Come In From The Cold Lyrics
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
Oh, we could make our circuitry explode
All we ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold
Come in from the cold
(we were so young)
Oh come in
Come in from the cold
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 from the cold
(we were so sure)
Please come in
Come in from the cold
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 from the cold
(you were too warm)
Oh come in come in
Come in from the cold
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 we ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold
Come in from the cold
(I was so low)
Oh come in
Come in from the cold
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
Or am I just fighting off getting old
(just a high fever)
All I ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold
Come in from the cold
(it was so pure)
Please come in
Come in from the cold
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 sentance of this solitude
200 years on hold
(for my loving crime)
Oh and all we ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold
Oh come in from the cold
(when the moon shines)
Oh come in
Come in from the cold
The 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 from teh cold
(you were so kind)
Please come in
(so kind)
Come in from teh cold
Come in Come in
Come in from the cold
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.
It's so beautiful. About being lonely and wanting to 'come in from the cold' The cold is a metaphor for loneliness
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.
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.
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!!!!
@2014 wow i think you hit the nail on the head with this one!! i was thinking of something similar but less developed, just two high school lovers who grow up in a politically tumultuous era and generally the shitty world of adulthood that shakes them to their core as individuals and lovers and shits them out. I'm thinking across the world (2007) esque. if I could direct I would turn this song into a film, hell if I could have a fraction of the talent join had i'd spend my entire career trying to replicate the beauty, enormity, and...
@2014 wow i think you hit the nail on the head with this one!! i was thinking of something similar but less developed, just two high school lovers who grow up in a politically tumultuous era and generally the shitty world of adulthood that shakes them to their core as individuals and lovers and shits them out. I'm thinking across the world (2007) esque. if I could direct I would turn this song into a film, hell if I could have a fraction of the talent join had i'd spend my entire career trying to replicate the beauty, enormity, and poignance of this one song
@2014 wow i think you hit the nail on the head with this one!! i was thinking of something similar but less developed, just two high school lovers who grow up in a politically tumultuous era and generally the shitty world of adulthood that shakes them to their core as individuals and lovers and shits them out. and I suppose in the end they really only have each other; it's like them vs the world. I'm thinking across the world (2007) esque. if I could direct I would turn this song into a film, hell if I could have a...
@2014 wow i think you hit the nail on the head with this one!! i was thinking of something similar but less developed, just two high school lovers who grow up in a politically tumultuous era and generally the shitty world of adulthood that shakes them to their core as individuals and lovers and shits them out. and I suppose in the end they really only have each other; it's like them vs the world. I'm thinking across the world (2007) esque. if I could direct I would turn this song into a film, hell if I could have a fraction of the talent join had i'd spend my entire career trying to replicate the beauty, enormity, and poignance of this one song
sorry i sent that in twice i thought I was editing it !
sorry i sent that in twice i thought I was editing it !
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.
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.