Refuge of the Roads

I am utterly entranced by Hejira. It's Joni at her most contrary - always ready to bite the hand that feeds her.

It's 1976 and Joni's in her early thirties, no longer so young, head messed up with cocaine and her love-life its usual chaotic mess. In desperation she consults a charismatic Buddhist reprobate, Chögyam Trungpa .. who astonishingly does her a power of good.

So she sorts her life out?

Of course not. She runs away - back to that itinerant touring life on the road.

And she writes it all down in a wonderful song (check out Jaco Pastorius superlative on bass).

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Lyrics

I met a friend of spirit
He drank and womanized
And I sat before his sanity
I was holding back from crying
He saw my complications
And he mirrored me back simplified
And we laughed how our perfection
Would always be denied
"Heart and humor and humility"
He said "Will lighten up your heavy load"
I left him for the refuge of the roads

This is the first verse, follow the link for the rest.

I wrote some more about Hejira (and the title track in particular) here.