative lyrics, and maybe a recording, in this thread.

New contributions to the lyrics would be great.

What do y'all think?

[Ryan]

I hear:

A diver is my love
(and I am his if I am to be deceived),
who takes one breath above for every hour below the sea,
who gave to me a jewel,
worth twice this woman's life
though it cost her less
than laying at low tide to see her true love phosphoresce.

and also:

And never will I weep.
I'll hunt the pearl of death
to the bottom of my life.
And ever hold my breath till I may be the diver's wife.

[Wanbli]

"And in an infinite capsize,
like a bull tearing down the coast, [I was initially hearing 'bow' which doesn't work -- I switched to bull upon remembering The Last Unicorn, thinking it could possibly be a reference, and it certainly sounds like bull as well. Not really sure though, it might be too out-of-place.]
double hulls*, bearing double masts.
I don't know if you loved me most,
but you loved me last."

When I heard this live I could have sworn she sang:

"like a boat tearing down the coast,"

which fits in with capsize, masts, hulls

[dwaink]

yeah "boat" , imma give up use guys too fast for us oldies

[Ann]

Ann, thank you for the lyrics. I'm working on transcribing them, too. Is it possible this is what she's singing?

A diver is my love
(and I am his if I am to be deceived),
who takes one breath above for every hour below the sea,
who gave to me a jewel,
worth twice this woman's life
though it cost her less
than laying at low tide to see her true love phosphoresce.

I'm thinking you're right. I'm trying to find out about oysters/pearls and phosphorescence in order to make a better connection/figure out why, in the song, her true love would be phosphorescent but I'm not really sure. Oyster shells can be heated or calcinated and create a phosphorescent paint or something? Does anyone have any insight into what this line could mean?

[Ann]

"And in an infinite capsize,
like a bull tearing down the coast, [I was initially hearing 'bow' which doesn't work -- I switched to bull upon remembering The Last Unicorn, thinking it could possibly be a reference, and it certainly sounds like bull as well. Not really sure though, it might be too out-of-place.]
double hulls*, bearing double masts.
I don't know if you loved me most,
but you loved me last."

When I heard this live I could have sworn she sang:

"like a boat tearing down the coast,"

which fits in with capsize, masts, hulls

Yeah, that's what andrewb had too and when I read that I thought, "Duh, that makes way more sense." But then I really couldn't hear a 't' at the end of it (not that that means much) and have such an image of the bull raging along the coast from The Last Unicorn that I thought maybe that idea still held some water. But if you're remembering 'boat' from the live song, then I'm sure that's what it is.

[dwaink]

...death is more expensive than pearls laying at low tide can be dangerous or diving without the right equipment

this song could well be in the line with the one about the girl that drowned, seems under water is a real theme for JNew

[Ann]

...death is more expensive than pearls laying at low tide can be dangerous or diving without the right equipment

this song could well be in the line with the one about the girl that drowned, seems under water is a real theme for JNew

Colleen?!

Yeah, I was actually pretty giddy to realize this was another sea-song. You'd never catch me in the ocean (terrifying!) but symbolically, I love the ocean and ocean imagery. Colleen is my favorite song. I already adore this one as well, it's gorgeous.

[MadlyMad]

In french... "La femme d'hiver".

I'm out

[Ryan]

All I know is that I live on the coast in Florida, and at night you can go to certain bridges along the coast and see particles glowing in the water. I've always been told it's "ocean phosphorescence," which some people say is actually bioluminescence. I'm not sure exactly what Joanna means, but it relates to the jewel she mentions, which is also a shiny, sparkling thing.

Here's another difference I hear:

i dream it every night
the ringing of the ? (not convinced it's 'pale')
the motes of sand dislodge the shocking, cooking bright
That 'tween that cast-off shells reveal a single heart of white.

This part would make much more sense if she sang, "That 'tween the cast-off shells," so either I've got it wrong or maybe she sang it wrong. This happens sometimes when trying out new material. ;)

[dwaink]

that second line isn't what it seems....

i'm hearing

i yum hated...which isn't it, but don't think it is" i am his"...

[polliwog]

Beautiful song! OK, I did my part. Now, I'll leave it to you guys to do the analysis.

[andrewb]

"Tell me why is the pain of birth
Lighter borne than the pain of death"

I'm tempted to hear Nabokov's influence in these lines. (See my comment history for more stabs in that direction). Their meaning is very close to that of the opening sentences of "Speak, Memory", Nabokov's autobiography. Read it for yourself at http://bit.ly/MyNUYT. Most coincidences are just that, and I'm aware there's no way I can lose or this game (save deus ex), but since it's the very first lines of the book, and seems like something she'd pick up on, and she's known (somehow -- anyone have a reference?) to be a Nabokov fan, I'm calling it on this side of "worth suggesting".

[Ann]

All I know is that I live on the coast in Florida, and at night you can go to certain bridges along the coast and see particles glowing in the water. I've always been told it's "ocean phosphorescence," which some people say is actually bioluminescence. I'm not sure exactly what Joanna means, but it relates to the jewel she mentions, which is also a shiny, sparkling thing.

Here's another difference I hear:

i dream it every night
the ringing of the ? (not convinced it's 'pale')
the motes of sand dislodge the shocking, cooking bright
That 'tween that cast-off shells reveal a single heart of white.

This part would make much more sense if she sang, "That 'tween the cast-off shells," so either I've got it wrong or maybe she sang it wrong. This happens sometimes when trying out new material. ;)

Yeah my brief research on phosphorescence left me confused, but I still think you're absolutely right.

Pale was a stretch/guess on my part -- andrewb thinks prayer, which it may be ... I thought maybe it could be bell? I mean, if it is ringing.

[Jessie]

I really don't have anything to add besides it's beautiful. Can't wait for the album. Such a nice treat today!

[Jordan~]

I swear, I typed out a longer post before I gave up and "phosphorous" was my interpretation of those sounds; "phosphoresce" makes more sense. "Bell" would certainly be a good fit, given Ys, but that the word doesn't sound a whole lot like "bell".

[1111oclock]

I hear "the divers and the sealers", not "singers".

[cliquott]

I'm almost crying, this is so beautiful.

[Andrew]

I think it could be bell, pale doesn't fit the rhyme scheme nearly as well. Perhaps it's pail instead of pale? I do hear whirl instead of world - she really doesn't pronounce a d at all - and the word before it is still a total mystery. Severing? Sovereign?

Also, does he lurk the waves that lay a bed of shining pearls?

EDIT: oooh update, apparently it could be "this arid world", which really does sound right. At the same time, the world presented in the song clearly isn't arid, but oh well.

[rainbowdash]

I thought it was

recall the word you gave
to count your way
or cross the depths of the solid(???) world
while you will yoke the waves that lay abed of shining pearls

yeah right now I'm going through what everyone's posted so far to find the most logical then I'll listen to it a few more times to make sure