Asking what the song DJRD is about is sort of like asking, "What's life about?"
It's a very complex song with a lot of references to the books of Carlos Castaneda, a Mexican philopsher/poet/writer who theorizes about life, knowledge and self discovery. One of the "characters" in his books is a real-life mystic named Don Juan who teaches the ancient philosophies of the Toltec Indians. The eagle and serpent imagery are derived from these ancient teachings. Joni, of course, being a huge fan of Aboriginal philosophies, takes these teachings and incorporates them into the universal theme of duality, which is a constant thread throughout her work: man/woman, scale/feather, land/sky, clarity/blind desire, old ideals/new ideals. The crux of the song hinges on this line, I think: "The eagle and the serpent are at war in me/The serpent fighting for blind desire, the eagle for clarity." It's Joni coming to terms with a lot of factors in her life that seem to be conflicting polarities, drawing inspiration from ageless philosophy to get some kind of balance. This song is a huge undertaking as far as analysis goes. I'm sure an entire book could be written about this song. But this will give you some pointers, anyway. Just listen to it and let the pieces come together for you. This song works best on a subconscious level, I find. -Andrew Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now
