Mitchell, Joni - A Chair In The Sky Lyrics






The rain slammed hard as bars
It caught me--by surprise
Mutts of the planet
And shook me down for alibis
I'm waiting
For the keeper to release me
Debating this sentence
Biding my time
In memories
Of old friends of mine ...
In daydreams of Birdland
I see my soul on fire
Burning up the bandstand
Next time
I'll be bigger!
I'll be better than ever!
I'll be happily attached
To my cold hard cash!
But now Manhattan holds me
To a chair in the sky
With the bird in my ears
And boats in my eyes
Going by

There are things I wish I'd done
Some friends I'm gonna miss
Beautiful lovers
I never got the chance to kiss...
Daydreamin' drugs the pain of living
Processions of missing
Lovers and friends
Fade in and they fade out again
In these daydreams of rebirth
I see myself in style
Raking in what I'm worth
Next time
I'll be bigger!
I'll be better than ever!
I'll be resurrected royal!
I'll be rich as Standard Oil!
But now--Manhattan holds me
To a chair in the sky
With the bird in my ears
And boats in my eyes
Going by





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Mitchell, Joni A Chair In The Sky Comments
  1. C.... P....

    Gracias Joni Mitchell, vos me cambiaste la percepción de lo que es componer y hacer música !

  2. K.... ....

    Who are we to even imagine giving anything but our deepest gratitude to these genius artists who change the world and leave a legacy for all mankind to emulate in one heart

  3. r.... ....

    "Mingus" is a miracle: the atmosphere is simple unique... of course, they are all sacred monsters... Hancock here is so, so inspired at Fender Rhodes! and... Jaco, Wayne, Peter and Don... they drive you speechless.
    With "Mingus", Joni has completely melted herself into Jazz, it's the perfect ending of her journey towards it, and Charlie Mingus was indeed the perfect man, one of the few big innovators (as Joni herself was too, yes, but how honoured she was when Mingus chose her for this project).
    Billie Holiday would have adored "Mingus", and not only for the music, because Joni's lyrics are pure poetry (yes, of course, as always).

  4. j.... w....

    l love joni and some jazz but this album is cocktail lounge lmo

  5. T.... G....

    Dr Herbie Hancock, madman Jaco Pastorius, scientist saxophonist Wayne Shorter... what more do u want

  6. r.... s....

    soft and sultry, wow

  7. M.... W....

    Amazing I don't think in '79 I appreciated 'Mingus' as much as now! Thank you, Mr. Davies, for all the JONI! Love her so much!

  8. m.... ....

    Joni + headphones + scotch + lazyboy recliner = a chilled evening.

    m.... ....

    and also a big fat mfucking joint

  9. L.... C....

    those two notes by Wayne Shorter at 1:33 are a swallow in flight!

  10. A.... ....

    A lot of people probably didn't - and don't - think of Joni Mitchell as a jazz vocalist, most likely because she had such an established 'folk'/'pop' career before she began to consistently investigate what Theodor Adorno somewhat derisively referred to as the 'perennial fashion' (Whatever, Theo...). And yet listening here, if you feel past the 'Joni' legend, and just appreciate the voice, it has all the earmarks of a certain kind of jazz vocal, ranging from ephemeral pitchy microtones at the edge of notes (think Astrud Gilberto) to pure hits and scoops. If Ms. Mitchell seemed to be going in a new direction in the late 70s, it is because, musically, she just needed to keep going deeper and deeper into what I call, 'the spaces between the notes'. Her fellow countryman, Glenn Gould - who is probably her closest cognate - did the same...the obsession to get - in a Kantian sense - behind the music to find, 'the thing in itself', the essence behind that the notes and times, were 'symbolizing'. Is this a pop star? No, this is an artist, and whether or not she or he is entirely successful is beside the point: the courage to do so is what fascinates.

    A.... ....

    You get the YouTube prize for "Most Pretentious Post of May 12".

    A.... ....

    i respect what you've said but when you added "in a kantian sense" you sounded like a huge cunt

    A.... ....

    you dont need to prove you know who immanuel kant is

  11. M.... R....

    in pratica, i Weather Report + Joni...

  12. M.... M....

    so crucial

  13. N.... ....

    What instrument is that at the start?

    N.... ....

    Fender Rhodes el. piano and Fender fretless bass guitar = Herbie Hancock and Jaco Pastorius

  14. z.... s....

    I think the well knowd musicians. Shorter, herbie h, pastorius and if im not wrong, Peter erskin. Plays on their highest level.

  15. F.... M....

    meraviglioso album .una voce sublime accompagnata da un basso unico

  16. E.... ....

    Wonderful Joni Mitchell... her voice, her words, her artwork... Mingus was right to choose her for this project.

    E.... ....

    mingus didnt choose her exactly, mingus is the concept name of the album,

    E.... ....

    All reports I have read over the years state that Charles Mingus requested her presence with a letter that he had written some new songs and he wanted her to record them with her lyrics before his death.

  17. s.... ....

    this is more than a song more than a collaboration more than anything one can say...

  18. J.... S....

    This song is deep and profound.  It's a reflection of Charles Mingus in his wheelchair dying slowly of MS.  You could only imagine such a bear of a man having to be permanently stuck in a wheelchair but I'm happy he got to be one with music and delve  into it and live through it and shape it. :)

    J.... S....

    That was MD not MS. Just for educational reasons do I make the distinction.

    J.... S....

    @Steven Flinchbaugh By the mid-1970s, Mingus was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). His once formidable bass technique suffered, until he could no longer play the instrument. He continued composing, however, and supervised a number of recordings before his death. At the time of his death, Mingus was working on an album named after him with Joni Mitchell, which included lyrics added by Mitchell to Mingus compositions, including "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat". The album featured the talents of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and another influential bassist and composer, Jaco Pastorius.   -  WE WERE BOTH WRONG :/

    J.... S....

    @John Staggs
    ALS is a type of (MD) Muscular Dystrophy, and yes I know the story since I have been reading "Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words" written down by Malka Marom.

  19. s.... m....

    Beautiful lovers I never got the chance to kiss

  20. M.... ....

    beautiful :))))

  21. Y.... H....

    Un album di grande classe. Pastorius fa la parte del leone!

    Y.... H....

    Thank you my friend for clarifying for me the facts of the matter and I want You to know that your friends in  our circle are precious to me and I would always respect them as I rspect You!!!/JM

    Y.... H....

    @Joe A. Molina all is well. When you need clarification, and you can not automatically translate, I can give you an help.(I try with my broken English) .Hi friend!

    Y.... H....

    You are the BEST!!!/JM

    Y.... H....

    eh eh....Thank you..

    Y.... H....

    THE WORLD MUSIC and Corcoran California Unite!!!./JM

  22. N.... J....

    she's very talented and sounds like the instruments lovely voice.

  23. p.... d....

    A beautiful song Joni has an amazing voice!!