Hejira
Joni Mitchell Lyrics

I'm traveling in some vehicle
I'm moving along in life, not quite sure where I'm headed

I'm sitting in some cafe
I'm taking a moment to pause and reflect on my journey

A defector from the petty wars
I've retreated from insignificant battles and trials that have drained my capacity to love

That shell shocked love away
Those petty wars have caused me trauma, and love has taken a back seat as a result

There's comfort in melancholy
I find solace in my sadder emotions

When there's no need to explain
There's no pressure to justify my emotions when I'm alone with them

It's just as natural as the weather
Feeling melancholy is a part of the natural emotional cycle

In this moody sky today
The weather reflects my emotional state

In our possessive coupling
In our exclusive relationship

So much could not be expressed
There were so many feelings and thoughts that couldn't be put into words between us

So now I am returning to myself
I'm rediscovering who I am outside of our relationship

These things that you and I suppressed
The emotions and thoughts that we both suppressed in our relationship

I see something of myself in everyone
I can relate to everyone on some level

Just at this moment of the world
Especially during this particular time period

As snow gathers like bolts of lace
As snow falls delicately

Waltzing on a ballroom girl
Dancing gracefully on the earth

You know it never has been easy
Life is full of challenges and struggles

Whether you do or you do not resign
Whether you give up or keep moving forward

Whether you travel the breadth of extremities
Whether you experience the highs and lows of life

Or stick to some straighter line
Or play it safe and follow a predictable path

Now here's a man and a woman sitting on a rock
A scene of two people sitting together

They're either going to thaw out or freeze
Their relationship is in a critical moment, and they could either reconcile or split apart

Listen, strains of Benny Goodman
You can hear the music of Benny Goodman playing in the distance

Coming through' the snow and the pinewood trees
Audible amidst the winter landscape

I'm porous with travel fever
I'm restless and eager for new experiences

But you know I'm so glad to be on my own
Despite feeling restless, I'm thankful for my independence

Still somehow the slightest touch of a stranger
But even a small interaction with someone new can awaken my emotions

Can set up trembling in my bones
I can be quickly affected by others, despite my desire for independence

I know, no one's going to show me everything
No one can teach me everything about life

We all come and go unknown
We all have an impact in life, but most of us are not widely known

Each so deep and superficial
Each person has many layers, some of which are shallow and surface-level, others of which are deep and meaningful

Between the forceps and the stone
Life is a journey between being born and dying

Well, I looked at the granite markers
I observed the tombstones and memorials made of granite

Those tributes to finality, to eternity
Those markers meant to commemorate a person's life and death

And then I looked at myself here
And then I considered my own life and mortality

Chicken scratching for my immortality
Trying to leave a lasting impact in life, but feeling unsure of how to do so

In the church, they light the candles
The sacred space of the church and the ritual of lighting candles

And the wax rolls down like tears
The dripping wax feels reminiscent of tear drops

There is the hope and the hopelessness
The church embodies both hope and despair

I've witnessed thirty years
The artist has been alive for 30 years

We're only particles of change I know, I know
We are small parts of the constant cycle of change

Orbiting around the sun
Rotating in the larger system of the solar system

But how can I have that point of view
But how can I think about things so objectively?

When I'm always bound and tied to someone
When I'm always connected and affected by someone else's actions and emotions

White flags of winter chimneys
Smoke from chimneys in the winter, creating a sense of surrender and peace

Wave truce against the moon
Creating a sense of peace and harmony against the backdrop of the moon

In the mirrors of a modern bank
Through the lens of the modern capitalist system

From the window of a hotel room
Viewed from a place of transience and detachment

Until love sucks me back that way
But ultimately, I know that my heart will pull me back towards love, even after the pain of the past