Explanation, Please
I love this song "Passion Play" by Joni Mitchell off her album Night Ride Home. I get the gist of the Biblical references and Jesus stuff, but can someone explain the purpose of the "Exxon Blue/ Radiation Rose" sections? Systemic, corporate evil, perhaps? What say you?Passion Play
Magdalene is trembling
Like a washing on a line
Trembling and gleaming
Never before was a man so kind
Never so redeeming
Enter the multitudes
In exxon blue
In radiation rose
Ecstasy
Now you tell me
Who you gonna get to do the dirty work
When all the slaves are free?
(who’re you gonna get)
I am up a sycamore
Looking through the leaves
A sinner of some position
Who in the world can this heart healer be
This magical physician
Enter the multitudes
In exxon blue
In radiation rose
Misery
Now you tell me
Who you gonna get to do the dirty work
When all the slaves are free?
(who’re you gonna get)
Enter the multitudes
The walking wounded
They come to this diver of the heart
Of the multitudes
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
Oh, climb down, climb down he says to me
From the middle of unrest
They think his light is squandered
But he sees a stray in the wilderness
And I see how far I’ve wandered
Enter the multitudes
In exxon blue
In radiation rose
Apathy
Now you tell me
Who you gonna get to do the dirty work
When all the slaves are free?
(who’re you gonna get)
Enter the multitudes
The walking wounded
They come to this diver of the heart
Of the multitudes
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
Oh, all around the marketplace
The buzzing of the flies
The buzzing and the stinging
Divinely barren
And wickedly wise
The killer nails are ringing
Enter the multitudes
In exxon blue
In radiation rose
Tragedy
Now you tell me
Who you gonna get to do the dirty work
When all the slaves are free?
(who’re you gonna get)
posted by Mike @ 8:42 PM
3 Comments:
I'm a huge Joni fan, but I don't know this one.
I think you're right in your assessment. Jesus preached that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Here in the present. Yet, for this old world to keep turning, we have to all be "in our place"- working jobs, etc. instead of hitting the road in pairs, interacting with others, healing people, living life on the edge.
Basically, would a 1st century follower of Jesus work at a desk? (or for Exxon?)
I think they real challenge is to always maintain that point of view in life. Can you live on the edge and still fulfill your responsibilities? I think so. The Dalai Llama equates spirituality with a mindset.
I guess there's a time for quitting your job, climbing out of the sycamore tree, and there's a time to keep your job, but change your mindset.
now, HOW to do that.......
thanks for the post, Mike. and Joni.
Good stuff, Steven.
Joni clearly seems to be saying that a change of some magnitude is possible in individual lives.
There is no better image of this than freed slaves... There is hope in that!
I've heard thisNight Ride Home album and Blue by Joni Mitchell. What else should I hear?
There's a good profile of the Dalai Llama in Time this week...
thanks for the heads up on the Time article! I'll have to check it out.
Blue is a great album. My favorite is Court and Spark. I think it's one or two albums after Blue. It marks the point where she begins to get a lot jazzier, but it's still a pop album featuring her biggest charting hits. The next one is The Hissing of Summer Lawns which is a strange concept album about suburbia. It's cool too, but not very poppy!
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