Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm

Words by joni mitchell
Music by larry klein and joni mitchell

I am lakota!
Lakota!
Looking at money man--
Diggin' the deadly quotas--
Out of balance--
Out of hand
We want the land!
Lay down the reeking ore!
Don't you hear the shrieking in the trees?
Everywhere you touch the earth--she's sore
Every time you skin her all things weep
Your money mocks us--
Restitution--what good can it do?--
Kennelled in metered boxes
Red dogs in debt to you

I am lakota!
Lakota!
Fighting among ourselves
All we can say with one whole heart
Is we won't sell--
No we'll never sell
We want the land!
The lonely coyote calls
In the woodlands--footprints of the deer
In the barrooms--poor drunk bastard falls
In the courtrooms--deaf ears--sixty years
You think we're sleeping--but
Quietly like rattlesnakes and stars
We have seen the trampled rainbows
In the smoke of cars

I am lakota
Brave
Sun pity me
I am lakota
Broken
Moon pity me
I am lakota
Grave
Shadows stretching
Lakota
Oh pity me
I am lakota
Weak
Grass pity me
I am lakota
Faithful
Rocks pity me
I am lakota
Meek
Standing water
Lakota
Oh pity me

I am lakota!
Lakota!
Standing on sacred land
We never sold these black hills
To the missile-heads--
To the power plants
We want the land!
The bullet and the fence--broke lakota
The black coats and the booze--broke lakota
Courts that circumvent--choke lakota
Nothing left to lose
Tell me grandfather
You spoke the fur and feather tongues--
Do you hear the whimpering waters
When the tractors come?

Repeat chorus

Sun pity me
Mother earth
Mother
Moon pity me
Father sky
Father
Shadows
Stretching on the forest floor
Mother earth
Oh pity me
Father sky
Father
Grass pity me
Mother earth
Mother
Rocks pity me
Father sky
Father
Water
Standing in a wakan manner
Mother earth
Oh pity me

Words and music by joni mitchell

I'm going to take you to
My special place
It's a place that you
Like no one else i know
Might appreciate
I don't go there with anyone--but
You're a special case
For my special place
For my secret place

People talk to tell you something
Or to take up space
Guess i'm only talking
To be talking to
Your pretty face
I don't talk much to anyone--but
You're a special case
For my special place
My secret place

I was born and raised
In new york city
I'm just getting used to colorado--
Oh street bravado
Carry me
Why did you bring me to
A place so wild and pretty?
Are there pigeons in this park--
Muggers after dark--
In these golden trees--
In the secret place?

I'm going to take you to
My special place
It's a place no amount of hurt and anger
Can deface
I put things back together there
It all falls right in place--
In my special space
My special place

Once i saw a film
In new york city
That was shot in colorado--
Girl meets desperado
In the trembling mountain trees
Out of all of the girls that you see
In bleachers and cafe windows
Sitting--flirting with someone
Looking to have some fun
Why did you pick me?
For the secret place

Words and music by joni mitchell

No, you couldn't call jesse a babe in the woods
He's just weak in self-defense
'cause he's so thin skinned
He can't take a joke at his expense
"you're a push down window," says rowdy yates
"i can run you up and down
Anytime i want
I can make you my dancin'--
My dancin' clown!"
You're my dancin' clown
Dancin' dancin'
My dancin' clown
Dancin'
You're my dancin' clown
Dancin' dancin' dancin'
My dancin' clown

Rowdy yates is as bold as jove--
He's all chide and snide and bluff--
Stuck in the romantic tradition
Of acting rough and tough
"you're always charging thru," says jesse
Nervous, lookin' all around--
To see who's seein' him bein' a dancin'
A dancin' clown
He's a dancin' clown
Dancin' dancin'
A dancin' clown
Dancin'
He's a dancin' clown
Dancin' dancin' dancin'
A dancin' clown

Cherchez la femme
Whenever love comes around
Someone's a dancin' clown
Cherchez la femme
Whenever hearts start to pound
Someone's a dancin' clown

Down the street comes last-word suzie--
She's high yellow--lookin' top nice
You hear the swoosh of jungle blades
And the crackle of northern ice
"hot damn!" says rowdy--lookin' up
"yum!" says jesse lookin' down
"how would you like to be her dancin'
Her dancin' clown?"
Be her dancin' clown
Dancin' dancin'
Her dancin' clown
Dancin'
Be her dancin' clown
Dancin' dancin' dancin'
Her dancin' clown

Cherchez la femme
Whenever love comes to town
Someone's a dancin' clown
Cherchez la femme
Wherever hearts start to pound
Someone's a dancin' clown

Words by joni mitchell
Music by larry klein and joni mitchell

Study war no more
Lay down your arms
Study war no more
Lay 'em down, lay 'em down now
Study war no more
Lay down your arms
Study war no more

Newsreels rattle the nazi dread--
The able-bodied have shipped away--
Molly mcgee gets her tea-leaves read--
You'll be married in a month they say
"these leaves are crazy!
Look at this town--there's no men left!
Just frail old boys and babies
Talking to teacher in the treble clef."

She plants her garden in the spring
She does the winter shovelling
Tokyo rose on the radio
She says she's leavin' but she don't go

Out of the blue--just passin' thru
A young flight sergeant
On two weeks leave--
Says "molly mcgee--no one else will do!"
And seals the tea-leaf prophecy.
Oh these nights are strong and soft--
Private passions and secret storms
Nothin' about him ticks her off
And he looks so cute in his uniform

She plants her garden in the spring
He does the winter shovelling
But summer's just a sneeze
In a long-long-bad-winter cold
She says, "i'm leavin' here" but she don't go

"sleep little darlin'!
This is your happy home
Hiroshima cannot be pardoned!
Don't have kids when you get grown.
Because, this world is shattered
The wise are mourning--
The fools are joking
Oh--what does it matter?
The wash needs ironing
And the fire needs stoking."

She plants her garden in the spring
He does the winter shovelling
The three of 'em laughing 'round the radio
She says "i'm leavin' here" but she don't go

She plants her garden in the spring
They do the winter shovelling
They sit up late and watch the
Johnny carson show
She says "i'm leavin' here but she don't go

Words by joni mitchell
Music by larry klein and joni mitchell

He
In a shopping mall
Finally met the perfect girl
She is all that matters
The only one in all the world
Like a barbie doll
Oh love is snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

She
Just to have and hold
Is the perfect air-brushed angel
Makes you hot just looking at her
Stapled into all his braincells
Like a centerfold
Oh love is snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Buy the townhouse
Call the preacher
Get to the bottom climb back up
Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Set up credit for the lovely creature
The lovely creature

He
On a corporate climb
Set his sights on power for her
On a silver platter
He gave up happy hour for her
Perrier and lime
Oh love is snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders
She
In a handsome world
Put her mind to social graces
All the privileged chatter
Setting pretty table places
For the girls in pearls
Oh love is snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Buy the carphone--
Call the broker
Get to the bottom climb back up
Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Buy the wife a diamond choker
A diamond choker

True love--true love--true love
He's so nervous
New love--new love--new love
When he's with her
Oh--he's wasting away
True love--true love--true love
It's so curious
New love--new love--new love
Just to kiss her
To kiss her--to kiss her--to kiss her
To kiss her--to kiss her--to kiss her
To kiss her he has to shave

She
In the gilded mirrors
In the swing of fancy places
Where the black ties flatter
Started seeing other faces
Young-fogie-financiers
Oh love is snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

See
In the crimes of time
How the seasons steal away
How the rungs are shattered
First you're green then you're grey
Still the snakes unwind
Still playin' snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders

Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Sell the vineyard
Call the lawyer
Get to the bottom climb back up
Get to the top and slide back down
Get to the bottom climb back up
Gather garbage to destroy her
To destroy her

Ladders--ladders--ladders
The perfect girl
Ladders--ladders--ladders
The paper chase love is snakes and ladders
Ladders--ladders--ladders
The social whirl
Ladders--ladders
The rat race
Barbie doll