I haven’t really read into the lyrics on this one yet (and yes it’s my favorite, crucify me!) but it seems like the narrator is a creation being brought to life by external forces and being brought to do things. Where “Good Intentions Paving Company” hooked me into Joanna Newsom’s music (more on that song later), “Sawdust & Diamonds” truly pulled me down the well into absolute depravity, leading me to a life of laying in bed, being completely engrossed in the dramatic Ys and its vivid depictions of stories of grief and happiness and all of it. Reminder, Spotify is a banana and her music is not on there! Go out and buy it!
If you’ve beaten around the bush for the past two decades on checking out her music, I recommend you use this handy, heavily-biased list of tunes for you to start your journey. She may be the most essential songwriter of the last twenty years (?) and man has she made some truly unforgettable songs. Joanna Newsom is one of my all-time favorite musicians with a repertoire of purely flawless songs with bulletproof songwriting, lush expansive instrumental arrangements and truly unique vocal deliveries. I’m finally attempting to fell this giant that has been lurking in my blog drafts for at least three years.
