Mitchell, Joni - That Song About The Midway Lyrics






I met you on a midway at a fair last year
And you stood out like a ruby in a black man's ear
You were playing on the horses, you were playing on the guitar strings
You were playing like a devil wearing wings, wearing wings
You looked so grand wearing wings
Do you tape them to your shoulders just to sing
Can you fly
I heard you can! Can you fly
Like an eagle doin' your hunting from the sky

I followed with the sideshows to another town
And I found you in a trailer on the camping grounds
You were betting on some lover, you were shaking up the dice
And I thought I saw you cheating once or twice, once or twice

I heard your bid once or twice
Were you wondering was the gamble worth the price
Pack it in
I heard you did! Pack it in
Was it hard to fold a hand you knew could win

So lately you've been hiding - it was somewhere in the news
And I'm still at these races with my ticket stubs and my blues
And a voice calls out the numbers, and it sometimes mentions mine
And I feel like I've been working overtime, overtime

I've lost my fire overtime
Always playin' one more hand for one more dime
Slowin' down I'm gettin' tired!
Slowin' down
And I envy you the valley that you've found
'Cause I'm midway down the midway
Slowin' down, down, down, down





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Mitchell, Joni That Song About The Midway Comments
  1. p.... ....

    Those eyes, man.

  2. L.... ....

    “You stood out like a ruby in a black man’s ear...”

    One of Joni’s (many many) great lines!

  3. D.... A....

    Can't touch the Bonnie Raitt version

  4. D.... A....

    Always loved this song. My Parents had the Bonnie Raitt record with her version on it, life altering!

  5. R.... D....

    lenord.c

  6. J.... R....

    Fab fab fab artist musically and with the canvas: that’s a self portrait on the cover. Never noticed the one blue/one green eye...shame on me. This is the only album I ever owned, and the only one needed.

  7. s.... w....

    where's the video of her playing this? she's playing the guitar while singing, correct?

    s.... w....

    Despite its simplicity, it's still a studio recording. There are probably videos of her playing it live but not for this particular recording.

  8. D.... A....

    That song is such an amazingly beautiful and shamely underrated piece of art!

  9. D.... O....

    Beautiful...

  10. m.... ....

    how did I never hear this song until today? wow

  11. F.... B....

    Another great song and performance!

  12. S.... E....

    underrated song- full of profound nostalgia and youthful magic. <3

  13. T.... C....

    From Joni to Crosby

  14. R.... W....

    one of the best albums ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XOXO

  15. I.... I....

    And what's with the dislikes?

    I.... I....

    A H why do people have to dislike songs? Particularly one as beautiful as this. They could just move on

  16. I.... J....

    The "F off David Crosby" song. Don't cheat on Joni.

    I.... J....

    Lenord Cohen s song

  17. J.... M....

    The complexity of the playing is belied by the simplicity of the lyric ... the best

  18. T.... ....

    My favorite Joni song from her folk era. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

  19. s.... b....

    one of her best but least known songs

  20. P.... C....

    Such a great song!