That Song About The Midway

Album: Clouds (1969)
Play Video
  • 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

    Over time I've lost my fire, over time
    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 Writer/s: Joni Mitchell
    Publisher: Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 1

  • Vic Walton from Santa BarbaraHer line "You stood out like a ruby / in a Black man's ear" is taken from Shakespeare, when Romeo first describes Juliet in Act 1 Scene 5: "It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night / Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear"
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.