Joni Mitchell Never Lies — Page 4

The years go by and now the girl is 70!

Happy Birthday Joni.

God Bless Spotify!

I've been listening to my Joni Mitchell playlist over & over and this song always jumps out. Joni wrote it about a friend who ran away from an abusive stepfather and ended up in reform school. It's amazing song for so many reasons,but mostly because adult Joni manages to recapture the rhythms and syntax of 13-year old Joni, and so chillingly evoke the evoke the abuse:

"Cherokee Louise is hiding in this tunnel
In the Broadway bridge
We're crawling on our knees
We've got flashlights and batteries
We've got cold cuts from the fridge

Last year about this time
We used to climb up in the branches
Just to sway there in some breeze
Now the cops on the street
They want Cherokee Louise....

Ever since we turned thirteen
It's like a minefield
Walking to the door
Going out you get the third degree
And comin' in you get the third world war

Tuesday after school
We put our pennies on the rails
And when the train went by
We were jumpin' round like fools
Goin' "Look no heads or tails"
Goin' "Look my lucky prize"

She runs home to her foster dad
He opens up a zipper
And he yanks her to her knees
Oh please be here please
My friend
Poor Cherokee Louise"
Cherokee Louise

Sending all good thoughts, healthy karma and prayers to Joni Mitchell tonight!

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her ailment has not been disclosed. But, she is awake and in good spirits according to news reports.

Updated On: 4/1/15 at 05:34 AM

I miss him ALWAYS, but, yes, he was the first person I thought of when I heard the news that she'd been taken ill last night. And, I got teary-eyed when I was reading the thread again, and remembering all of his glorious posts.

Whenever we were together we'd talk about her music, songwriting, and her gifts to us.

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It may well have been!

Though life took him away from Coconut Grove, I know how much it was a part of him. In so many ways.

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