Album: Court And Spark (1974)

License This Song 

• Again and again the same situation
  For so many years
  Tethered to a ringing telephone
  In a room full of mirrors
  A pretty girl in your bathroom
  Checking out her sex appeal
  I asked myself when you said you loved me
  "Do you think this can be real?"
  
  Still, I sent up my prayer
  Wondering where it had to go
  With heaven full of astronauts
  And the Lord on death row
  While the millions of his lost and lonely ones
  Call out and clamor to be found
  Caught in the struggle for higher position
  And the search for love that sticks around
  
  You've had lots of lovely women
  Now you turn your gaze to me
  Weighing the beauty and the imperfection
  To see if I'm worthy
  Like the church
  Like a cop
  Like a mother
  You want me to be truthful
  Sometimes you turn it on me like a weapon though
  And I need your approval
  
  Still, I sent up my prayer
  Wondering who was there to hear
  I said "send me somebody
  Who's strong and somewhat sincere"
  With the millions of the lost and lonely ones
  I called out to be released
  Caught in my struggle for higher achievements
  And my search for love
  That don't seem to cease Writer/s: Joni Mitchell
  Publisher: Royalty Network
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

• Cyndey Ramsay from AlGreat song
• G S.m. from BrasilI don't know... this song is really deep to me.
  
  "Still I sent up my prayer
  Wondering where it had to go
  With heaven full of astronauts
  And the lord on death row
  While the millions of his lost and lonely ones
  Cali out and clamour to be found
  Caught in their struggle for higher positions
  And their search for love that sticks around"
  
  When she says "lord on death row" it's like God on death row. And I'm not talking about a religious God, but the concept of God as being something bigger... I mean, looking at everything around you as part of something bigger. Knowing that all things have a meaning and reason to be.
  
  But then, when all you care about is to fullfill superficial desires: this to me is putting "God" on death row. To turn the mistery and gradiosity of life into cars, girls, gold: this is putting "God" on death row.
  She's looking for higher achievments though, and love.
  
  "You've had lots of lovely women
  Now you turn your gaze to me
  Weighing the beauty and the imperfection
  To see if I'm worthy
  Like the church
  Like a cop
  Like a mother
  You want me to be truthful
  Sometimes you turn it on me like a weapon though
  And I need your approval"
  
  Too me this fits not only a guy looking for a pretty girl, but society in general creating beauty standards. Also, It feels like the struggle of someone trying to fit in and feeling judged; and as much as being judged feels horrible, they still care for their approval at the end of it. It pictures the need of being accepted, the need of external support.
  Everyone have felt this at some point...
• Les from SfA sad profound song about the emptiness of a loser guy.

More Songfacts:

I Remember EverythingZach Bryan

Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves had both gone through divorces when they wrote and recorded the wrenching duet "I Remember Everything." It was the first #1 Hot 100 hit for each of them.

Hangin' ToughNew Kids On The Block

"Hangin' Tough" came at the peak of New Kids On The Block mania (1988). Their writer/producer Maurice Starr wrote it about the struggles the band faced early on. It was a #1 hit in both America and the UK.

Cult of PersonalityLiving Colour

"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour incorporates speeches by John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Rock The CasbahThe Clash

Barry Sonnenfeld, who would later direct the movies Get Shorty and Men in Black, was the director of photography on the "Rock the Casbah" video for The Clash.

Rock And Roll All NiteKiss

Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss wrote "Rock And Roll All Nite" as a "rallying cry for all of our fans." In later years, members of Kiss wrote songs separately.

Invisible TouchGenesis

"Invisible Touch" was the first time a band member (Phil Collins) had a #1 Hot 100 hit with a group after scoring a #1 solo hit.

Editor's Picks

Famous Singers' First FilmsSong Writing

A look at the good (Diana Ross, Eminem), the bad (Madonna, Bob Dylan) and the peculiar (David Bowie, Michael Jackson) film debuts of superstar singers.

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.

Music Video Director David HoganSong Writing

David talks about videos he made for Prince, Alabama, Big & Rich, Sheryl Crow, DMB, Melissa Etheridge and Sisters of Mercy.

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.