Newsom, Joanna - '81 Lyrics






I found a little plot of land in the garden of Eden
It was dirt and dirt is all the same
I tilled it with my two hands and I called it my very own
There was no one to dispute my claim

Well, you'd be shocked at the state of things
The whole place had just cleared right out
It was hotter'n Hell so I laid me by a spring
For a spell as naked as a trout

The wandering eye that I have caught
Is as hot as a wandering sun
But I will want for nothing more in my garden, start again
In my hardening to every heart but one

Meet me in the garden of Eden, bring a friend
We are gonna have ourselves a time
We are gonna have a garden party, it's on me
No, siree, it's my dime

We broke our hearts in the war between
St. George and the dragon
But both in equal parts are welcome to come along
I'm inviting everyone

Farewell to loves that I have known
Even muddiest waters run
Tell me what is meant but sin or none in a garden, seceded
From the union in the year of AD 1?

The unending amends you've made
Are enough for one life be done
I believe in innocence, little darlin', start again
I believe in everyone

I believe, regardless, I
Believe in everyone





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Newsom, Joanna '81 Comments
  1. 7.... ....

    I'm so glad I found this

  2. V.... H....

    La sua voce è unica.... 🧡🙏🧡

  3. W.... L....

    This has to be one of the most beautiful songs i have ever heard.

  4. D.... C....

    This song is a modern-day masterpiece and its creator an indisputable genius!

  5. C.... D....

    First Joanna song I ever heard! <3

  6. S.... N....

    She is too precious

  7. b.... ....

    i love this song so much ❤️ her songs are like ancient greek allegories, so they work in so many dimensions. i think this song is ultimately about forgiveness and redemption, whether its her lover, or god himself. thats where the garden of eden comes in. shes saying that in her version of the garden of eden, rather than banishing adam and eve, she invites everyone and forgives mankind for its follies. she believes everyones endowed with a capacity to redeem themselves for the mistakes they make in life. such a profound and kind sentiment ❤️

  8. E.... ....

    Came across this randomly. I haven't heard it since I lived in Japan 4 years ago. Instant memories, instant tears

  9. T.... S....

    The harp arrangement and vocal performance are so perfectly balanced. Absolutely gorgeous. Gets me to stop and pay attention every time.

  10. i.... m....

    a_couple_streams brought me here. Anyone else? XD

  11. J.... ....

    Is this on Spotify under a different name or just not on there?

  12. B.... R....

    same watch mojo brought me here I love this women's voice

  13. S.... o....

    Come from Marika Hackman's cover

  14. s.... ....

    Love her harp playing skills & her childlike voice but the best part are her lyrics which are truly mindblowing 😘

  15. B.... N....

    Geologists wont like that second line

  16. C.... ....

    Soooooooooooooo stupid lyrics!!!

  17. D.... C....

    This has been one of my favorite songs for the last eight years or so. Thank you, Joanna!

  18. S.... C....

    cut this on while you're having sex with a white girl. she'll never want to leave.

  19. S.... G....

    so calming

  20. K.... ....

    "Union in the year of 81" *

  21. B.... F....

    "I believe, regardless. I believe in everyone." So lovely 💕

  22. B.... B....

    "And her mouselike breath, most fragile and wrinkled"

  23. D.... G....

    God brought me here and sang it to me

  24. C.... D....

    Cloetilde brought me here.

  25. S.... J....

    This was my favorite Marika Hackman song... until I discovered it wasn't actually hers! So you can imagine the disappointment I felt, followed by complete awe when I first heard the original.

    Joanna is completely hypnotic, and she's proven to be one of those rare artists (like Kate Bush) that I can't just listen to in the background-- their music demands your full attention

    S.... J....

    Sylvia Jo Goosebumps listening to '81 and reading your comment. It is true. When you listen to Joanna, you listen.

    S.... J....

    Sylvia Jo covers give a new twist to tracks, both are great

  26. Z.... G....

    i love this. I've listened to it over and over

  27. C.... L....

    This is so BOOM to me!

  28. R.... Z....

    This girl should be more famous so I can listen to her songs on Spotify

    R.... Z....

    She's ethically opposed to Spotify.

  29. w.... ....

    After several listens, I'm thinking this is a love song. The garden of Eden is the heart of the man she loved first. "It was dirt" might mean he wasn't that great of a guy so she tried to change him into a better person, but he didn't appreciate her efforts so he left her (cleared right out). She was heartbroken, so she goes somewhere for respite, let's say a bar, and ended up laying all her emotions out to someone else (naked as a trout). She ends up catching the "wandering eye" of another man, possibly the person she was talking to, and they end up dating and starting the "garden" again.The garden party she mentions may be the mutual love they feel for one another, and she's inviting him to lay out all his own emotional baggage. The Saint and the dragon may represent the good and bad aspects of the relationships they had previously, but she's telling him that she's okay with that part of him and that she wants to help him heal, as is the rest of the song as far as I can tell.

    w.... ....

    There likely is no single meaning to the song.

  30. S.... P....

    When I imagine the imagery described in this song I picture a angel relaying a message to god after Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden, and describing the downfall of humanity with a hopeful bitter-sweet tone

  31. N.... N....

    frm the union of the year of 81. it's in the title.

    N.... N....

    Nausicaa Nebulae it's a play on words ad1 would have been the first year after the death of Christ to forgive us of the original sin that Eve made in the Garden of Eden, that sacrifice was are apology and specifically that lyric was talking about the separation when we did learn about Sin and when we were forgiven in the year 1 AD( after death )( 81 )

    N.... N....

    well...almost but not quite. AD is not "after death", it's Anno Domini. AD1 would be when Christ was an infant.

  32. R.... ....

    jacks gap and Eliza brought me here

    R.... ....

    What video, do you remember? For Jaacksgap.

    R.... ....

    +Arthur Rimbaud music mondays ep 3 cover by Eliza frayn

  33. K.... h....

    damn is so nice

  34. R.... H....

    I highly suggest Siobhan Owen

  35. S.... 3....

    her voice is so pretty and soothing

  36. k.... ....

    I have a feeling this song would sound perfect in Russian

    k.... ....

    right on сука влаут

    k.... ....

    holy shit yea

    k.... ....

    Just play it backwards and you'll know

  37. C.... H....

    This is about her birth, she born later 81, she explains how it was, parts like ''Naked as a trout'' says it all, or, ''i tilled it with my two hands, and i called my very own'' She is celebrating that she came to the world.

    C.... H....

    +Syber Trooper damn maybe she/he didn't know chill the fuck out lol

    C.... H....

    +Geeky M.O.B mAybe she was making a guess

    C.... H....

    She may have not been born in 81 but she was conceived in 81..., so maybe your on to something with that. Maybe the garden of eden is a symbol for the womb or the earth. she could be singing about just the beginning of her existence or beginning of her mothers pregnancy.

    C.... H....

    Well, I don't know if it was a typo or a reference to Jesus's death, but the lyrics say "the year of A.D 1". Also, after multiple listens this is definitely a love song. The garden of Eden is the heart of the man she loved first. "it was dirt" might mean he wasn't that great of a guy so she tried to change (tilled) him, but he didn't appreciate her efforts so he left her (cleared right out). She was heartbroken, so she goes somewhere for respite, lets say a bar, and ended up laying all her emotions out to someone else (naked as a trout). She ends up catching the "wandering eye" of another man, possibly the person she was talking to, and they end up dating and starting the "garden" again.The garden party she mentions may be the mutual love they feel for one another, and she's inviting him to lay out all his own emotional baggage. The Saint and the dragon may represent the good and bad aspects of the relationships they had previously and she's telling him that she's okay with that part of him and that she wants to help him heal, as is the rest of the song as far as I can tell.

    C.... H....

    one interpretation says that it was a play on words. She was concieved in 81' and the death of jesus was allegedly in the year of AD 1. Reason why his death has any relevance to this song would probably be because he died for forgiveness for the sins of humanity and that all are welcome into his kingdom.

  38. H.... B....

    I can picture a forest nymph playing this.

    H.... B....

    That's literally what I was thinking

    H.... B....

    Pretty much originally performed by a forest nymph

  39. l.... j....

    Joanna is naughty.
    This song is about when she started feeling her sexuality rising and she began masturbathing. her passion rose but no matter how she tried to calm it down even thought she didn't want to have sex with anyone it couldn't but  then she fell in love with a man at the same time and she invited him and his friend came along and raped her she started allowing them to have a 3sum with her and they both fell in love with her by that time they began to fight over her and shes saying shes welcoming them both to have sex with her. and when they don't, she feels like a harlot so she fu@@s everyone she feels attracted to and she then gets pregnant and has a girl child and believes she can be a better woman than she was and do things differently.

    l.... j....

    @lisa joseph A.D 1 is a reference to the GARDEN not about sex dude

    l.... j....

    +lisa joseph Or knowledge.

    l.... j....

    +lisa joseph How is writing a song about being raped "naughty"?

    l.... j....

    +lisa joseph masturbathing

    l.... j....

    +lisa joseph so it is about sex, or it isn't? i'm getting confused by all the comments below now

  40. S.... ....

    i'm in love with this song

  41. S.... M....

    the version recorded live on "later with Jools Holland" is even better than this studio recording 

  42. H.... G....

    jacksgap and Eliza brought me here LOL

    H.... G....

    +Hazel Grace Lancaster holy f. jacksgap likes jn? i can't handle this

  43. p.... ....

    you doin these animal sounds , like  ..everyone.. at 2:11 on purpose?
    that 'effect' keeps me from enjoying what you're doing
    makes me feel a bit sorry for you - cheers anyway

    p.... ....

    @playlistener1 Uh. No? It's her flair. I feel sorry for you that you can't understand that. Cheers anyway.

  44. b.... ....

    um is it just me or are these lyrics inaccurate at places? A.D.1?

    b.... ....

    Peter Tysdal it's supposed to be 81

  45. P.... S....

    I love this girl but these lyrics are insipid.

  46. j.... b....

    i actually got here by Andy Samberg. Joanna's his wife :)

    j.... b....

    @***** okay.

    j.... b....

    @***** same exact thing.

  47. W.... C....

    I managed to listen to the Eliza cover that some people have been saying was better than the original. I am disappointed to say that the cover was in now way comparable to the original. Joanna knows how to evoke so much emotion with her voice and it's very hard to do that. And I get that technically Eliza has a richer and deeper voice, but she doesn't know how to capture the emotions as well as Joanna.

    Anyway I love Joanna and I adore Have one on me.

    W.... C....

    Agreed. Eliza mucks the lyrics up and sounds like she took the song literal.

  48. K.... R....

    jack and eliza brought me here except i like eliza's version better. but i like joanna too!

    K.... R....

    Eliza should stay quiet for the rest of her life to compensate the fact she tried to sing this.

  49. I.... R....

    I like how Im not the only one that was brought here bye jack jack the better chap

  50. A.... F....

    Joanna Newsom brought me here..

    A.... F....

    @Piano :-(

  51. I.... W....

    lyrics are off

  52. F.... M....

    Yeah Yeah everyone's here because of JacksGap... Well, me too haha

  53. A.... S....

    Her voice is like the harp she plays, she plucks different notes and flows so wonderfully.. I could listen to this all day!

  54. H.... V....

    The fuck u guys have problems u call urslef fans of jacksgap then aprriciate this

  55. D.... P....

    I have no doubt in my mind that she is the most talented musician/songwriter in the world as of now.

  56. P.... s....

    THIS IS RUBBISH?!?!?!?!? If it was rubbish eliza wouldn't of sung it in the first place. Joanna newsom is a beautiful amazing singer with such a unique voice, yes eliza is great but joanna is also... :)

  57. E.... S....

    OMG I just came from that video... It's so true, Eliza is better. I wish it was on iTunes, this is rubbish

  58. P.... ....

    I think Eliza's version from Jacksgap is a little bit better

  59. c.... m....

    From JacksGap:)

  60. S.... ....

    I just got here from searching up top ten lists of indie music to find something nice to listen to :/

  61. R.... ....

    Hahah its okay!

  62. C.... A....

    Just realized you wrote this comment 10 months ago. Fail.

  63. C.... A....

    Not me. I read about Joanna Newsom in a magazine years ago and decided to check her out. Been hooked ever since. I do want to check out this cover, though!

  64. H.... J....

    Umm...well...I don't know what this "Jacksgap" business is. Joanna Newsom brought me here.

  65. A.... A....

    Omg, heard this song on jacksgap too! I absolutely love this song

  66. F.... ....

    Like if you found this song from jacksgap

  67. l.... m....

    I love this song now. thanks Jacksgap :)

  68. C.... T....

    I didn't actually know what 'Jacksgap' was before I read the comments here... I had a listen, personally I like Joanna's voice better. As a ukulele player, and, to some extent, a singer myself, I could hear Eliza straining at the notes. Joanna has a very unique and fluent voice and hits the notes perfectly, it's a little painful to hear someone forcing the sound out. Oh, and the uke is the easiest instrument I've ever picked up aside from harmonica. Just my opinion, carry on :)

  69. R.... ....

    okay well we're achieving nothing with this conversation. so goodbye.

  70. V.... A....

    of course, I said "other", not "all of her songs".

  71. R.... ....

    some of them, not all of them.

  72. V.... A....

    I doubt it because other Joanna's songs have similar number of views.

  73. V.... A....

    Jacksgap's Eliza version is cute in its own way and spontaneous, but the original is better in every possible way.

  74. J.... ....

    I just love this song, thanks Jack and Eliza! <3

  75. r.... ....

    I think it was the ukulele that made elizas version much more epic xD (that and her range of pich in her voice)

  76. G.... o....

    Jacks cousin Eliza sings this song better go check it out at jackgap

  77. q.... ....

    Oh, I don't know the first thing about appreciating music, but even I can tell the Jacksgap version was amateur-hour in comparison.

  78. J.... E....

    Don't mind them saying the cover's better. They don't understand Joanna Newsom as much as we do. It takes a lot of understanding, experience and listening. I still find the original the best since it is where all the emotions and purpose are pure.

  79. q.... ....

    Opinions are fine, but really. Objectively speaking, the original is superior in pretty much every way. Far more skillful.

  80. r.... ....

    maybe i will!

  81. r.... ....

    It may have something to do with her parents, because she was conceived in '81. hm.

  82. r.... ....

    Enjoy the music.. no reason to be so.. mean. Maybe i will check out their channel.

  83. B.... S....

    *JacksGap and his cousin Eliza. You should chwck him out!!

  84. V.... V....

    I love the lyrics so much but still find Joanna's voice a bit annoying....

  85. B.... S....

    I'm like, just saying. In America, we don't have music like hers, and it's fine really. But still found Eliza's version a bit better. Besides, she was just doing a cover of the song.

  86. T.... ....

    YEEEEESSS! Since when is glossing through the pitches of someone else's song while plinking out single notes on a ukelele even in the same category as this!?

  87. A.... R....

    hell yeah! :3

  88. l.... k....

    Jacksgap and Eliza xxxx think uu

  89. P.... O....

    Calm down, they're not bashing Joanna, they're just saying that's how most of us found this song.

  90. D.... S....

    jacksgap brought me here :)

  91. R.... N....

    Then listen to peach plum pear..xD I love that song.

  92. R.... N....

    And you are looking to that gay show??? Secondly Joanna Newsom is known world widely,fuck you,it's about her not about some stupid teenager.

  93. d.... ....

    I wish people would stop bashing Joanna just because some cute British girl made a cover of this song and her voice is more "normal"

  94. B.... S....

    Eliza was waaaaayyy better. Don't get me wrong, this one sounds fine as well, but it makes my ears hurt.....am I wrong for that.

  95. K.... ....

    The Garden of Eden was something like 5000 BC. AD 1 is supposed to be when Jesus walked the Earth. Then there's the lyric that goes with this: "Seceded from the union..." But what union was there in AD 1? None of course.

    I love how its actually 81. The title.

  96. M.... G....

    I didnt think Eliza was that good, but i like her better because this person's voice is too "unique@

  97. M.... A....

    i am sorry but to me Eliza sounds better. just my opinion, but this lady has a unique voice i have never heard anyone that sounds like her and her lyrics are different, but that is good.

  98. s.... h....

    its supposed to be A.D 1, when the garden of EDEN was made, sweethart :3

  99. s.... h....

    I love how its really A.D 1 not '81 , (garden of eden)

  100. F.... C....

    When I'm stressed I always listen to this song or sing it and suddenly I'm calm and I feel secure... This song is just so beautiful and amazing! I want to play this at my wedding