The Most Moving Lyrics From Joni Mitchell Songs
Joni Mitchell’s gift for singing, songwriting, and following the beat of her own drum has made her a beloved icon in folk, pop, and rock. Her music is known for being eclectic, saturated in emotion, socially conscious, and ever-evolving. She released 19 studio albums between 1968 and 2007, featuring well-known songs such as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “A Case of You,” and “Both Sides Now.” She’s won nine Grammys — including for folk, pop, best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalists, and lifetime achievement — and is a member of the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Songwriters Hall of Fame in Canada, the country where she was born Roberta Joan Anderson in 1943.
Some of Mitchell’s first expressive musical experiences were through her church choir and piano lessons. She quickly began to write her own songs, and she taught herself the ukulele and guitar. Mitchell stands out as a singer who pours herself into highly personal work. She once said she seeks to create music that “strikes against the very nerves of [the listener’s] life, and, in order to do that, you have to strike against the very nerves of your own.” She often expressed her discomfort with fame and her disillusionment with the music industry, saying she preferred performing in intimate coffee shops to the big stage. Joni Mitchell’s vulnerable and honest songwriting continues to influence musicians and inspire listeners today. Here are 15 of her most moving song lyrics.
Laughing and crying, you know it’s the same release.
In living every day.
and we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.
So now I’m returning to myself these things that you and I suppressed.
Surely you touched mine, ’cause part of you pours out of me
in these lines from time to time.
But not like we love our freedom.
Oh I could drink a case of you, darling, and I would still be on my feet.
I want to belong to the living.
And we laughed how our perfection would always be denied.
‘Heart and humor and humility,’ he said, ‘will lighten up your heavy load.’
Oh California, I’m coming home. 
