Big Yellow Taxi
Counting Crows Lyrics


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They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
And put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half to seem 'em

No no no
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got
Til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer farmer
Put away the DDT
I don't care about spots on my apples
Leave me the birds and the bees
Please!

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Hey, now they paved paradise
To put up a parking lot
Why not?

Listenin' late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took my girl away
Now, don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey now, now
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got
Til its gone
They paved paradise
To put up a parking lot
Why not?
They paved paradise
To put up a parking lot
Hey hey hey
Paved paradise
To put up a parking lot

I don't want give it
Why you want give,
Why you want give it all away?
Hey hey hey
Now you want give it,
Ah she want to give it
Cause she givin' it all away
Now now now

I don't want give it
Why you want give,
Why you want give it all away?
Giving it all, giving it all away

Why you want it?
Why do you want it? (She's giving it all away)





Hey pave paradise
Put up a parking lot

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Counting Crows' song Big Yellow Taxi ft Vanessa Carlton are a reflection on the impact of human development on the environment. The lyrics lament the destruction of nature in the name of progress, particularly the paving over of natural habitats to make way for man-made structures, such as parking lots, hotels, and other attractions. The lyrics serve as a warning against the shortsightedness of modern development practices and the importance of preserving natural landscapes.


The chorus of the song, "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got til it's gone," speaks to the idea that people often take nature and the environment for granted until they are lost. The lyric encourages listeners to appreciate the natural world while it is still here and to try to make a positive impact on the environment in any way possible. The song also calls on farmers to stop using pesticides that harm the environment and to leave nature intact rather than making it subservient to human interests.


Line by Line Meaning

They paved paradise
They destroyed a perfect place


And put up a parking lot
To build something so useless


With a pink hotel, a boutique
In place of a beautiful view


And a swinging hot spot
A place for people to waste their time


Don't it always seem to go
Isn't it always the same


That you don't know what you've got til its gone
We take what we have for granted


They took all the trees
They didn't spare anything


And put 'em in a tree museum
To admire what they destroyed


And they charged the people
To see what was once free


A dollar and a half to see 'em
A price for lost memories


Hey farmer farmer
A plea to protect nature


Put away the DDT
Stop using dangerous chemicals


I don't care about spots on my apples
I care about the health of nature


Leave me the birds and the bees
Don't take away what's important to life


Please!
A plea for action


Listenin' late last night
Recalling a lost love


I heard the screen door slam
Bringing back a memory


And a big yellow taxi
A metaphor for a speedy departure


Took my girl away
Taking away what was valuable


Now why do they always seem to go
Why is it always like this


That you don't know what you've got
That we fail to appreciate what we have


Til its gone
Until it's too late


Hey now, now
A call for attention


Paved paradise
Destroyed what was perfect


To put up a parking lot
For something so useless


Why not?
Why did it have to be like this?


I don't want give it
A plea to not let it happen again


Why you want give
Why did they destroy


Why you want give it all away?
Why must they take everything important


Giving it all, giving it all away
Losing everything valuable


Why you want it?
Why do they take it away?


Why do you want it?
Why is it so important to destroy?


Hey pave paradise
A final disillusioned plea


Put up a parking lot
Repeating the mistake




Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Joni Mitchell

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@roa3432

Big Yellow Taxi Lyrics

[Verse 1]
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot

[Chorus]
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
(Shoo-bop-bop-bop-bop
Shoo-bop-bop-bop-bop)

[Verse 2]
They took all the trees, put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em

[Chorus]
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
(Shoo-bop-bop-bop-bop
Shoo-bop-bop-bop-bop)

[Verse 3]
Hey farmer, farmer, put away the DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees, please

[Chorus]
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
(Shoo-bop-bop-bop-bop
Shoo-bop-bop-bop-bop)

[Verse 4]
Late last night, I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man

[Chorus]
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
(Shoo-bop-bop-bop-bop)
I said, don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
(Shoo-bop-bop-bop-bop)
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
(Shoo-bop-bop-bop-bop)
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot



@isimartsy3422

Timeless song. Last month, one day ago was it's 14th anniversary. My 14th birthday was an exact month before that, I love this song, so here are the lyrics to show my love. I didn't plagiarize, I typed all of it out myself.

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique and a swingin' hotspot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot

Ooh, bop bop bop,
Ooh, bop bop bop, (na na na na na)

They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them

Now, now, now,
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot

Ooh, bop bop bop,
Ooh, bop bop bop, (na na na na na)

Hey, farmer farmer, put away your DDT
I don't care about spot on my apples,
leave me the birds and the bees,
Please!

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise to put up a parkin' lot, hey now,
They paved paradise to put up a parkin' lot

Ooh, bop bop bop, (Now, now)
Ooh, bop bop bop, (na na na na na)

Listen,
Late last night I heard the screen door sway,
And a big yellow taxi took my girl away
Now don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?

They paved paradise, to put up a parkin' lot

Hey
Now, now
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise, to put up a parkin' lot

Why, now
They paved paradise, to put a parkin' lot

Hey, hey, hey
Paved paradise, to put up a parkin' lot

Ooh, bop bop bop,
Ooh, bop bop bop,

I don't wanna give it,
Why you wanna give it, why you wanna give it all away?
Hey, hey, hey
Now you wanna give it,
Ah, She wanna give it, Cause she givin it all away
I don't wanna give it,
Why you wanna give it, why you wanna give it all away?
Cause your givin' it all,
Givin' it all away

Why you want to?
Why do you want to? (She's givin' it all away)
Hey, hey, hey
They paved paradise to put up a parkin' lot

La, la, la, la, la, la,
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na



All comments from YouTube:

@trevortnidesserped3299

I get why someone might hate this cover but I love it. The overall vibe of it, the fact they gave a new life to this tune, and those adlibs from Vanessa just make the entire song.

@larrysmac

This is just an 'elevator/department store' version of Joni's original.

@t.e.burgos3263

Did Joni Mitchell ever express her opinion of this cover? I love the original AND the cover BTW.

@trevortnidesserped3299

@@t.e.burgos3263 Supposedly a review of the cover written by The Village Voice upon its release was archived onto Joni Mitchell's website. I'm not sure if it was her who archived it or someone on her team, but I highly doubt she didn't dislike this cover. She was one of those more eccentric, artsy alternative/folk artists who didn't try to fit in any of the industry norms or boxes at the time, and she was also egotistical to a certain extent.

@bminus4502

Heard this song for first time in a long time a week. The shivers I got. Oh man. Best feeling in the world.

@WWJDIwonder

@mudda90210 She'll still be getting royalties on it - I bet she won't mind those! ☺

19 More Replies...

@texasvanity

This song hits home to people like me who are old enough to remember wooded areas that we played in, that are now shopping centers and apartment buildings. They literally paved our childhood play zones, pretend war zones, ect to put up parking lots.

@sweetpopz

They paved the bball court and badminton court to put up an empty lot for events and a seated pavilion respectively but never used it. And they wonder why children don’t engage in sports these days.

@Dr.Gainzzz

I hope it hits home enough to know this is a cover of a Joni Mitchel song.

@AH-be6bu

@Chris O'Neill laughable thing to say.

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