Joni Mitchell

Taming the Tiger

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Taming the Tiger Lyrics

I stepped outside to breathe the air
And stare up at the stars
Big dipper hanging there
Over the rented car
Over the rented car
I’m a runaway from the record biz
From the hoods in the hood and the whiny white kids
Boring!
The old man is snoring
And I’m taming the tiger
(you can’t tame the tiger)
Tiger, tiger burning bright
Nice, kitty kitty
Tiger, tiger burning bright

Sophia says it’s hard to catch
And harder still to ride
The time to watch the beast the best
Is when it’s purring at your side
Purring at your side
Accolades and honors
One false move and you’re a goner
Boring!
The old man is snoring
And I’m taming the tiger
(you can’t tame the tiger)
Tiger, tiger burning bright
Nice, kitty kitty
Tiger, tiger burning bright
In the forest of the night

The moon shed light
On my hopeless plight
As the radio blared so bland
Every disc, a poker chip
Every song just a one night stand
Formula music, girly guile
Genuine junk food for juveniles
Up and down the dial
Mercenary style

I watched the stars chuck down their spears
And a plane went blinking by
And I thought of Anna
Wild and dear
Like fireworks in the sky
Fireworks in the sky
I’m so sick of this game
Its hip, its hot
Life’s too short, the whole thing’s gotten
Boring!
The old man is snoring
And I’m taming the tiger
(you can’t tame the tiger)
Tiger, tiger burning bright
Nice, kitty kitty
(boring!)
Tiger, tiger burning bright
(you can’t tame the tiger)
Oh, be nice, kitty kitty
(boring!)
Tiger, tiger burning bright
Nice, kitty kitty
(boring, boring!)
Tiger, tiger burning bright
(fight to the light, fight to the light)
In the forest of the night

Submitted by

sillybunny On Aug 12, 2006

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sillybunny

Submitter

2006-08-12 12:54:29

1 Meaning

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by sillybunny

19y ago

Sophia, we are hard to catch and enormously difficult to ride. How do you manage? I’m not sure I do but to back up a touch, I’ll say you aren’t hard to catch at all. You are saying that because you don’t want anyone to try. Am I so transparent? One false move and you’re a goner?
Is that so bad? Actually, no, but …. You don’t want anyone or anything freaking you out. I feel I’ve been freaked out enough for one or two people to be honest … so, you’re not hard to catch at all and oh, so very boring … I think of sweet Anna, wild and dear, like fireworks in the sky so I’ll agree with the boring story. Babe, this tiger can’t be tamed. The time to watch the beast the best is when it’s purring by your side. That little detail never escaped me. And when purring, you make everything so … otherworldly …I’m not sure that’s the right word … people get mesmerized and don’t move at all … The old man snores … Who’s the old man? Who, indeed … suppose it depends … you bored? Even if I was, I'd lie. In a heartbeat ...

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