For lack of another interpretation on this site, here is mine... I hope someone points out to me the things I've added in and missed out of the meaning, because there may be some :-)
Anyway, I think it's a discussion on the nature of freedom, wrapped up in a kind of 'creation narrative'. The name Ursala comes directly from the fact that 'Ursa' is Latin for 'Bear'... thus the 'Ursa Major' constellation being called the 'Great Bear'. Given Joanna's oft-displayed celestial fascination, I think the story that's so wonderfully woven here, then, is of the origin of that constellation.
The song is about a cunning and duplicitous monkey's exploitation of a performing bear... promising friendship and freedom, but all the while keeping her trapped in the old slavery as she works towards the unattainable dream, "A-steeped in milk and honey", offered in Monkey's words. He feigns love, pretends that he is working for Bear's good - "My heart is a furnace/ Full of love that's just and earnest" - but his intention is to keep her boxed in. This is seen in his being troubled when she gets a taste of life outside his control, and in his scheme to dissuade her from getting away at that point... in reality, he is using her performances for his own profit (thus the irony in 'But still/ They have got to pay the bills/ Hadn't they?/ That is what the monkey'd say').
There is a hopelessness in that: the promise is amazing, but the bear's present reality is that she is bound by fancy clothes (so opposite to the freedom of the wild), a leash, the tragic dancing for the pleasure of the children who love her for her intrigue, but are terrified of her; and really, despite Monkey's words, there is no indication that if Bear stays where she is, she will ever come out of this cycle. That is a lonely and constricted place, the kind of place where oppression makes one fade away to death.
The meaning therefore comes down to the conflict between the desire for freedom, and the consequence of escape... also the tragedy of slavery within an illusion of liberty. I think the comment of the song on this topic may be seen in comparing and contrasting the start of the song and conclusion. The first few stanzas give the warning of the horses who escaped through an open gate, and died in their indulgence; the proverb is to "stay by the gate you are given", not to seek change or look beyond what you are told and offered, for fences keep us safe. But Bear, if she sees past the illusion that keeps her going in her slavery, is really in a place where she is as good as dead anyway. So the message of the song is perhaps a reckless one: as she breaks free in the final imagery, there is no indication of what happens to her, beyond the purely positive portrayal of her vivid and exhilarating liberation, totally separate and oblivious to Monkey and his scheming. We do not know what happens when time moves on, as it must, and she steps out of the seaside caverns. We only know that she had no choice, and that only in this is there any meaning or fulfillment. There is a strong and overriding caution of the cost of escape in the mirroring story of the horses... but in accepting that and plunging into it Bear transcends it, and finds herself eternally free in her existence shining in the night sky, a testimony to light the way and give direction to all those who hear her story and come after her.
This presents a message that though it is safer to stay locked in the places and mentality in which we are already positioned... perhaps by the cords of society's attempts to lock up our potential through a facade of convincing lies and elusive, unattainable hopes... we do have an option of breaking out. This is both foolish and wonderful - vital. The ideal ending, the image of Ursala's freedom, implies that it is worth anything. The only advice offered about how one may pull this off is in the revelation that Monkey is a liar... perhaps we do not have to listen to the "You've been rolling in muck!... You smell of garbage and grime"... perhaps the bear is stronger than the monkey...
Inspired by this story, perhaps today is the day when we can throw off the wearisome restraints of conformity, and step blindly into an unknown which is frightening, perhaps fatal, but which is good, for it typifies truth and the Freedom we have always dreamed of - and in the true tradition of all story-telling, this ideal is worth everything.
Great stuff. Glad you did this so I don't have to. I think this is Joanna Newsom's clearest song in terms of its meaning, although it's still quite open to interpretation.
Great stuff. Glad you did this so I don't have to. I think this is Joanna Newsom's clearest song in terms of its meaning, although it's still quite open to interpretation.
The monkey is made out to be quite underhanded and sly - and is obviously the antagonist here. But there's no indication that the bear would be better off for escaping. When the bear finally does venture into the caves, she ends up drowning, 'lowered in a genteel curtsey' (still a slave to her domestication).
The monkey is made out to be quite underhanded and sly - and is obviously the antagonist here. But there's no indication that the bear would be better off for escaping. When the bear finally does venture into the caves, she ends up drowning, 'lowered in a genteel curtsey' (still a slave to her domestication).
There are no assumptions made about the nature of control here, just observations. I think she's quite careful not to put any obvious political slant on this. Yes, the bear dies. But was she better off experiencing this freedom and then dying in the wild, than she would have been had she lived a longer but less fulfilled life under control, ie. in the farm/dancing for the monkey? Brilliant song. Always entertaining. Well worth a sit down with the lyric booklet.
This a really great write up.
You've given me the inspiration to do some more thinking about this song now - a song which I always rather disliked: I've always found the (overly?) elaborate "Monkey and Bear" metaphor so distracting and weighty. (But loved most of Newsom's other stuff).
This a really great write up.
You've given me the inspiration to do some more thinking about this song now - a song which I always rather disliked: I've always found the (overly?) elaborate "Monkey and Bear" metaphor so distracting and weighty. (But loved most of Newsom's other stuff).
For lack of another interpretation on this site, here is mine... I hope someone points out to me the things I've added in and missed out of the meaning, because there may be some :-)
Anyway, I think it's a discussion on the nature of freedom, wrapped up in a kind of 'creation narrative'. The name Ursala comes directly from the fact that 'Ursa' is Latin for 'Bear'... thus the 'Ursa Major' constellation being called the 'Great Bear'. Given Joanna's oft-displayed celestial fascination, I think the story that's so wonderfully woven here, then, is of the origin of that constellation.
The song is about a cunning and duplicitous monkey's exploitation of a performing bear... promising friendship and freedom, but all the while keeping her trapped in the old slavery as she works towards the unattainable dream, "A-steeped in milk and honey", offered in Monkey's words. He feigns love, pretends that he is working for Bear's good - "My heart is a furnace/ Full of love that's just and earnest" - but his intention is to keep her boxed in. This is seen in his being troubled when she gets a taste of life outside his control, and in his scheme to dissuade her from getting away at that point... in reality, he is using her performances for his own profit (thus the irony in 'But still/ They have got to pay the bills/ Hadn't they?/ That is what the monkey'd say').
There is a hopelessness in that: the promise is amazing, but the bear's present reality is that she is bound by fancy clothes (so opposite to the freedom of the wild), a leash, the tragic dancing for the pleasure of the children who love her for her intrigue, but are terrified of her; and really, despite Monkey's words, there is no indication that if Bear stays where she is, she will ever come out of this cycle. That is a lonely and constricted place, the kind of place where oppression makes one fade away to death.
The meaning therefore comes down to the conflict between the desire for freedom, and the consequence of escape... also the tragedy of slavery within an illusion of liberty. I think the comment of the song on this topic may be seen in comparing and contrasting the start of the song and conclusion. The first few stanzas give the warning of the horses who escaped through an open gate, and died in their indulgence; the proverb is to "stay by the gate you are given", not to seek change or look beyond what you are told and offered, for fences keep us safe. But Bear, if she sees past the illusion that keeps her going in her slavery, is really in a place where she is as good as dead anyway. So the message of the song is perhaps a reckless one: as she breaks free in the final imagery, there is no indication of what happens to her, beyond the purely positive portrayal of her vivid and exhilarating liberation, totally separate and oblivious to Monkey and his scheming. We do not know what happens when time moves on, as it must, and she steps out of the seaside caverns. We only know that she had no choice, and that only in this is there any meaning or fulfillment. There is a strong and overriding caution of the cost of escape in the mirroring story of the horses... but in accepting that and plunging into it Bear transcends it, and finds herself eternally free in her existence shining in the night sky, a testimony to light the way and give direction to all those who hear her story and come after her.
This presents a message that though it is safer to stay locked in the places and mentality in which we are already positioned... perhaps by the cords of society's attempts to lock up our potential through a facade of convincing lies and elusive, unattainable hopes... we do have an option of breaking out. This is both foolish and wonderful - vital. The ideal ending, the image of Ursala's freedom, implies that it is worth anything. The only advice offered about how one may pull this off is in the revelation that Monkey is a liar... perhaps we do not have to listen to the "You've been rolling in muck!... You smell of garbage and grime"... perhaps the bear is stronger than the monkey...
Inspired by this story, perhaps today is the day when we can throw off the wearisome restraints of conformity, and step blindly into an unknown which is frightening, perhaps fatal, but which is good, for it typifies truth and the Freedom we have always dreamed of - and in the true tradition of all story-telling, this ideal is worth everything.
Great stuff. Glad you did this so I don't have to. I think this is Joanna Newsom's clearest song in terms of its meaning, although it's still quite open to interpretation.
Great stuff. Glad you did this so I don't have to. I think this is Joanna Newsom's clearest song in terms of its meaning, although it's still quite open to interpretation.
The monkey is made out to be quite underhanded and sly - and is obviously the antagonist here. But there's no indication that the bear would be better off for escaping. When the bear finally does venture into the caves, she ends up drowning, 'lowered in a genteel curtsey' (still a slave to her domestication).
The monkey is made out to be quite underhanded and sly - and is obviously the antagonist here. But there's no indication that the bear would be better off for escaping. When the bear finally does venture into the caves, she ends up drowning, 'lowered in a genteel curtsey' (still a slave to her domestication).
There are no assumptions made about the nature of control here, just observations. I think she's quite careful not to put any obvious political slant on this. Yes, the bear dies. But was she better off experiencing this freedom and then dying in the wild, than she would have been had she lived a longer but less fulfilled life under control, ie. in the farm/dancing for the monkey? Brilliant song. Always entertaining. Well worth a sit down with the lyric booklet.
This a really great write up. You've given me the inspiration to do some more thinking about this song now - a song which I always rather disliked: I've always found the (overly?) elaborate "Monkey and Bear" metaphor so distracting and weighty. (But loved most of Newsom's other stuff).
This a really great write up. You've given me the inspiration to do some more thinking about this song now - a song which I always rather disliked: I've always found the (overly?) elaborate "Monkey and Bear" metaphor so distracting and weighty. (But loved most of Newsom's other stuff).
@Annelise its about selling your soul to the devil. monkey is man (and the real devil), and bear is the illusion of the beast- outside of one's self.
@Annelise its about selling your soul to the devil. monkey is man (and the real devil), and bear is the illusion of the beast- outside of one's self.