Cold blue steel out of money
One eye for the beat police
Sweet Fire calling
"You can't deny me
Now you know what you need"
Underneath the jungle gym
Hollow grey fire escape thief
Looking for sweet fire
Shadow of lady release
"Come with me
I know the way" she says
"It's down, down, down the dark ladder
Do you want to contact somebody first
Leave someone a letter
You can come now
Or you can come later"
A wristwatch, a ring, a downstairs screamer
Edgy-black cracks of the sky
"Pin cushion prick fix this poor bad dreamer"
"Money" cold shadows reply
Pawnshops crisscrossed and padlocked
Corridors spit on prayers and pleas
Sparks fly up from sweet fire
Black soot of lady release
"Come with me
I know the way" she says
"It's down, down, down the dark ladder
Do you want to contact somebody first
Does it really matter
If you come now
Or if you come on later?"
Red water in the bathroom sink
Fever and the scum brown bowl
Blue steel still begging
But it's indistinct
Someone's hi-fi drumming Jelly Roll
Concrete concentration camp
Bashing in veins for peace
Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire
Fall into Lady Release
"Come with me
I know the way" she says
"It's down, down, down the dark ladder
Do you want to contact somebody first
I mean what does it really matter
You're going to come now
Or you're going to come later"
© March 13, 1972; Joni Mitchell
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SherryLea on :
so many wonderful souls, many famous, but most unknown to all but those of us who love them - down the dark ladder. such a beautiful, chilling, and haunting song. i love it as much now as i did then.
suerisk on :
I'd like to be the first to comment upon the quality of the poetry in some of these lyrics.
When I was young I listened to Joans' albums thousands of times.As a matter of fact, when we were sweet sixteen (and Joni was 17) we all sang in the same coffee house at the Y in Toronto! I remember being electrified by "Sang the Corow on the Cradle"!
Some of this poetry is wonderful. The music is beyond superlatives, and this site is very well put together. Thanks for publishing the lyrics, I was too busy dancing,working, or minding my kid to learn them all, or to see the sound studies behind the scores. Way, Joan!