Big Yellow Taxi

One of my favorite artists has always been Joni Mitchell. Like a fine wine she has gotten better with age.



Below is a rendition of her redone version of Big Yellow Taxi. Here's the lyrics and you will see she tells the story about how people paved over paradise to put up a parking lot and a pink hotel:

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum
And then they charged all the people twenty-five bucks just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot



Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT now
Give me spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees, please
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot



Late last night I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi carried off my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Text & Musik: Joni Mitchell
(c) 1970 Siquomb Publishing Corp. (BMI)

Watch this video and you will see a series of images of Joni Mitchell from a young age to maturity. And the new version of Big Yellow Taxi is really good. (I believe this collection of images was complied by Dr. Rob Dammet of North Hollywood. It is very well done.)