Words by joni mitchell
Music by charles mingus
The rain slammed hard as bars
It caught me--by surprise
Mutts of the planet
And shook me down for alibis
Im 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
Ill be bigger!
Ill be better than ever!
Ill 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 Id done
Some friends Im 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 Im worth
Next time
Ill be bigger!
Ill be better than ever!
Ill be resurrected royal!
Ill 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