'Shine'

[babylonsister]

Shine
by Joni Mitchell

Oh let your little light shine
Let your little light shine
Shine on Wall Street and Vegas
Place your bets
Shine on the fishermen
With nothing in their nets
Shine on rising oceans and evaporating seas
Shine on our Frankenstein technologies
Shine on science
With its tunnel vision
Shine on fertile farmland
Buried under subdivisions

Let your little light shine
Let your little light shine
Shine on the dazzling darkness
That restores us in deep sleep
Shine on what we throw away
And what we keep

Shine on Reverend Pearson
Who threw away
The vain old God
kept Dickens and Rembrandt and Beethoven
And fresh plowed sod
Shine on good earth, good air, good water
And a safe place
For kids to play
Shine on bombs exploding
Half a mile away

Let your little light shine
Let your little light shine
Shine on world-wide traffic jams
Honking day and night
Shine on another asshole
Passing on the right!
Shine on the red light runners
Busy talking on their cell phones
Shine on the Catholic Church
And the prisons that it owns
Shine on all the Churches
They all love less and less
Shine on a hopeful girl
In a dreamy dress

Let your little light shine
Let your little light shine
Shine on good humor
Shine on good will
Shine on lousy leadership
Licensed to kill
Shine on dying soldiers
In patriotic pain
Shine on mass destruction
In some God's name!
Shine on the pioneers
Those seekers of mental health
Craving simplicity
They traveled inward
Past themselves...
May all their little lights shine

http://jonimitchell.com/musician/song.cfm?id=Shine

[samdogmom]

1. I just bought her album today! It's excellent!

I highly recommend it! Beautiful instrumentation (I understand she plays most of the instruments!) and wonderful, meaningful lyrics. An album for the ages!

[babylonsister]

3. I didn't even know it was out-thanks! Also, Herbie Hancock has

done a tribute album of JM tunes called "The Joni Letters" which also sounds really good. I don't know if that's out yet either, but I'm planning on getting both from Santa! :P

[samdogmom]

4. It's out, and it's excellent also!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Joni is one of the greatest songwriters..ever. K&R

And, no one performs Joni's songs as well as Joni herself.

[babylonsister]

5. I get so nostalgic when I hear her, too. And I always love to hear her! nt

[saltpoint]

6. I hope none of the marketers were holding out for a holiday album.

The woman wields a clean, sharp ax, don't she?

[babylonsister]

7. Yes! I've been waiting for the musicians to get angry, and know some have,

but let's hope this is a start to something that's probably been gathering steam for awhile.

[saltpoint]

8. That sounds like a trend I want to be part of. Hey there babylonsister.

Another good post for you tonight on DU, which is unsurprising but delightful nevertheless.

Yes. We'll take the musicians and the painters, too, if they'll have us!

[babylonsister]

9. We need them! And hello, my

stalwart buddy, who always makes so much sense to me and has a way with the word that I so enjoy! :hug:

[billbuckhead]

10. Just bought it on iTunes

[babylonsister]

11. Tell me if you like it please! nt

[samdogmom]

14. Are you "humored" by iTunes' editing of the album cover?

They've put a big wide swatch of blue over the dancers (gasp!) naked rear ends! I didn't know this album cover was censored by iTunes until I saw the uncensored version on Amazon. Good grief!

[lonestarnot]

12. Woah I thank you.

[RufusTFirefly]

13. I've always loved Joni, and although I'm not normally a Paula Cole fan...

... I think she deserves major credit for speaking out (in song) long before many others did

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Well hello there
Blue-blooded boy
Your bed is lined with dollars
I bet you're cumming oil
I love the way you take control
And push the world around
United Nations ha ha ha
No one can keep you down

Daddy's little helper
Silver foot in your mouth
Policemen of the world
Gonna start another war
Connecticut Yankee in a cowboy hat
You're my hero Mr. President

Remember the election
For the presidency
No matter that Gore
Won the majority
Your cousin married Fox TV
Declared you were the one
Your brother came through with his promise
He'd get Florida

Now whatcha gonna do
About our economy
You spend three trillion dollars
In a heartbeat
Now what about us folks here
Living hand to mouth
We can't afford our lives
And we're working three jobs

Now don't you want your grandchildren
To see the Colorado River
You're kissing so much corporate ass
You're selling away our future
We can all wear geo-thermal suits
And TOAST TO YOU DUBYA

Woo!!!

Now wiping out the terrorists
Is fine by me
But please don't erode
Our civil liberties
The America we fight for
And hold so dear
Includes a woman's right to choose
Freedom of religion
Freedom of assembly
And free speech
Like the song I'm singing here

Daddy's little helper
Silver foot in your mouth
Policeman of the world
Gonna kick Hussein's butt
Connecticut Yankee in a cowboy hat
You're my hero Mr. President
You're my hero Mr. President
You're our Nero Mr. President

Oh yeah

Mmmm Mmm

My Hero, Mr. President