¤ milky moon ¤

Cool! What did you think of the new song?

I thought it was beautiful. I can't wait to listen to it again!

Uggg... It was definitely gorgeous! It was one of those shows where I felt privileged to see that display of virtuosity. Unfortunately, I'm not going to make the best historian for this event, nor did I put myself in a position to where I could be.

To briefly summarized what was heard of Joanna:

Sadie
Sawdust and Diamonds
*New Song* (I kind of dig diver's wife, let's go with that as the unofficial title?)
On a Good Day

These were all interspersed with a pieces from various formations of the three performers, all of which I'm doing a huge injustice to.

Freaking awesome show.

Attempted set list. I think I'm missing one Glass song that all three played on. And the order is rough (except within JN). Can anyone help?

[Glass] The French Lieutenant Dreams, played by: all 3
[JN] Sadie, played by: JN+Fain
[Glass] A piece written for Tim Fain (forgot the title), played by: Fain
[Glass] Metamorphosis #2, played by: Glass
[JN], Sawdust and Diamonds, played by: JN
[Glass] Wichita Vortex Sutra, played by: Glass (with Ginsberg's recorded voice)
[Glass] The Orchard: JN+Fain
[Glass] Pendulum, played by all 3?
[JN], "The Diver's Wife", played by JN
Encore:
[Glass] Closing, played by Glass
[Glass] Violin solo from Einstein on the beach ("#2"?), played by Fain
[JN] Good Day, played by JN

EDIT: See a proper set list in Wanbli's link below

Has anyone recorded it/uploaded the new song yet?
Going slightly nuts not being able to listen to it!!

I can't believe that I'm actually feeling a little anxiety at not being able to be there. Is it possible that there is still a "fan" inside me who wants to get out? Hmmm. Be sure to stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in Fan me quick! It's hot in here!

Ooooh I hope we get to hear the new song! That's so exciting.

glass had mentioned in an article: "I'm playing one of her new songs". i'm still confused as to what he meant... whether he was joining her, or whether one of his solo performances was actually a cover of her new material, or what. do you have any thoughts on what he meant?
anyway, excited about this set, hoping the whole thing surfaces but i'll settle for divers wife. instead of stalking this thread though, i think i'm going to go ignore it, go about my day and come back tonight!!

I have the new song and will only make it available privately through PMing me - with the agreement that you do not post it publicly anywhere for download and it is for personal use only. I am sure someone else recorded/video and will post it on the interwebz freely, but that will not be me.

A few notes from the evening:

VERY undersold. Talked to the house manager, an old friend and it looks like less than 40% of tickets were sold. THis is due to 3 factors: 1) price 2) monday night (hardest night to fill a room) 3) very little promotion

Joanna had her harp point straight at the audience. Those seated in center of venue could not see her playing and barely singing. She did this so Glass and Fain could see her play.

She was very giddy - almost bouncing as she walked. "I don't want to embarrass Mr. Glass, but I think this is the happiest day of my mom's life"

During Sawdust and Diamonds, her attack while playing the harp was so strong, she had the harp going from side to side.

On a Good Day featured a new bridge instrumental section prior to the last verse

I thought the bridge section/ new part in On a Good Day was so incredible. I really enjoyed the whole performance, particularly the diver (new song which I instantly liked upon hearing it for the first time), the orchard, the wichita vortex sutra :-) and on a good day's added instrumental part. I just wish the show coulda been a bit longer. Thankyou for the attempted setlist btw Was very helpful

do you have a video or something of the new song???????????

The new song is AMAZING! Sounds a bit like Clam, Crab, Cockle Cowrie, though I could just be remembering it wrong. It was really nice to meet the other tadpoles as well!

Live Review, 6/25/12: Philip Glass, Joanna Newsom, and Tim Fain Team Up for the Henry Miller Library at the Warfield

oh it is sweet, sounds like her voice is coming back strong!...and do my ears fail me? or is that Kora rythym i hear in the song?(like her first couple of albums)

u a peach Wanbli...but then u knew that

Attempt #1 at the lyrics to "The Diver's Wife". A lot was unintelligible even from two rows back, not to mention a recording. For these unclear parts, I've UTTERLY SUCCUMBED to the temptation to guess. As a result, some of the lyrics below are sure to be comically wrong (don't hate me Joanna!). Nevertheless, I think you can get the main ideas of the song.

------
A diver is my own love
And am I am his and
I am to … see (???)
Who takes one breath above for every hour below the sea
Who gave to me a jewel
Once wise (??)… women… life ?? (heh)
But would cost him less (??)
Would lay at low tide to watch her true love's false arrest (??)
And in an infinite regress
Tell me why is the pain of birth
Lighter borne than the pain of death
I ain't saying that I loved you first
But I loved you best
I know we must abide
Each by the rules that bind us here
The divers and the swimmers
And the women on the pier

And how do you choose your thought?
And how do you choose your name?
How do you choose your life?
How do you choose the time you must entail and kick and rise
And in an infinite capsize like a boat tearing down the coast
Double hulls, bearing double masts
I don't know if you love me most
But you love me last
But of all the work you gave
To count the weight of deaths across the sudden world ???
Where you will look the waves that lay a bed of shining pearls
I dreamed of every dream
The rimming of the praying
The molts of sand dislodged
The shocking cooking bright
The twinned and cast-off shells reveal a single hardened white
And in the infinite backslide ancient boulders sink past the west
Like a sword at the bear's fall
I can't claim that I knew you best
But do you know me at all?
A woman is a lie
A woman is a lie
But do not take her for a sign
An anchor on a stone
Alone and faceted and fine
And never will I will
I'll hold the pearl of death til the morning of my life
And ever hold my breath til I may be the diver's wife

See how the infinite divides and the divers come out to play
For the rift spanning distant shores
You don't know my name, but I know yours

hmmm already up at:


http://wheelieperson.tumblr.com/post/25 ... som-love-i

My take on the lyrics:

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 (?), [I know there's no 's' after woman here, but this fits in with the rest of the stanza pretty well I think so it might just be that the s got lost/is inaudible -- or it's something else entirely!]
though it cost her less
than laying at low tide to see her true love pause for rest. [I'm hearing an 'f,' not a 'p,' -- something like 'falls for rest.' That doesn't make any sense though, so I may just be mishearing it. "False arrest" as andrewb suggests above is a reasonable interpretation, but I do feel like 'pause for rest' fits better so I'm sticking with that for now.]

And in an infinite regress,
tell me why is the pain of birth
lighter borne than the pain of death?
I ain't saying that I loved you first,
but I loved you best.

I know we must abide*
each by the rules that bind us here.
The divers and the sailors/swimmers* and the women on the pier. [To be honest, I'm hearing 'singers' but that doesn't make sense, so I jumped to sailors. Swimmers also makes a lot of sense, but I can't really hear that part of the song well enough to make either out very well.]
How do you choose your thoughts?
How do you choose your name?
How do you choose your life?
How do you choose the time you must exhale and kick and rise?

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.

Recall the word you gave
to count your way across the depths of the severing (?) world.
Well, you will look (?) the waves that lay a bed of shining pearls.
I dream it every night,
the naming of the pale.
The molts* of sand dislodged*,
the shocking, cooking (?) bright, between the/the twinned and* cast-off shells, reveal a single heart of white.

An in an infinite backslide,
ancient boulders sink past* the west,
like a sword at the bearer's fall.
I can't claim that I knew you best,
but did you know me at all?

A woman is alive, a woman is alive (a lie?).
You cannot take her from inside an acre of the stone (?) [Or maybe something to do with an anchor? Had a really hard time with this.]
I know not, faceted and fine.
And never will I weep. [I don't really hear 'weep' here too well but it seemed to make sense -- however andrewb suggests "never will I will' which at first I thought didn't make sense, but I'm now reading "will" as in last testament, but using it as a verb -- especially because the next part deals with death and maybe refusing to truly "die" ("ever hold my breath") which would fit with "never will I will" in that way. I'm not sure, maybe that's a stretch.]
I'll call the pearl of death
to the bottom of my life.
And ever hold my breath till I may be the diver's wife.

See how the infinite divides,
and the divers are not to blame
for the rift spanning distant shores.
You don't know my name,
but I know yours.

(For the sake of honesty/credit I've put an asterisk next to the lyrics that I didn't quite get until I saw andrewb's post.)

andrew - it's all good. We knew it would happen
I haven't listened, but I couldn't have been only one with a recording