Mitchell, Joni - Electricity Lyrics






The Minus is loveless
He talks to the land
And the leaves fall
And the pond over-ices
She don't know the system, Plus
She don't understand
She's got all the wrong fuses and splices
She's not going to fix it up
Too easy

The masking tape tangles
It's sticky and black
And the copper
Proud headed Queen Lizzie
Conducts little charges
That don't get charged back
Well the technical manual's busy
She's not going to fix it up too easy
And she holds out her flashlight
And she shines it on me
She wants me to tell her
What the trouble might be
Well I'm learning
It's peaceful
With a good dog and some trees
Out of touch with the breakdown
Of this century
They're not going to fix it up
Too easy

We once loved-together
And we floodlit that time
Input-output-electricity
But the lines overloaded
And the sparks started flying
And the loose wires
Were lashing out at me
She's not going to fix that up
Too easy
But she holds out her candle
And she shines it in
And she begs him to show her
How to fix it again
While the song that he sang her
To soothe her to sleep
Runs all through her circuits
Like a heartbeat
She's not going to fix it up
Too easy





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Mitchell, Joni Electricity Comments
  1. A.... ....

    Her voice was absolutely sublime - I was mesmerized. I must have listened to this song dozens of times before I actually paid attention to the lyrics...

  2. B.... ....

    this song brings me to my happy place.

  3. M.... G....

    Her incredible voice.

  4. R.... P....

    Among my favorite music of all time Christian, the piano on several blows me away--Blonde in Bleachers, See you Sometime, Banquet, Let the Wind Carry Me to name some all time loves let's add Lesson in Survival, and Barandgrill

  5. E.... ....

    all toooooooooo easy for Joni! lol! genius! end sexism!

  6. E.... M....

    We once loved together and we floodlit that time... out of touch with the breakdown of the century and Stephen Stills playing bass input output we're not going to fix that up too easy runs all through her circuits like a heartbeat... we're not going to fix this up too easy...

  7. M.... A....

    BTW even if Joni writes about it, do not put a penny behind a blown fuse. ;)

  8. G.... S....

    Electricity:
    The Minus is loveless
    He talks to the land
    And the leaves fall
    And the pond over-ices
    She don't know the system, Plus
    She don't understand
    She's got all the wrong fuses and splices
    She's not going to fix it up
    Too easy
    The masking tape tangles
    It's sticky and black
    And the copper
    Proud headed Queen Lizzie
    Conducts little charges
    That don't get charged back
    Well the technical manual's busy
    She's not going to fix it up too easy
    And she holds out her flashlight
    And she shines it on me
    She wants me to tell her
    What the trouble might be
    Well I'm learning
    It's peaceful
    With a good dog and some trees
    Out of touch with the breakdown
    Of this century
    They're not going to fix it up
    Too easy
    We once loved-together
    And we floodlit that time
    Input-output-electricity
    But the…

  9. R.... P....

    Incredible electric-related metaphors all gathered into a brilliant lyric and lively flowing melody, like a Journey across the sky. “The breakdown of this century.” how are they gonna fix it up.

    R.... P....

    they're not gonna fix it up too easy

  10. N.... c....

    She is in my mind no question the single most prolific talented original singer sing writer period!...Bob Dylan can't sing !....so who else?

  11. D.... M....

    I'm 66 now and I've loved this music for most of those years. What I really value now is, just like tonight, picking random songs from her albums and live concerts and remembering all the things I can from when I first bought and listened to those tracks. Thank you Joni, you've helped to tie all the loose pages of my life into one book, and just look at those pictures!

  12. l.... ....

    I once learned to play this song, a really fun song to play, not to mention, great listening. She can make it sooo real. It must be this particular key, which she brings out whatever key she's in, so very well.♡

  13. m.... ....

    she speaks to everything we all feel and the needs we all have, but will never experience in this world. Joni, breaks my heart and makes me feel like someone understands

  14. B.... F....

    I could listen to this song all day--- one of my very favorite -- Joni at her finest !!!!!

  15. M.... T....

    A beautiful bittersweet song

  16. G.... A....

    Reading the comments: "one of my favorites" and I realize any Joni Mitchell song is "one of my favorites." I love her forever. Her music is timeless and just gets better.♫♪♥

  17. V.... 1....

    "We once loved together and we floodlit that time."
    What a gem of a song this is.

  18. J.... C....

    you know how to get that creativity shock running through my veins Joni ...kept me going through my growing years ...and thanks universe for Joni .

  19. J.... F....

    Stunning.

  20. D.... I....

    With a good dog and some trees.

    D.... I....

    Out of touch with the breakdown of this century.

    D.... I....

    Never more true than now.

  21. J.... M....

    oh my i'm back in college

  22. M.... T....

    this song is so electric

  23. R.... Z....

    this is a brilliant song thank you

  24. P.... P....

    I've had this song in my head all day but couldn't remember all the words. Not good since I've been listening to it since I was 21! I realize now that this song gets better and better, with each year. Get well, Joni!

  25. C.... S....

    This song references some of the songs James Taylor used to sing her to sleep with...

    C.... S....

    Joni had a relationship with James Taylor?

    C.... S....

    For about a year back in 1970. A few of the songs on this album were written in the aftermath and are about James and their relationship.

    C.... S....

    Yes, e.g the lines "pack your suspenders, I'll meet your train." See JT in one of his suspenders on the cover of Mud Slide Slim. James cheated on Joni with Carly Simon, and soon dumped Joni for Carly.

    C.... S....

    I could be wrong about this, but I've always thought the "she" in this song was Carly Simon. And the line "she wants me to tell her what the trouble might be" is about Carly coming back to Joni and asking for advice on how to deal with James Taylor's issues and his being "broken". And "she's not gonna fix it up too easy" is her way of looking at Carly and James's relationship as an outsider but from personal experience. As if to say, "The man's got some issues. Good luck with him." Even if I'm wrong, Joni's use of metaphor in this song is incredible, as it is in many of her songs.

    C.... S....

    Good theory. Or what if she’s trying to understand what he’s going through with his depression and addiction .. he shuts down and she can’t fix it.
    But she’s remembering what they had. She’s not begging him to love her again, she wants to help him but ‘has all the wrong splices ..’

  26. l.... ....

    oooohhhhh, Joni!!!  There is nobody like you!  Timeless.....

  27. S.... S....

    That's an Arbutus tree to the right of her. It grows on the Pacific coast from California to British Columbia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_menziesii

  28. S.... B....

    Just love her and this song

  29. P.... d....

    "Dito" in my comment to your posted song "For the Roses".  
    I will share it to U.K. :)

    P.... d....

    She is the love and light of my life.

  30. J.... ....

    Another one of my favorites, always loved it.
    Thank for posting many of the cuts from this fabulous album from the youth of my life.
    Her music like many of her contemporaries capture time on vinyl.
    Peace 2 ya

  31. S.... S....

    Proud headed Queen Lizzie ! what a way to fix the fuse! With a Canadian penny.

    S.... S....

    So "The copper proud-headed Queen Lizzie" means using a Canadian penny with Queen Elizabeth's profile on it to replace a burnt-out fuse. I never knew what that line meant until just now!

    BTW, it's very dangerous to replace a blown fuse with anything other than the correct fuse. But doesn't every home have circuit breakers these days?

    S.... S....

    Not in Joni's house in British Columbia back in 1970.

    S.... S....

    Always thought it was the copper crowned headed queen Lizzie? Lol ma bad

    S.... S....

    Me too! It could be both.. I read this is as her lover freezing her out and she’s trying to create a spark but never gets charged back. That could be sexual and emotional ...
    James Taylor suffered from addiction and depression, so maybe this is her asking him how to ‘fix it’ because she doesn’t understand what happened to what they had.