From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2005 #343 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Archives: http://www.smoe.org/lists/onlyjoni Websites: http://www.jmdl.com http://www.jonimitchell.com Unsubscribe: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe onlyJMDL Digest Monday, December 5 2005 Volume 2005 : Number 343 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: It Stays Pretty Green & Hair Color ["mike pritchard" ] Re: a question for Joni [LCStanley7@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2005 10:40:57 +0100 From: "mike pritchard" Subject: Re: It Stays Pretty Green & Hair Color >When Joni wrote (in "River") "It don't snow here/It stays pretty green," did she mean "It stays a lovely green" or "It remains rather green"???> >>Well, the response, while modest, has been decidedly pro-"rather. I'll vote for "lovely" however. It just seems more Joni-like to me, especially in the somewhat-precious language she sometimes used in her early work (yes, Blue is early). It also seems more visually, emotionally and poetically descriptive to me than the "rather" option.<< Isn't the whole point of our lady of duality that it is 'and/or' and not 'either/or'? Surely 'pretty' was chosen because it has both meanings where 'rather' (which also has more than one meaning) is limited in this context. Wouldn't you rather use a word that says two things than chose a word that only says one? mike in bcn np sly and robbie - Dawntreader dub (just kidding, Muller) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 04 Dec 2005 10:12:55 -0800 From: "Mark Scott" Subject: Re: It Stays Pretty Green & Hair Color mike pritchard wrote: > Isn't the whole point of our lady of duality that it is 'and/or' and > not 'either/or'? Surely 'pretty' was chosen because it has both > meanings where 'rather' (which also has more than one meaning) is > limited in this context. Wouldn't you rather use a word that says two > things than chose a word that only says one? Maybe if you were Prince Charles: 'I say Camilla! Isn't the grahss rahthuh green for this time of ye-ah?' We're talking about somebody who grew up on the Canadian prairie, not Mayfair. She's going to say the grass in L A stays pretty green in the winter, not rather green. 'Rather green' sounds awkward and stuffy. Joni is neither awkward nor stuffy. I'm always a little bit suspicious when people start talking about an artist's intentions regarding the meaning of their work although I have learned over my years as a JMDLer not to put hard and fast interpretations on Joni's lyrics. People start to talk about layers of meaning and the intentional use of a word of phrase to imply more than one thing and I have to wonder if the artist truly thought about that when they wrote or painted the piece or if it's just what the listener or viewer projects into it. I moved from Iowa to Seattle in 1978. Iowa (contrary to popular belief) is not so much prairie land as it is rolling hills. But I suspect it is a good deal more like the country Joni grew up in than the Pacific Northwest. In Iowa, winters are pretty bleak. Not much green anywhere in the landscape. Not much color at all besides brown grass and fields, the black and grey of bare tree trunks, mostly grey skies and the frequent white of snow. Out here where I live now, there are so many evergreen trees and shrubs and the grass stays green all year round. I suspect LA is similar but with different plants. To someone who was accustomed to the bleak winter of the interior, the green would indeed appear very pretty. So I suppose it's very possible that Joni was thinking in that context when she wrote the line 'it stays pretty green' or maybe even consciously thought of both connotations. Personally, I don't think so. I've always heard 'relatively green' or, if you prefer 'fairly green' or 'rather green'. But that's just me and anyone who knows me knows I am far from having a normal thought process. Mark E. in pretty/lovely/rather/fairly/relatively green Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2005 21:41:34 +0200 From: "ron" Subject: Re: Desktop pic #22 hi >>>mark wrote >>>> Two monitors, huh? Maybe I should come up with a second Hejira >>>> wallpaper so that you have a variation. I had been thinking about doing >>>> that ....................Watch this space. thanks mark - i have grabbed them all & will put them on slide show. only - could you do a request??? i was really, really hoping youd come up with one with my favourite line: "a defector from the petty wars, until love sucks me back that way" ron ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2005 21:45:05 EST From: LCStanley7@aol.com Subject: Re: a question for Joni An inquisitive mind wrote: What question would you ask Joni? Hi Quiz, I would ask her if she would like to come over for a cup of tea. Love, Laura ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2005 #343 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe ------- Siquomb, isn't she? (http://www.siquomb.com/siquomb.cfm)