Peach, Plum, Pear Lyrics

[Verse 1]
We speak in the store
I'm a sensitive bore
You seem markedly more
And I'm oozing surprise
But it's late in the day
And you're well on your way
What was golden went gray
And I'm suddenly shy
And the gathering floozies
Afford to be choosy
And all sneezing darkly
In the dimming divide

And I have read the right books
To interpret your look
You were knocking me down
With the palm of your eye


[Bridge]
Oh, na-na-na, na-na-na, na, na
Na-na-na, na-na-na, na, na
Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na

[Verse 2]
This was unlike the story
It was written to be
I was riding its back
When it used to ride me
And we were galloping manic
To the mouth of the source
We were swallowing panic
In the face of its force

And I am blue
I am blue and unwell

Made me bolt like a horse
[Bridge]
Oh, na-na-na, na-na-na, na, na
Na-na-na, na-na-na, na, na
Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na

[Verse 3]
Now it's done
Watch it go
You've changed some
Water runs from the snow

Am I so dear?
Do I run rare?

And you've changed some
Peach, plum, pear
Peach, plum

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About

Genius Annotation

Get past the voice, and the harpsichord, and all the quirks that make Joanna Newsom either catnip or poison to her admirers and detractors, and what you find here is one hell of a composition.

The odd chord progression stays precisely the same for the entire song, but the melody changes some, in Newsom’s phrase. So does the tenor of its lyric, from the ooze and floozies and alliteration of its first few verses to the manic, bolting horse and internal assonance (and therefore suggestion of whores) in the last few. None of that is obvious at first, but all of it works in the service of the song’s needle-sharp emotional sting.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What has the media said about the song?
Genius Answer

In 2018, NPR ranked this as the #80 greatest song by a female or nonbinary artist in the 21st century, saying:

When Joanna Newsom’s debut album The Milk-Eyed Mender was released in 2004, the classically trained harpist transported listeners to another time. Was this an old recording of an Appalachian traditional song? A newly unearthed 1920’s folktale? Not since Black Lake’s singular voice emerged had a talent like Newsom been able to cross into the pop world and have such a lasting effect. The whimsical arrangement of ‘Peach, Plum, Pear’ — with layered vocals and repeating harpsichord — introduces us to a style that could only be dreamed up by a truly gifted artist, and which instills listeners with a deep sense of wonder.

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