Written by Joni Mitchell
From the album Hejira (1976)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem
Tuning: C77325 (C-G-d-f-g-c’)
The fingerpicking is based on the asymmetric figure with the pronounced tones on the upper strings distributed like this:
: . . . : . . . x x x x
There are numerous variations to the picking pattern, that have not been noted in the tab below.
I have not named the chords, but written out the fingering over the first verse.
Intro:
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . ||------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------| ||*-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------| ||------------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----| ||--------2-------2-|-------2-------2-|-------2---------|-------2---------| ||*-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---| ||--2-------2-------|-2-------2-------|-2-------2-------|-2-------2-------|
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . |-----------------|-0---------------|-0---------------|-0---------------| |-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|-----------------| |-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----| |-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-| |-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---| |-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . |-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|-0-------0-------| |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-0-------0-------| |-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------------| |-------2-------2-|-------2-------2-|-------2---------|-------2-------2-| |-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---| |-2-------2-------|-2-------2-------|-2-------2-------|-2-------2-------|
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-0-------0-------| |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-0-------0-------| |-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------------| |-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-| |-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---| |-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|
Verse, first half: (x2)
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-2---------------|-2---------------|-----------------|-2---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------2-----|---------2-------|-----------2-----|---------2-------|
|-------2-------2-|-------2-------2-|-------2-------2-|-------2-------2-|
|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|
|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
||------------------|-5---------------|-----------------|-5----------------||
||*-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------*||
||--5---------5-----|---------5-------|-----------7-----|---------7--------||
||--------5---------|-------5-------5-|-8p7---7-------7-|-------5-------5--||
||*-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---*||
||--5-------5-------|-5-------5-------|-5-------5-------|-5-------5--------||
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|-0---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------2-----|---------2-------|-----------0-----|---------0-------| (repeat)
|-3p2---2-------2-|-------2-------2-|-5p3---2---------|-------2-------2-|
|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|
|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|
Verse, second half:
: . . . : . . . : : . . . : . . .
||------------------|-0----------------||------------------|-0----------------||
||*-----------------|-----------------*||*-----------------|-----------------*||
||--4---------4-----|---------4--------||------------2-----|---------2--------||
||--------5-------5-|-------5-------5--||--------2-------2-|-------2-------2--||
||*-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---*||*-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---*||
||--5-------5-------|-5-------5--------||--0-------0-------|-0-------0--------||
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|-0---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-4---------4-----|---------4-------|-6---------6-----|---------6-------|
|-------5-------5-|-------5-------5-|-------7-------7-|-------7-------7-|
|-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---|-----7-------7---|-----7-------7---|
|-5-------5-------|-5-------5-------|-7-------7-------|-7-------7-------|
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|-0---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0---------0-----|---------0-------|-6---------6-----|---------6-------|
|-------7-------7-|-------7-------7-|-------7-------7-|-------7-------7-|
|-----7-------7---|-----7-------7---|-----7-------7---|-----7-------7---|
|-7-------7-------|-7-------7-------|-7-------7-------|-7-------7-------|
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------|-5---------------|-----------------|-5---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-5---------5-----|---------5-------|-----------7-----|---------7-------|
|-------5---------|-------5-------5-|-8p7---7-------7-|-------5-------5-|
|-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---|
|-5-------5-------|-5-------5-------|-5-------5-------|-5-------5-------|
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
||------------------|-0----------------||------------------|-0----------------||
||*-----------------|-----------------*||*-----------------|-----------------*||
||------------2-----|---------2--------||--6---------6-----|---------6--------||
||--------2-------2-|-------2-------2--||--------7-------7-|-------7-------7--||
||*-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---*||*-----7-------7---|-----7-------7---*||
||--0-------0-------|-0-------0--------||--7-------7-------|-7-------7--------||
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------|-0---------------|-0---------------|-0---------------||
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------||
|-4---------4-----|-----------4-----|-----------4-----|-----------4-----||
|-------5-------5-|-------5-------5-|-------5-------5-|-------5-------5-||
|-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---|-----5-------5---||
|-5-------5-------|-5-------5-------|-5-------5-------|-5-------5-------||
Intro
002222
I'm traveling in some vehicle
555555 557755
I'm sitting in some cafe
555555
A defector from the petty wars
557755 002200
That shell shock love away
There's comfort in melancholy
When there's no need to explain
It's just as natural as the weather
In this moody sky today
555400
In our possessive coupling
002200
So much could not be expressed
555400
So now I am returning to myself
777600 777000 777600
These things that you and I suppressed
555555 557755
I see something of myself in everyone
002200
Just at this moment of the world
777600
As snow gathers like bolts of lace
555400
Waltzing on a ballroom girl
|: 222000 333000 :|
You know it never has been easy Whether you do or you do not resign Whether you travel the breadth of extremities Or stick to some straighter line Now here's a man and a woman sitting on a rock They're either going to thaw out or freeze Listen... Strains of Benny Goodman Coming thru' the snow and the pinewood trees
I'm porous with travel fever But you know I'm so glad to be on my own Still somehow the slightest touch of a stranger Can set up trembling in my bones
I know - no one's going to show me everything We all come and go unknown Each so deep and superficial Between the forceps and the stone
Well I looked at the granite markers Those tribute to finality - to eternity And then I looked at myself here Chicken scratching for my immortality In the church they light the candles And the wax rolls down like tears There's the hope and the hopelessness I've witnessed thirty years
We're only particles of change I know, I know Orbiting around the sun But how can I have that point of view When I'm always bound and tied to someone
White flags of winter chimneys Waving truce against the moon In the mirrors of a modern bank From the window of a hotel room
I'm traveling in some vehicle I'm sitting in some cafe A defector from the petty wars Until love sucks me back that way