Back in 1957
We had to dance a foot apart
And they hawk-eyed us from the sidelines
Holding their rulers without a heart
And so with just a touch of our fingers
I could make our circuitry explode
All we ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold

Come in (come in, come in, come in)
Oh, come in from the cold
(We were so young)
Uh come in (come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold

We really thought we had a purpose
We were so anxious to achieve
We had hope
The world held promise
For a slave to liberty
Freely I slaved away for something better
And I was bought and sold
And all I ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold

(Come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold
(Come in, come in)
(We were so sure)
Who's coming in now (come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold

I feel your legs under the table
Leaning into mine
I feel renewed
I feel disabled
By these bonfires in my spine
I don't know who the arsonist was
Which incendiary soul
But all I ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold

(Come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold (come in, come in)
(You were too warm)
Please come in (come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold

I am not some stone commission
Like a statue in a park
I am flesh and blood and vision
I am howling in the dark
Long blue shadows of the jackals
Are falling on a pay phone by the road
Oh all they ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold

(Come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold
(I was so low)
Oh, come in (come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold

Is this just vulgar electricity
Is this the edifying fire
(It was so pure)
Does your smile's covert complicity
Debase as it admires
(Just a flu with a temperature)
Are you just checking out your mojo
(Oh oh)
Or am I just fighting off growing old
(Just a high fever)
All I ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold

(Come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold
(It was so pure)
Please come in (come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold

I know we never will be perfect
Never entirely clear
(When the moon shines)
We get hurt and we just panic
And we strike out
Out of fear
(You were only being kind)
I fear the sentence of this solitude
Two hundred years on hold
(For my loving crime)
Oh and all we ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold

(Come in)
Come in (come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold (come in, come in)
(When the moon shines)
Oh come in (come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold

When I thought life had some meaning
Then I thought I had some choice
(I was running blind)
And I made some value judgments
In a self-important voice
(I was outa line)
But then absurdity came over me
And I longed to lose control
(Into no mind)
Oh all I ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold

(Come in, come in, come in, come in)
Oh, come in from the cold (come in, come in)
(You were so kind)
Please come in (come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold
(Come in, come in)
Oh come in, come in
(Come in, come in, come in, come in)
Come in from the cold
Come in, come in
(I was so low)
Come in, come in (come in, come in, come in, come in)
Coming from the cold


Lyrics submitted by mrrubery

Come In From The Cold Lyrics as written by Joni Mitchell

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O DistroKid, Songtrust Ave, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Come In From The Cold song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    This is one of my favourite joni songs, i agree, its beautiful. I love the line: "I am not some comission Like a statue in a park I am flesh and blood and vision I am howling in the dark" For me it just sums up the natural human desire to be appreciated and loved.

    mermaid_in_jeanson January 12, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    It's so beautiful. About being lonely and wanting to 'come in from the cold' The cold is a metaphor for loneliness

    missmeon July 25, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I really like this song of Joni's, there's just a deep self-reflection about it. Almost looking back on all aspects of her life, and realising that sh maybe never wanted everything in her life to pan out as it did, and simply wants to 'come in from the cold'.

    There's a distinctive change in Joni's voice on this song too. No longer did she have the soprano or falsetto ability anymore, so it was a much on this more breathy and textured vocal. Has the most lush guitar on this track too.

    It's a very evocative song and well worth the 7 minutes plus.

    dl04on February 05, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this is one of my all time favorite songs, it taps into a pure sense of nostalgia and innocence...not wanting anything bad, just pure.

    hippycoEDon March 27, 2008   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    I think these are some of Joni's saddest lyrics. I think the core of the song speaks about the conflict of those who were trying to work towards a better world (the hippies!) and the corporate world. Similar to Big Yellow Taxi I think that she uses the metaphor of young love to bring the issue into focus, and the parallel issue is losing innocence.

    "We really thought we had a purpose We were so anxious to achieve We had hope The world held promise For a slave to liberty Freely I slaved away for something better And I was bought and sold And all I ever wanted Was just to come in from the cold"

    So the hippies sold out or were sold out. Maybe she felt exploited. Maybe by the dream itself, or maybe by the music industry where her innermost feelings were a currency.

    I thinks she also says that the hippie movement was judgemental in some way "I made some value judgements, In a self-important voice".

    But for me the amazing thing about this song is the sense of humanity - it feels like a forgiving song.

    I know we never will be perfect Never entirely clear (when the moon shines) We get hurt and we just panic And we strike out Out of fear (you were only being kind)

    Amazing!!!!

    2014on August 29, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i like this song. it's interesting to me though, she doesn't sound like she normally does in her other songs. her voice sounds different. it's still beautiful, nonetheless.

    secondhandsmokeon September 07, 2007   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    This song is about a few different things but a couple of them appear to be the interdependent facts that people just generally need each other and having each other's company can be both comforting and arousing -- and then the matter of choosing who to be with, and then once two people have chosen each other, whether he/she is really the "right" person for me, and whether I'm the right person for him/her. The verse about "vulgar electricity" seems to be about all of this, including the ongoing questioning of the other person's motives and her own in the relationship they're already having. The needs for company & partnering are human nature, the choices we make to fulfill those needs are personal and give rise to more questioning.

    greendreameron February 11, 2013   Link

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