They
paved paradise and put up a
parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique and
a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've
got til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a
parking lot
They took all the trees and put
'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a
dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've
got til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a
parking lot
Hey farmer, farmer, put away that
DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the
bees, please!
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've
got til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a
parking lot
Late last night I heard the screen
door slam
And a big yellow taxi took away my
old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've
got til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a
parking lot
I said don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've
got til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a
parking lot
They paved paradise and put up a
parking lot
They paved paradise and put up a
parking lot - a ha ha
* live
recording
from Ladies Of The Canyon (1970)
U.S. charts hit for 'Neighborhood'
(# 26, 7/70)
Woodstock
(Joni
Mitchell)
I came
upon a child of God, he was
walking along the road
And I asked him 'where are you
going' an' this he told me
I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm
Im gonna join in a rock and roll
band
I'm gonna camp out on the land
And then I try 'n' get my soul
free
We are stardust, we are golden
And we got to get ourselves back
to the garden
Then can I walk beside you, I have
come here to lose the smog
And I feel to be a cog in
something turning
Oh maybe it is just the time of
year
Or maybe it's the time of man
I don't know who I am but you know
life is for learning
We are stardust, we are golden
And we got to get ourselves back
to the garden
By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And ev'rywhere there was song and
celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
ridin' shotgun in the sky
An' they were turnin' into
butterflies above our nation
We
are stardust, million year old
carbon
We are golden, caught in the
devil's bargain
And we got to get ourselves back
to the garden
from
Ladies Of The Canyon (1970)
The
Circle Game
Yesterday
a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of
thunder
And tearful at the falling of a
star
And the seasons they go round and
round
And the painted ponies go up and
down
We're captive on the carousel of
time
We can't return, we can only look
behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
in the circle game
Then the child moved ten times
round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen
streams
Words like 'when you're older'
must appease him
And promises of someday make his
dreams
And the seasons they go round and
round
And the painted ponies go up and
down
We're captive on the carousel of
time
We can't return, we can only look
behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
in the circle game
Sixteen springs and sixteen
summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels
through the town
And they tell him 'take your time,
it won't be long now'
Till you drag your feet to slow
the circles down
And the seasons they go round and
round
And the painted ponies go up and
down
We're captive on the carousel of
time
We can't return, we can only look
behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
in the circle game
So the years spin by and now the
boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some
grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams, maybe
better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is
through
And the seasons they go round and
round
And the painted ponies go up and
down
We're captive on the carousel of
time
We can't return, we can only look
behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
in the circle game
from
Ladies Of The Canyon (1970)
high.pos.
chart entry
US
97
9/71
GB
-
D
-
Carey
(Joni
Mitchell)
The
wind is in from Africa, last night
I couldn't sleep
Oh you know it sure is hard to
leave here, Carey
But it's really not my home
My fingernails are filthy, I got
beach tar on my feet
And I miss my clean white linen
and my fancy French cologne
Oh Carey, get out your cane and
I'll put on some silver
Oh you're a mean old daddy, but I
like you fine
Come on down to the mermaid café
and I will buy you a bottle of
wine
And we'll laugh and toast to
nothing and smash our empty
glasses down
Let's have a round for these
freaks and these soldiers
A round for these friends of mine
Let's have another round for the
bright red devil
Who keeps me in this tourist town
Come on, Carey, get out your cane,
I'll put on some silver
Oh you're a mean old daddy, but I
like you, I like you, I like you,
I like you
Maybe I'll go to Amsterdam or
maybe I'll go to Rome
And rent me a grand piano and put
some flowers 'round my room
But let's not talk about
fare-thee-wells now the night is a
starry dome
And they're playin' that scratchy
rock 'n' roll
Beneath the Matalla moon
Come on, Carey, get out your cane
and I'll put on some silver
You're a mean old daddy, but I
like you
The wind is in from Africa last
night I couldn't sleep
Oh you know it sure is hard to
leave here but it's really not my
home
Maybe it's been too long a time
since I was scramblin' down in the
street
Now they got me used to that clean
white linen
And that fancy French cologne
Oh Carey, get out your cane, I'll
put on my finest silver
We'll go to the mermaid café have
fun tonight
I said, oh you're a mean old
daddy, but you're out of sight
from
Blue (1971)
high.pos.
chart entry
US
18
11/72
GB
-
D
-
You
Turn Me On, I'm A Radio
(Joni
Mitchell)
If
you're driving into town with a
dark cloud above you
Dial in the number who's bound to
love you
Oh, honey, you turn me on, I'm a
radio
I'm a country station, I'm a
little bit corny
I'm a wild wood flower waving for
you
Broadcasting tower, waving for you
And I'm sending you out this
signal here
I hope you can pick it out loud
and clear
I know you don't like weak women,
you get bored so quick
And you don't like strong women
'cause they're hip to your tricks
It's been dirty for dirty down the
line
But you know I come when you
whistle
When you're loving and kind
But if you've got too many doubts
If there's no good reception for
me then tune me out
'Cause honey who needs the static?
It hurts the head and you wind up
cracking
And the day goes dismal from
"Breakfast Barney"
To the sign off prayer
What a sorry face you get to wear
I'm gonna tell you again now if
you're still listening there
If you're driving into town with a
dark cloud above you
Dail in the number who's bound to
love you
If you're lying on the beach with
the transistor going
Kick off the sandflies honey, the
love's still flowing
If your head says 'forget that
your heart's still smoking'
Call me at the station, the lines
are open
from For
The Roses (1972)
high.pos.
chart entry
US
50
12/73
GB
-
D
-
Raised
On Robbery
(Joni
Mitchell)
He was
sitting in the lounge of the
Empire Hotel
He was drinking for diversion
He was thinking for himself
A little money riding on the maple
leafs
Along comes a lady in lacy sleeves
She says 'let me sit down here,
you know drinking alone's a shame
It's a shame, it's a crying shame
Look at those jokers glued to that
damn hockey game
Hey honey - you've got lots of
cash, bring us 'round a bottle
And we'll have some laughs, gin's
what I'm drinking
I was raised on robbery'
I'm a pretty good cook, I'm
sitting on my groceries
Come up to my kitchen, I'll show
you my best recipe
I try and I try but I can't save a
cent
I'm up after midnight cooking,
trying to make my rent
I'm rough but I'm pleasin'
I was raised on robbery
We had a little money once
They were pushing through a
four-lane highway
Government gave us three thousand
dollars
And you should have seen it fly
away
First he bought a '57 Biscayne, he
put it in the ditch
He drunk up all the rest, that son
of a bitch
His blood's bad whiskey
I was raised on robbery
You know you ain't bad looking
I like the way you hold your
drinks
Come home with me honey
I ain't asking for no full-length
mink
Hey, where you going ... don't go
yet ...
Your glass ain't empty and we just
met
You're mean when you're loaded
I was raised on robbery
from
Court And Spark (1974)
high.pos.
chart entry
US
7
3/74
GB
-
D
-
Help
Me
(Joni
Mitchell)
Help me
I think I'm falling in love again
When I get that crazy feeling, I
know I'm in trouble again
I'm in trouble 'cause you're a
rambler and a gambler
And a sweet-talking-ladies man and
you love your lovin'
But not like you love your freedom
Help me I think I'm falling in
love too fast
It's got me hoping for the future
and worrying about the past
'Cause I've seen some hot hot
blazes
Come down to smoke and ash
We love our lovin' but not like we
love our freedom
Oh didn't it feel good
We were sitting there talking or
lying there not talking
Didn't it feel good
You dance with the lady with the
hole in her stocking
Didn't it feel good, didn't it
feel good ....
Help me I think I'm falling in
love with you
Are you going to let me go there
by myself
That's such a lonely thing to do
Both of us flirtin' around,
flirtin' and flirtin', hurtin' too
We love our lovin' but not like we
love our freedom
from
Court And Spark (1974)
high.pos.
chart entry
US
26
7/74
GB
-
D
-
Free
Man In Paris
(Joni
Mitchell)
"The
way I see it" he said
"you just can't win it
Everybody's in it for their own
gain
You can't please 'em all
There's always somebody calling
you down
I do my best and I do good
business
There's a lot of people asking for
my time
They're trying to get ahead
They're trying to be a good friend
of mine
I was a free man in Paris, I felt
unfettered and alive
There was nobody calling me up for
favors
And no one's future to decide
You know I'd go back there
tomorrow
But for the work I've taken on
Stoking the star maker machinery
Behind the popular song
I deal in dreamers and telephone
screamers
Lately I wonder what I do it for
If l had my way I'd just walk
through those doors
And wander down the Champs Elysees
Going cafe to cabaret
Thinking how I'll feel when I find
That very good friend of mine
I was a free man in Paris I felt
unfettered and alive
Nobody was calling me up for
favors
No one's future to decide
You know I'd go back there
tomorrow
But for the work I've taken on
Stoking the star maker machinery
Behind the popular song
from
Court And Spark (1974)
high.pos.
chart entry
US
69
2/76
GB
-
D
-
In
France They Kiss On Main Street
Downtown my darling dimestore
thief
In the War of Independence
Rock 'n roll rang sweet as victory
Under neon signs a girl was in
bloom
And a woman was fading in a
suburban room
I said, "take me to the
dance"
"Do you want to dance?",
"I love to dance"
And I told him, "they don't
take chances
They seem so removed from
romance"
"They've been broken in
churches and schools
And molded to middle class
circumstance"
And we were rolling, rolling, rock
'n rolling
Downtown the dance halls and cafes
Feel so wild you could break
somebody's heart
Just doing the latest dance craze
Gail and Louise in those push-up
brassieres
Tight dresses and rhinestone rings
Drinking up the band's beers
Young love was kissing under
bridges
Kissing in cars, kissing in cafes
And we were walking down Main
Street
Kisses like bright flags hung on
holidays
"In France they kiss on Main
Street"
"Amour, mama, not cheap
display"
And we were rolling, rolling, rock
'n rolling
Downtown in the pinball arcade
With his head full of pool hall
pitches
And songs from the hit parade
He'd be singing "bye, bye,
love"
While he's racking up his free
play
Let those rock 'n roll choir boys
Come and carry us away
Sometimes Chickie had the car or
Ron had the car
Or Lead Foot Melvin with his
hot-wire head
We'd all go looking for a party
Looking to raise Jesus up from the
dead
And I'd be kissing in the back
seat
Thrilling to the Brando-like
things that he said
And we'd be rolling, rolling, rock
'n rolling
Rolling, rolling, rock 'n rolling
Rolling, rolling, rock 'n rolling
