Natalie Merchant sings poetry

July 19, 2010 7:55 AM

Natalie Merchant performs arrangements of 19th and early 20th century poetry at TED 2010

from her new album Leave Your Sleep, her first release of new material since 2003.

Charles Edward Carryl - "The Sleepy Giant"
Natalia Crane - "The Janitor's Boy"
e. e. cummings - "maggie and millie and molly and may"
Laurence Alma-Tadema - "If No One Ever Marries Me"
Gerard Manley Hopkins "Spring and Fall: To a Young Child"

Plus, a live performance of "Kind & Generous."

"Nursery Rhyme of Inocence and Experience"(Charles Causley).

An Interview with Ellah Allfrey of Granta.

posted by nangar (8 comments total)

The Natalie Merchant performance is phenomenal, thanks! I hadn't really heard anything she has done since the song she sang on Mermaid Avenue, and these songs are along the same lines, but much better.
posted by oulipian at 8:34 AM on July 19, 2010

Hey, Jack Kerouac, I ripped off your poetry.

OK, not really.
posted by pracowity at 8:39 AM on July 19, 2010

Saw her concert on Friday in NYC, she was incredible.
posted by dabug at 8:43 AM on July 19, 2010

Ahhhh, TED talks, Natalie Merchant, and MetaFilter. This is the best rainy Monday ever!
posted by headnsouth at 9:10 AM on July 19, 2010

Oh, thank you so much for this post. I am nuts about Natalie Merchant. And in fact rather obsessed with this song. Also making my nice husband take me to hear her in concert this summer.
posted by bearwife at 9:30 AM on July 19, 2010

Wow, this is fantastic stuff.
posted by thanotopsis at 9:46 AM on July 19, 2010

Beautiful.
posted by seanyboy at 11:50 AM on July 19, 2010

Grazie, mille!
posted by Vibrissae at 2:28 AM on July 20, 2010