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Court And Spark Lyrics
Love came to my door
With a sleeping roll
And a madman's soul
He thought for sure I'd seen him
Dancing up a river in the dark
Looking for a woman
To court and spark
He was playing on the sidewalk
For passing change
When something strange happened
Glory train passed through him
So he buried the coins he made
In People's Park
And went looknig for a woman
To court and spark
It seemed like he read my mind
He saw me mistrusting him
And still acting kind
He saw how I worried sometimes
I worry sometimes
"All the guilty people" he said
They've all seen the stain
On their daily bread
On their Christian names
I cleared myself
I sacrificed my blues
And you could complete me
I'd complete you
His eyes were the colour of the sand
And the sea
And the more he talked to me
The more he reached me
But I couldn't let go of L.A.
City of the fallen angels
With a sleeping roll
And a madman's soul
He thought for sure I'd seen him
Dancing up a river in the dark
Looking for a woman
To court and spark
For passing change
When something strange happened
Glory train passed through him
So he buried the coins he made
In People's Park
And went looknig for a woman
To court and spark
He saw me mistrusting him
And still acting kind
He saw how I worried sometimes
I worry sometimes
They've all seen the stain
On their daily bread
On their Christian names
I cleared myself
I sacrificed my blues
And you could complete me
I'd complete you
And the sea
And the more he talked to me
The more he reached me
But I couldn't let go of L.A.
City of the fallen angels
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This song was inspired by an incident that Joni experienced in Berkeley, where she met a delusional street musician who believed that Joni had written a number of songs literally for him, although they had never met. The songs included "For Free" and "River", which is referenced in the line "dancing down the river in the dark..." and other songs, which I forget. It wasn't like he said, hey Joni, I really relate to these songs, it was rather that he was convinced that she had written them specifically for him, as in, this was someone with a mental condition.
Other details of the song, such as the burying of the coins, come from this meeting, but I forget the details. I also forget where I learned this.
I'm fascinated and intrigued by mukome's comment. I met a man that I have been jamming with at a regular gathering for the past two years. Our interactions have been musically very gratifying. He loves to pump out chords and I'm learning to improvise. He plays on the street for spare change and loves to observe and interact with everyone. He is enigmatic. I've found him inscrutable and a curios transplant and throwback to another time and place. He recently said he sought out Joni years back, came to know her and...
I'm fascinated and intrigued by mukome's comment. I met a man that I have been jamming with at a regular gathering for the past two years. Our interactions have been musically very gratifying. He loves to pump out chords and I'm learning to improvise. He plays on the street for spare change and loves to observe and interact with everyone. He is enigmatic. I've found him inscrutable and a curios transplant and throwback to another time and place. He recently said he sought out Joni years back, came to know her and said that she wrote Court and Spark about him.
Wish you could remember more.
@mukome beautiful thing is...now she has literally written a song about him.
@mukome beautiful thing is...now she has literally written a song about him.
@Woolsey did have eyes the color of the sand in the sea?
@Woolsey did have eyes the color of the sand in the sea?
Wow... I can't believe that no one's written about this song O.o Court and Spark has to be one of my favorite albums of all time. I think this song is about a man who changed, he cleaned up his life, and a woman falls in love with him. She's mistrusts him some for his past, but he tries to reassure her that he's changed and that she could change too. And she wants to follow him and believe him, but she can't leave L.A. Who hasn't been in love only to find that there's something holding you back? This song is so true, that is always touches me every time I hear it.
Yes this is when he has seen the light is her. Yes he cleans up, but mean while she has moved on. He will never forget her, but his life is changed for the better.
Yes this is when he has seen the light is her. Yes he cleans up, but mean while she has moved on. He will never forget her, but his life is changed for the better.
Love came to my door With a sleeping roll And a madman's soul
quite the unique experience ...
amazing how you can be in love; you feel as if you're totally vulnerable and unguarded (to an uncomfortable degree, perhaps)...and later you realize, fear was holding you back
Yeah, I like that interpretation. You're in love, but can't quite commit. Youre a little fearful of what loving this person will mean,but you can't give up the life you've made for yourself. This is one of my all-time favorite songs. I've heard it literally thousands of times and have never tired of it.