Song Lyrics

Sweet Bird

by Joni Mitchell

Out on some borderline
Some mark of inbetween
I lay down golden in time
And woke up vanishing

Sweet bird you are
Briefer than a falling star
All these vain promises on beauty jars
Somewhere with your wings on time
You must be laughing
Behind our eyes
Calendars of our lives
Circled with compromise
Sweet bird of time and change
You must be laughing
Up on your feathers laughing

Golden in time
Cities under the sand
Power ideals and beauty
Fading in everyone's hand

Give me some time
I feel like I'm losing mine
Out here on this horizon line
With the earth spinning
And the sky forever rushing
No one knows
They can never get that close
Guesses at most
Guesses based on what each set of time and change is touching
Guesses based on what each set of time and change is touching
Guesses based on what each set of time and change is touching

Transcriptions of Sweet Bird

Guitar chords by Marian Russell

Sweet Bird has been recorded by 6 other artists

Hall, Lani (from "Sweet Bird" - 1977)
Hancock, Herbie (from "River - The Joni Letters" - 2007)
Monika Herzig & Janiece Jaffe (from "Both Sides Of Joni" - 2023)
Robin Adler & Mutts of the Planet (- )
The Steve Klink Trio (from "Places To Come From, Places To Go" - 2002)
Thomas, Bryan (from "Turbulent Indie Negro" - 2017)
[more information on recordings by other artists]

Comments:

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Shlivewitz on 2024-Apr-09 at 04:54:27 GMT-5:

It's been a long road for Joni and it is nice to see her back on the stage in typical rockstar getup...there's always that innocent wakeup time where all troubles and problems don't exist...to wake up vanishing...and then Maxwell's silver hammer comes down upon your head..." and all the worries of your life come to get you. Cool song!

NathanLaFraneer on 2013-May-17 at 15:59:00 GMT-5:

Such a beautiful song about aging

danno on 2012-Apr-06 at 09:48:45 GMT-5:

haunting [hawn-ting, hahn-]
adjective
1. remaining in the consciousness; not quickly forgotten: haunting music; haunting memories.
noun
2.
the act of joni mitchell's Sweet Bird being input into one's brain.