Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and throughout western Canada, before moving on to the nightclubs of Toronto, Ontario. She moved to the United States and began touring in 1965. Some of her original songs ("Urge for Going", "Chelsea Morning", "Both Sides, Now", "The Circle Game") were recorded by other folk singers, allowing her to sign with Reprise Records and record her debut album, Song to a Seagull, in 1968. Settling in Southern California, Mitchell helped define an era and a generation with popular songs like "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Woodstock". Her 1971 album Blue is often cited as one of the best albums of all time; it was rated the 30th best album ever made in Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", rising to number 3 in the 2020 edition. In 2000, The New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented "turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music". NPR ranked Blue number 1 on a 2017 list of Greatest Albums Made by Women.
Mitchell switched labels and began exploring more jazz-influenced melodic ideas, by way of lush pop textures, on 1974's Court and Spark, which featured the radio hits "Help Me" and "Free Man in Paris" and became her best-selling album. Mitchell's vocal range began to shift from mezzo-soprano to more of a wide-ranging contralto around 1975. Her distinctive piano and open-tuned guitar compositions also grew more harmonically and rhythmically complex as she melded jazz with rock and roll, R&B, classical music and non-Western beats. In the late 1970s, she began working with noted jazz musicians including Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Pat Metheny as well as Charles Mingus, who asked her to collaborate on his final recordings. She later turned to pop and electronic music and engaged in political protest. She was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002 and became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2021.
Mitchell produced or co-produced most of her albums. A critic of the music industry, she quit touring and released her 17th and last album of original songs in 2007. Mitchell has designed most of her own album covers, describing herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance".
Cactus Tree
Joni Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a decade full of dreams
And he takes her to a schooner
And he treats her like a queen
Bearing beads from California
With their amber stones and green
He has called her from the harbor
He has kissed her with his freedom
In the breaking and the breathing
Of the water weeds
While she was busy being free
There's a man who's climbed a mountain
And he's calling out her name
And he hopes her heart can hear three thousand miles
He calls again
He can think her there beside him
He can miss her just the same
He has missed her in the forest
While he showed her all the flowers
And the branches sang the chorus
As he climbed the scaley towers
Of a forest tree
While she was somewhere being free
There's a man who's sent a letter
And he's waiting for reply
He has asked her of her travels
Since the day they said goodbye
He writes "Wish you were beside me
We can make it if we try"
He has seen her at the office
With her name on all his papers
Through the sharing of the profits
He will find it hard to shake her
From his memory
And she's so busy being free
There's a lady in the city
And she thinks she loves them all
There's the one who's thinking of her
There's the one who sometimes calls
There's the one who writes her letters
With his facts and figures scrawl
She has brought them to her senses
They have laughed inside her laughter
Now she rallies her defenses
For she fears that one will ask her
For eternity
And she's so busy being free
There's a man who sends her medals
He is bleeding from the war
There's a jouster and a jester and a man who owns a store
There's a drummer and a dreamer
And you know there may be more
She will love them when she sees them
They will lose her if they follow
And she only means to please them
And her heart is full and hollow
Like a cactus tree
While she's so busy being free
“Cactus Tree” by Joni Mitchell is a song about a woman who is busy living a free and adventurous life. The song is divided into four different verses, each describing a different man in her life. The men are all very different from each other, but they are all drawn to the woman and her free spirit. The first verse describes a man who takes her sailing and treats her like a queen. He loves her but understands he will never be the one to possess her entirely. In the second verse, the man climbs a mountain and calls out her name, hoping she can hear it. He can think of her beside him as he climbs, but he knows that she is somewhere else, being free. The third man writes her a letter asking about her travels and wishes she was with him. But he too knows that she is not his to keep.
In the fourth verse, the song describes the woman’s perspective. She is in the city, surrounded by men who love her, but she fears that one of them will ask her to be with him forever. She is not ready to settle down; she has too much of the world left to see. She loves these men but knows that if they follow her, they will lose her. Her heart is “full and hollow like a cactus tree” - she is brimming with love and energy but also feels a sense of emptiness, knowing that she cannot stay in one place for too long.
Overall, “Cactus Tree” is a hauntingly beautiful song about the bittersweet feeling of freedom. The woman in the song loves the men in her life, but she cannot be tied down. Mitchell’s lyrics and music perfectly capture this paradoxical feeling of joy and emptiness.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a man who's been out sailing
There is a man who has recently been sailing.
In a decade full of dreams
This occurred during a time of great hope and imagination.
And he takes her to a schooner
He has brought her to a sailing vessel for a romantic encounter.
And he treats her like a queen
He showers her with adoration.
Bearing beads from California
He has brought back a gift from California to show his affection.
With their amber stones and green
The beads are prized for being an aesthetically pleasing accessory.
He has called her from the harbor
He has reached out to her from the harbor.
He has kissed her with his freedom
He is able to love her freely and passionately.
He has heard her off to starboard
He can hear her voice in the distance, coming from the side of the ship.
In the breaking and the breathing
The ship is moving, causing a sense of motion and rhythm.
Of the water weeds
There are plants in the water that provide a serene atmosphere.
While she was busy being free
She was enjoying her liberty and independence.
There's a man who's climbed a mountain
There is another man who has climbed a mountain.
And he's calling out her name
He is thinking of her and hoping she can hear his thoughts.
And he hopes her heart can hear three thousand miles
He is sending his love from a distance.
He calls again
He tries to reach her multiple times.
He can think her there beside him
He can visualize her being with him in spirit.
He can miss her just the same
Even with the distance between them, he still yearns for her company.
He has missed her in the forest
He thinks of her even when he is surrounded by nature.
While he showed her all the flowers
During a previous event, he tried to impress her with the beauty of nature.
And the branches sang the chorus
The surroundings seemed to bring music to the experience.
As he climbed the scaley towers
He attempted to climb trees and look at the scenery from above.
Of a forest tree
He appreciates the beauty of the forest and its natural elements.
While she was somewhere being free
During his previous adventure, she could have been away from him and enjoying her own freedom.
There's a man who's sent a letter
Provided there is a third man who has sent a letter.
And he's waiting for reply
He is eagerly anticipating her response.
He has asked her of her travels
He inquires about her experiences during her time away.
Since the day they said goodbye
Since they last departed from one another's company.
He writes "Wish you were beside me
He wishes she was physically with him.
We can make it if we try"
They have an opportunity to be together and could try to make it work.
He has seen her at the office
He has seen her in her professional setting.
With her name on all his papers
She has been on his mind even during business dealings.
Through the sharing of the profits
They have a connection through business endeavors.
He will find it hard to shake her
His feelings for her are strong and will not disappear easily.
From his memory
It is something he will remember for a while.
And she's so busy being free
She has a lot going on and is focused on her own interests.
There's a lady in the city
Finally, there is a woman in the city.
And she thinks she loves them all
She perceives herself to be infatuated with many people.
There's the one who's thinking of her
There is one person who is constantly thinking of her.
There's the one who sometimes calls
Another individual who occasionally reaches out to her.
There's the one who writes her letters
There is a third person who writes to her frequently.
With his facts and figures scrawl
The letters likely contain informative or analytical writing.
She has brought them to her senses
She has begun to understand her own feelings more clearly.
They have laughed inside her laughter
Her admirers have amused her and made her happy.
Now she rallies her defenses
She prepares herself for any advances that may be made on her.
For she fears that one will ask her
She is afraid that someone will propose to her.
For eternity
She is afraid of being tied down for the rest of her life.
And she's so busy being free
She is trying to avoid being bogged down by commitment or attachment.
There's a man who sends her medals
A man who is actively trying to impress her exists.
He is bleeding from the war
He has fought in a war and been injured.
There's a jouster and a jester and a man who owns a store
There are different types of men who are trying to win her heart.
There's a drummer and a dreamer
More men are trying to be with her.
And you know there may be more
She is popular and well-liked by many suitors.
She will love them when she sees them
She is open to falling in love and may reciprocate affection.
They will lose her if they follow
If they become too clingy or possessive, she will not be interested.
And she only means to please them
She is focused on gaining their favor and staying in their good graces.
And her heart is full and hollow
She is experiencing both positive and negative feelings at the same time.
Like a cactus tree
She is a unique and intriguing person, much like a cactus tree.
While she's so busy being free
She is not ready to commit to anyone at the moment, as she is focused on her own pursuits.
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daniellezimmerman573
There's a man who's been out sailing
In a decade full of dreams
And he takes her to a schooner
And he treats her like a queen
Bearing beads from California
With their amber stones and green
He has called her from the harbor
He has kissed her with his freedom
He has heard her off to starboard
In the breaking and the breathing
Of the water weeds
While she was busy being free
There's a man who's climbed a mountain
And he's calling out her name
And he hopes her heart can hear three thousand miles
He calls again
He can think her there beside him
He can miss her just the same
He has missed her in the forest
While he showed her all the flowers
And the branches sang the chorus
As he climbed the scaley towers
Of a forest tree
While she was somewhere being free
There's a man who's sent a letter
And he's waiting for reply
He has asked her of her travels
Since the day they said goodbye
He writes "Wish you were beside me
We can make it if we try"
He has seen her at the office
With her name on all his papers
Through the sharing of the profits
He will find it hard to shake her
From his memory
And she's so busy being free
There's a lady in the city
And she thinks she loves them all
There's the one who's thinking of her
There's the one who sometimes calls
There's the one who writes her letters
With his facts and figures scrawl
She has brought them to her senses
They have laughed inside her laughter
Now she rallies her defenses
For she fears that one will ask her
For eternity
And she's so busy being free
There's a man who sends her medals
He is bleeding from the war
There's a jouster and a jester and a man who owns a store
There's a drummer and a dreamer
And you know there may be more
She will love them when she sees them
They will lose her if they follow
And she only means to please them
And her heart is full and hollow
Like a cactus tree
While she's so busy being free
@jockojohn3294
Since I first heard her back in the late 60's, I always wondered how someone so young could have this depth of understanding of human emotion and the ability to write such stunningly beautiful music.....to this day I can still only say that, besides the work she put in..... she is an angel from the universe, a gift to the world......
@thomasthornton8069
Well said
@HyaenaHierarchy
Yes. A poet-goddess.
@edwardharley9
yes ! we must admit.. this woman is more than human... I met her in Vancouver..she was
shining....
@voodoosleeper
I wonder if you'd enjoy Joanna Newsom
@katherinemoore52
Indeed 💫🙏💫
@brendanhendry5001
Cactus tree hits me like no other song ever
@lizdrouin9588
I totally agree,it moves me to another universe...
@evamalene2746
@@lizdrouin9588 Agree, especially when the sun is setting and theres a glimpse of summer outside.
@gigidayz6936
I agree.