Erica, You mentioned the visual imagery in ROTR...now this song may not be as mysterious, but it IS certainly filled with striking images!
When I first heard the song I was a mere stone's throw away from the Winn-Dixie on Six Forks Rd. that we shopped at, so that perked up my ears from the start. I've also loved the image of seeing the calendar in the service station with the picture of the Earth on it, and using it to put things in perspective. Musically, I love the last notes of Jaco's bass where he just takes it down, down, down...crank it up and listen to it sometime. I think the only time Joni's sung: "He drank & womanized" was on Hejira. Whenever she sang it live, she always sings "A drunk with sage's eyes". And on the '83 tour (the US shows anyway) she usually introduced it with a story about driving through Louisiana and seeing those Michaelangelo clouds. Joni always closes out an album with a particularly appropriate song, and I don't see where ROTR is an exception to the rule. Bob NP: Ani, "Grey"
