Sunday, February 13, 2011

Big Yellow Taxi

One of my favorite artists has always been Joni Mitchell. Like a fine wine she has gotten better with age.



Below is a rendition of her redone version of Big Yellow Taxi. Here's the lyrics and you will see she tells the story about how people paved over paradise to put up a parking lot and a pink hotel:

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 till 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 then they charged all the people twenty-five bucks just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot



Hey farmer, farmer, put away your 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 till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till 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 carried off my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Text & Musik: Joni Mitchell
(c) 1970 Siquomb Publishing Corp. (BMI)


Watch this video and you will see a series of images of Joni Mitchell from a young age to maturity. And the new version of Big Yellow Taxi is really good. (I believe this collection of images was complied by Dr. Rob Dammet of North Hollywood. It is very well done.)

4 comments:

R. Burnett Baker said...

Love love love Joni! If only I could see her perform. Aside from 1974's Court And Spark, Miles Of Aisles is my favorite Joni album. (Live with LA Express).

Rick

Small City Scenes said...

Absolutely!!!
Better with age but good no matter what.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU!!
MB

Small City Scenes said...

Hi russell--again. Regarding your comment about hay. We get a bale of local hay for 5 dollars but sometimes we buy these huge rolls and the horses will munch till they are full but never overeat. It is just grass hay no alfalfa. These are 50 dollars and last about as long as feeding bales every day. We have 7 horses here and that is counting the mini/ponies. They are outdoor horses so it is easier this way. Of course we don't have snow or freezing temps either. LOL

MB

Jo said...

I love Joni Mitchell. (And she's Canadian). With this song, I always thought she was saying...

"The Pink Paradise
put up a parking lot..."


Isn't that weird?