Blue Boy
Joni Mitchell Lyrics
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She took him home
Made himself an idol, yes
So he turned to stone
Like a pilgrim, she traveled
To place her flowers
Before his granite grace
And she prayed aloud for love
To waken in his face
In his face, oh
Sometimes in the evening
He would read to her
Roll her in his arms
And give his seed to her
She would wake in the morning
Without him
And go to the window
And look out through the pain
But the statue in her garden
He always looked the same
He looked the same, ah
Bring her boots of leather
And she will dance for him
Shyly from a feather fan
She'll glance for him
Here he comes after midnight
To find her again
He will come a few times more
'Til he finds a lady statue
Standing in a door
In her door, oh
Joni Mitchell’s “Blue Boy” is a heartbreaking tale of an unrequited love. The song starts with the Lady who calls the Blue boy her love and takes him home, turning him into an idol. The Blue boy turns into stone and as a pilgrim, she visits him and lays flowers by his side, praying out loud for love to waken in his face. The Lady in the song is in a relationship with a statue, wanting desperately for the statue to come alive and reciprocate her love. She even goes as far as to read to the statue and have sex with him, only to wake up in the morning without him. The statue in her garden never changes, and yet she longs for his affection.
The song's melancholic lyrics and slow melody convey a feeling of despair and loneliness. The lyrics are a poignant depiction of the heartache that can come with loving someone who is not capable of loving you back. It reveals the Lady's longing for a connection with the statue, which is ultimately unattainable.
Line by Line Meaning
Lady called the blue boy, love
A woman referred to a man as her love, with blue serving as a descriptive word for him
She took him home
She brought him to her home, perhaps with romantic intentions
Made himself an idol, yes
She idolized him, placing him on a pedestal of sorts
So he turned to stone
By making him into an idol, he became emotionally rigid and unresponsive
Like a pilgrim, she traveled
She made a journey, possibly seeking something she wanted
To place her flowers
She brought flowers to a specific place, possibly to honor someone
Before his granite grace
She placed flowers before his immovable statue
And she prayed aloud for love
She spoke out loud, asking for love to be present
To waken in his face
She wanted to see love present in his expression
In his face, oh
Reiterating her desire for love to be visible in his face
Sometimes in the evening
At certain times of day, possibly intimate moments
He would read to her
He would share literature with her
Roll her in his arms
They would embrace
And give his seed to her
They would make love, with the man possibly trying to impregnate her
She would wake in the morning
She woke up the next day
Without him
He was not with her
And go to the window
She walked to a window
And look out through the pain
She looked out, perhaps feeling emotional pain
But the statue in her garden
The stone statue remained in her garden
He always looked the same
The statue's appearance never changed
He looked the same, ah
Reiterating that the statue had stayed the same, as a contrast to humans who change
Bring her boots of leather
Getting a gift of boots made of leather
And she will dance for him
She will dance in gratitude
Shyly from a feather fan
Using a fan made of feathers, she danced shyly for him
She'll glance for him
She glanced at him, possibly flirtatiously
Here he comes after midnight
He comes to her house after midnight
To find her again
He has come back to find her
He will come a few times more
He will come back a few times more
'Til he finds a lady statue
He continues to come back until he finds that she has been turned to stone like the blue boy
Standing in a door
She is now immovable, standing like a statue in a door
In her door, oh
Reiterating the image of her as an immovable statue in a door
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind