Nathan La Franeer - Joni Mitchell

Nathan La Franeer - Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell

I hired a coach to take me from confusion to the plane

And though we shared a common space I know I'll never meet again

The driver with his eyebrows furrowed in the rear-view mirror

I read his name and it was plainly written Nathan La Franeer

I asked him would he hurry

But we crawled the canyons slowly

Thru the buyers and the sellers

Thru the burglar bells and the wishing wells

With gangs and girly shows

The ghostly garden grows

The cars and buses bustled thru the bedlam of the day

I looked thru window-glass at streets and Nathan grumbled at the grey

I saw an aging cripple selling Superman balloons

The city grated thru chrome-plate

The clock struck slowly half-past-noon

Thru the tunnel tiled and turning

Into daylight once again I am escaping

Once again goodbye

To symphonies and dirty trees

With parks and plastic clothes

The ghostly garden grows


He asked me for a dollar more

He cursed me to my face

He hated everyone who paid to ride

And share his common space

I picked my bags up from the curb

And stumbled to the door

Another man reached out his hand

Another hand reached out for more

And I filled it full of silver

And I left the fingers counting

And the sky goes on forever

Without meter maids and peace parades
    





    

Joni Mitchell Big Yellow Taxi

You feed it all your woes

The ghostly garden grows

© 1968 Siquomb Publishing Co. (BMI)

..........................

One of my favourites from her early work. Escape from the madness 
of the city, from confusion, alienation (he hated everyone who paid 
to ride and share his comon space) from cruel irony 
(I saw an aging cripple selling Superman Balloons), 
from the buyers and sellers culture, from the Ghostly garden.
A clever lyric describing a inner and outer landscape 
while escaping in a taxi. The clear, emotion tinted and evocative 
imagery laced with alliterations and assoconance
that help convey the anxiety and give a musicality to the 
lyric works well. eg
The Car and buses bustled through the bedlam of the day.

This song is video in itself just via the lyrics and it's ability 
to convey the madness 
of the metropolis and the vapidness of it's human contacts.

Most people I know seem to prefer Joni's later works 
with full band arrangments. 
I still think of these early albums as her finest lyrically.

Joni Mitchell lyrics