From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2011 #742 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Unsubscribe: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe Website: http://jmdl.com JMDL Digest Wednesday, December 14 2011 Volume 2011 : Number 742 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: Lawn reindeer ["Mark" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:09:30 -0800 From: "Mark" Subject: Re: Lawn reindeer Yes indeed, Betsy, rivers really freeze. Even the mighty Mississippi. Google it and you can find pictures of it. Putting up reindeer could mean putting up store window displays or lawn ornaments or any image of Santa's reindeer you see at Christmas time. I'm sure they cut down trees, put up reindeer and sang songs of joy & peace even in Saskatoon during Joni's early years. It's in the next lines that she contrasts that California 'crazy scene' where it don't snow and stays pretty green with the frigid winters of the Canadian prairie. I don't know if Joni was intentionally giving people permission to feel something besides merry at Christmas time but I do think the combination of the season and the romantic break-up were affecting her state of mind. I think those blues were making her feel a bit homesick for the snow and those frozen Saskatchewan rivers. She was also wishing for an escape and that frozen river was the metaphorical exit she longed to quickly skate away on. Mark in Seattle - -----Original Message----- From: Betsy Blue Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 5:11 PM To: joni@smoe.org Subject: Lawn reindeer First, were these god-awful outdoor decorations really a thing in the 60s? It doesn't seem possible. (No offense to any Griswalds on the list. Christmas happens to be sparkling out on my neighbor's lawn--and roof.) Second, can a river really freeze? There's some skating on frozen streams in Circle Game, so I must conclude this is not a metaphor. Forgive the ignorance and Cali-centricity. Now to the point: the introductory lines of River are about traditions that are inauthentic and/or foreign to the writer's personal experience. The cut-down trees, the fake reindeer, the lack of snow, the "crazy scene", and even the songs of joy and peace. (They won't give peace a chance.) The jingle bells aren't real either, just simulated on piano. I think Joni uses "they" purposely and includes only secular indicators of the season to further the notion that there is no faith or thinking happening at the individual level. I like River because It feels like Joni is calling out society's forced happiness and giving the individual listener permission to feel sad in the midst of the cheer. It's very cathartic. Betsy NP For Free ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2011 #742 ***************************** ------- To post messages to the list, send to joni@smoe.org. Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------