I think of this as a daydream or psychedelic vision Joni Mitchell had looking at a Rousseau painting hanging in some jazz club, imagining the figures in the painting growing out of the canvas into the real world, gradually overtaking (or painting over) New York City. The fantasy of the savage nature of the jungle replacing the savage artificiality of the city suggests the idea (or hope) that nature is more powerful, but alternatively suggests similarity between jungles and cities, two different manifestations of an inherent chaos in the world. Perhaps a criticism of New York City (as savage as a jungle) or praise (as wildly beautiful as a jungle), but I think the image came to Joni Mitchell before a conscious judgement of any kind.
The mentions of women in the lyrics are peculiar, suggesting women are the city's prized prey or sexual conquest hunted savagely as in a jungle.
I think of this as a daydream or psychedelic vision Joni Mitchell had looking at a Rousseau painting hanging in some jazz club, imagining the figures in the painting growing out of the canvas into the real world, gradually overtaking (or painting over) New York City. The fantasy of the savage nature of the jungle replacing the savage artificiality of the city suggests the idea (or hope) that nature is more powerful, but alternatively suggests similarity between jungles and cities, two different manifestations of an inherent chaos in the world. Perhaps a criticism of New York City (as savage as a jungle) or praise (as wildly beautiful as a jungle), but I think the image came to Joni Mitchell before a conscious judgement of any kind.
The mentions of women in the lyrics are peculiar, suggesting women are the city's prized prey or sexual conquest hunted savagely as in a jungle.