Raised On Robbery

Joni Mitchell

He was sitting in the lounge of the Empire Hotel
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
Glued to that damn 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

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


Lyrics submitted by ruben, edited by ThomasC

Raised On Robbery Lyrics as written by Joni Mitchell

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Raised On Robbery song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment"i'm sitting on my groceries" = she's a prostitute :)
    chelseamorningon August 31, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentThis is definitely my favourite song by Joni Mitchell. I just have one question. Is the woman in the song a prostitue? I am inclined to believe so.
    Broken_Arrowon February 13, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General CommentSounds like it I mean if she was raised on robbery than that's most likely implying that she is a prostitute.
    floydian18on June 13, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General CommentJust bought "Court and Spark" today! First time i listened to it, this song really stuck! It's upbeat, catchy and the lyrics are really cheeky. I'd say the woman is a prostitute, who got money when they government bought her house, to build a highway over it, her then boyfriend wasted all the money and left, so she turned to prostitution, sounds sad really but the sond is delivered in a really funny way!
    GO JONI!
    Wunderkind92on July 08, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentIt seems to me that she had a troubled childhood with an alcoholic father. Now that she's grown up, she has a daddy complex and hovers around the bars looking to pick up guys drinking alone. She probably does this professionally. Only problem being that she's very pushy, which is why the guy walks away from her in the end. He's just trying to drink and maybe get laid, and here she comes talking about what a crappy cook she is and that she wants to take him home with her about 2 minutes after they met. Dude don't need syphilis. As for the robbery thing, maybe she's planning on robbing him after they're done in the sack.
    tv316on February 07, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment"I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries."
    "Come up to my kitchen and I'll show you my best recipe"
    "I'm up after midnight cooking, trying to make my rent"
    All of these things indicate that she's a prostitute. I think she had been married until her husband crashed their car and drank the rest of their money they got from the government putting through a highway where their house was. She was pretty pushy and also insulted him right from the start "look at all those jokers glued to that damn hockey game" which he was watching when she walked up. I think he just wanted to be alone with his hockey game and in the end gets tired of her and walks off.
    Kellie728on August 15, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General CommentClearly she is a prostitute. Anyone have any ideas about the line "raised on robbery"? Is it meant to imply she feels she is getting something (cash) for nothing (prostitution) or stealing something from others (or herself)? [Like trading your body is no big deal.] Or is it more blatant in that she steals from johns?

    I'm sure there are several interpretations of this specifically. Just curious if anyone has any...
    princejonion October 31, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General CommentClearly she is a prostitute. Anyone have any ideas about the line "raised on robbery"? Is it meant to imply she feels she is getting something (cash) for nothing (prostitution) or stealing something from others (or herself)? [Like trading your body is no big deal.] Or is it more blatant in that she steals from johns?

    I'm sure there are several interpretations of this specifically. Just curious if anyone has any...
    princejonion October 31, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General CommentClearly she is a prostitute. Anyone have any ideas about the line "raised on robbery"? Is it meant to imply she feels she is getting something (cash) for nothing (prostitution) or stealing something from others (or herself)? [Like trading your body is no big deal.] Or is it more blatant in that she steals from johns?

    I'm sure there are several interpretations of this specifically. Just curious if anyone has any...
    princejonion October 31, 2013   Link
  • -3
    General CommentI see - Just because she's economically challenged - and likes to have a good time with questionable losers - She'a prostitute ? You guys are just mean ( probably not even drunk ) !
    ron1000001on May 03, 2014   Link

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