"They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em!"
...because that's a VERY CANADIAN view of the dangers of raw, unbridled capitalism! Joni, you're a genius!!!
Okay everyone, there's a KEY to understanding part of this song that you will not get unless you lived in Toronto, Canada (like I did) back in the 1970's. The POLICE CARS at that time in Toronto were YELLOW (with a single cherry red light on top). This is the "BIG YELLOW TAXI" that Joni is referring to in the song (Joni has explained this). The conclusion? Her boyfriend didn't just take off... he was ARRESTED by the Police. Who knows, maybe it was following an environmental protest of some sort...
My favourite line is:
"They took all the trees Put 'em in a tree museum And they charged all the people A dollar and a half just to see 'em!"
...because that's a VERY CANADIAN view of the dangers of raw, unbridled capitalism! Joni, you're a genius!!!
Okay everyone, there's a KEY to understanding part of this song that you will not get unless you lived in Toronto, Canada (like I did) back in the 1970's. The POLICE CARS at that time in Toronto were YELLOW (with a single cherry red light on top). This is the "BIG YELLOW TAXI" that Joni is referring to in the song (Joni has explained this). The conclusion? Her boyfriend didn't just take off... he was ARRESTED by the Police. Who knows, maybe it was following an environmental protest of some sort...