Polly live at BBC tomorrow!

[sirensrisen]

can't stop listening to it

[soulfadelic]

It's weird. She is most certainly not repeating herself. Production-wise it sounds a bit... tinny, too airy, but I'm sure that's because of the radio quality. I'm really anxious to hear the whole album.

[purdy.thang]

Thanks for that. Love it- February can't come soon enough.

[Pollyphoniac]

I'm already trying to imagine what this song will sound like performed live.

[Polly_Jean_Cave]

This is going to sound a bit silly..but I also get almost a beatles vibe from this too.

[sonfo]

That's fortunate. I started to think of Enya. I'll listen to it a few more times to get the feeling out of my system!

[soulfadelic]

I think the track would benefit from being a bit more organic/acoustic. I like the melody but the backing is cheesy, quite frankly, like bad U2, and clashes with the rawness of the sample. Maybe that's what she wanted...but it just reminds me of some Zola Jesus crap. I think it will sound better in a live setting.

[sau]

Thankyou very much for that, Dickie. Having to listen to the show before Polly was on reminded me, as if I needed reminding! - why I don't listen to Radio 1. There was a bit of relief with some Blood Red Shoes though. :-)

Her voice certainly sounds different. I'll have a go at the lyrics. I may be 'way off' with my intepretation, no doubt! I think she is commenting on the hard financial times in Britain/US and the image of talking to an old man by the generator/river/fetid water - "War is here in our beloved city" - makes me think of speaking to an Iraqi man in Baghdad.

Some of Polly's best lyrics, in my very humble opinion.

Wonder if Polly reads Robert Fisk. Hope so.

'People throwing dinars at the belly dancers,

In a sad circle by a trench of burning oil,

People throw belongings, a lifetime's earnings,
Amongst the scattered rubbish,
Suitcases on the sidewalk.

Date palms and orange and tangerine trees,
And eyes are crying for everything.

Old man by the generator, standing on/by the river,
By the fetid water,
He turned to me then surveyed the scene,
Said: "War is here in our beloved city".

People swimming across the river,
Swimming through the sewage written on the forehead.'

Something like that!

[agejus]

Thanks sau! Having your text i tried to add my two cents about it. Troubling is the last verse..



People throwing dinars at the belly dancers

In a sad CIRCUS by a trench of burning oil

People throw belongings, a lifetime's earnings,
Amongst the scattered rubbish,
Suitcases on the sidewalk.

Date palms and orange and tangerine trees,
And eyes are crying for everything.

SO I TALK TO an old man by the generator
HE WAS STANDING ON THE GRAVEL by the fetid river,
He turned to me then surveyed the scene,
Said: "War is here in our beloved city".

Sometime in the river and tried to swim away -- ??
through times the sewage they written on the forehead
Date palms and orange and tangerine trees,
And eyes are crying for everything

Let in buuuurn!

[Cartman]

http://www.pjharvey.net/

Better quality streaming on the site as well

[ethereal]

Thanks dickie!

That's very different then on first listen, who'd have thought it

[sau]

Thanks sau! Having your text i tried to add my two cents about it. Troubling is the last verse..



People throwing dinars at the belly dancers

In a sad CIRCUS by a trench of burning oil

People throw belongings, a lifetime's earnings,
Amongst the scattered rubbish,
Suitcases on the sidewalk.

Date palms and orange and tangerine trees,
And eyes are crying for everything.

SO I TALK TO an old man by the generator
HE WAS STANDING ON THE GRAVEL by the fetid river,
He turned to me then surveyed the scene,
Said: "War is here in our beloved city".

Sometime in the river and tried to swim away -- ??
through times the sewage they written on the forehead
Date palms and orange and tangerine trees,
And eyes are crying for everything

Let in buuuurn!

Thanks agejus! :-) You've done a better job than me.

[brownbrown]

Thanks sau! Having your text i tried to add my two cents about it. Troubling is the last verse..



People throwing dinars at the belly dancers

In a sad CIRCUS by a trench of burning oil

People throw belongings, a lifetime's earnings,
Amongst the scattered rubbish,
Suitcases on the sidewalk.

Date palms and orange and tangerine trees,
And eyes are crying for everything.

SO I TALK TO an old man by the generator
HE WAS STANDING ON THE GRAVEL by the fetid river,
He turned to me then surveyed the scene,
Said: "War is here in our beloved city".

Sometime in the river and tried to swim away -- ??
through times the sewage they written on the forehead
Date palms and orange and tangerine trees,
And eyes are crying for everything

Let in buuuurn!

thanks so much for the lyrics

[Mattius]

Thank you for the lyrics! Although I keep hearing the ending as:

Some DOVE in the river and tried to swim away,
Through TONGUES of sewage; FATE WRITTEN ON THEIR FOREHEADS.

[bluesman]

Thanks for the links dickie & nice heads up on the sampling agejus