This is probably the best written character study of a relationship I've ever heard in a song. Of all of her songs, this is the most raw, and the most honest. It's both analytical and emotional-- a combination that you never find in the male-dominated world of folk/rock music. Dylan managed both (Just Like a Woman, Idiot Wind, If You See Her Say Hello, Girl From the North Country, etc...) but never at the depth Joni paints here. First she analyzes herself; then she analyzes her guy down to his rawest self; then she concedes that she loves him anyway, despite her better instincts.
Honestly, this may be one of the greatest songs ever written.
This is probably the best written character study of a relationship I've ever heard in a song. Of all of her songs, this is the most raw, and the most honest. It's both analytical and emotional-- a combination that you never find in the male-dominated world of folk/rock music. Dylan managed both (Just Like a Woman, Idiot Wind, If You See Her Say Hello, Girl From the North Country, etc...) but never at the depth Joni paints here. First she analyzes herself; then she analyzes her guy down to his rawest self; then she concedes that she loves him anyway, despite her better instincts.
Honestly, this may be one of the greatest songs ever written.
Ever.