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".
Raised On Robbery
Joni Mitchell Lyrics
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He was drinking for diversion
He was thinking for himself
A little money riding on the Maple Leafs
Along comes a lady in lacy sleeves
She says let me sit down
You know, drinkin' alone's a shame (It's a shame it's a crying shame)
Look at those jokers
Hey honey-you've got lots of cash
Bring us round a bottle
And we'll have some laughs
Gin's what I'm drinking
I was raised on robbery
I'm a pretty good cook
Sitting on my groceries
Come up to my kitchen
I'll show you my best recipe
I try and I try but I can't save a cent
I'm up after midnight, cooking
Trying to make my rent
I'm rough but I'm pleasin'
I was raised on robbery
We had a little money once
They were pushing through a four lane highway
Government gave us three thousand dollars
You should have seen it fly away
First he bought a '57 Biscayne
He put it in the ditch
He drunk up all the rest
That son of a bitch
His blood's bad whiskey
I was raised on robbery
You know you ain't bad looking
I like the way you hold your drinks
Come home with me, honey
I ain't asking for no full length mink
Hey, where you going
Don't go yet
Your glass ain't empty and we just met
You're mean when your loaded
I was raised on robbery
In Raised on Robbery, Joni Mitchell tells the story of a woman who is no stranger to crime and is up for anything when it comes to getting what she wants. The song is sung from the perspective of a woman who is looking for someone to share her evening with. She is drinking gin and reminiscing about her past while trying to lure her newest companion into her world. She is unapologetic about her past and upbringing, having been raised on robbery. She embodies a carefree outlook on life, not worrying about the consequences of her actions and just taking what she wants.
The first verse describes a man sitting at a hotel lounge drinking for diversion with a little money riding on the Maple Leafs (who are a professional hockey team in Toronto). Along comes a woman in lacy sleeves who invites herself to sit down. She encourages the man to bring them a bottle, so they can have some laughs, and tells him that she was raised on robbery. The second verse is from the perspective of the woman who is a pretty good cook but cannot save a cent. She is up after midnight cooking to make rent, and she was raised on robbery. The third verse details how she and someone close to her were given some money by the government but instead of being responsible with it, the person drank it all away. She ends the song by trying to convince her new companion to stay with her a little longer, stating that she was raised on robbery and not to be taken as someone who should be taken lightly.
Line by Line Meaning
He was sitting in the lounge of the Empire Hotel
He was occupying himself in the lounge of the Empire Hotel
He was drinking for diversion
He was drinking to distract himself
He was thinking for himself
He was pondering on his own thoughts
A little money riding on the Maple Leafs
He had a small amount of money riding on the Maple Leafs (hockey team)
Along comes a lady in lacy sleeves
A lady wearing lacy sleeves entered the lounge
She says let me sit down
She requested to take a seat
You know, drinkin' alone's a shame (It's a shame it's a crying shame)
She expressed her belief that drinking by oneself is pathetic
Look at those jokers Glued to that damn hockey game
She pointed out the foolishness of the people consumed by the hockey game
Hey honey-you've got lots of cash Bring us round a bottle And we'll have some laughs Gin's what I'm drinking I was raised on robbery
She noticed he had money and offered to drink with him. She then admitted that she drinks gin because thievery was a custom in her family
I'm a pretty good cook Sitting on my groceries Come up to my kitchen I'll show you my best recipe
She boasted about her cooking skills and offered to showcase them if he visited her kitchen
I try and I try but I can't save a cent I'm up after midnight, cooking Trying to make my rent I'm rough but I'm pleasin' I was raised on robbery
She expressed her difficulties in saving money and making her rent while highlighting her perseverance in cooking. She then revealed that she was also brought up on thievery
We had a little money once They were pushing through a four lane highway Government gave us three thousand dollars You should have seen it fly away First he bought a '57 Biscayne He put it in the ditch He drunk up all the rest That son of a bitch His blood's bad whiskey I was raised on robbery
She reminisced about the time when her family had a small amount of money from the government but her father wasted it all on a car and drinking. She then blamed her father's addiction on his poor behavior and stated that she was also raised on thievery
You know you ain't bad looking I like the way you hold your drinks Come home with me, honey I ain't asking for no full length mink Hey, where you going Don't go yet Your glass ain't empty and we just met You're mean when your loaded I was raised on robbery
She complimented him on his appearance and drinking ability before inviting him to her place. She assured him that she didn't want anything too expensive as a gift from him. She then pleaded with him to stay and finish his drink before confessing that she was also inclined to meanness because of her upbringing on thievery
Lyrics © Crazy Crow Music / Siquomb Music Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind