Lyric discussion by bumbledeeintheav 

Cover art for Ladder lyrics by Joan Osborne

This song is among my personal top 100 all-time favorite songs. To me, tyhis song's about a woman who will stay when she should go. I see a woman who loves a man crippled with an addiction of some sort (learning another language) and the wreckage of their behavior (INFEDELITY, ABANDONMENT) that buries them and the people who love them. A woman awareness of when he says "this", it means "that". The addict thinks they're follin' everyone, especially the one they lie to the most (besides themselves), and she's lettin' him know in a sarcastically loving kind of way that I'm going to love YOU anyway...today and everyday (honoring commitment!). I think the Ladder just represents AWARENESS, in totality. AWARENE of who he is, who she is, who they are, who they are not. While a ladder would be nice, she'd use it if handy, but would not trade the GROWTH/GAIN, for she is wise (as dumb as the addict thinks she is) and knows there are no shortcuts in life. Given the chance to change everything, she wouldn't change nothing...and would trudge the same road over again in the name of.... LOVE... (today and every day). Gawd, I hope no one ever figures out who wrote this... I think way too much..... JEEZ!