Koodzi | A Sentimental Man

Some say that this is “one of greatest pieces of poetry of the rock era, rivaled only by the very best works of Bob Dylan,Don Henley and a few others from Joni herself”. I was doing my usual blog surfing and came across the reference to Joni Mitchell’s song called Song For Sharon. I had never heard it before but I always trust the blogger that mentioned the song when it comes to great music so I took a listen.

“Sharon, I left my man
At a North Dakota junction
And I came out to the “Big Apple” here
To face the dream’s malfunction
Love’s a repetitious danger
You’d think I’d be accustomed to
Well, I do accept the changes
At least better than I used to do”

The song deals with the journey women face when it comes to the trade-off between marriage and freedom. For some reason, this really stuck with me. Obviously I’m neither a woman nor am I married but nonetheless, I felt Joni’s uneasiness. Do we have to have one or the other? Or can we be free and attached all the same?

The song feels like a journey (which Joni describes was the premise for the album) because it constantly changes between two keys and it undulates as the story is told. Sharon is Joni’s old friend who is married now (living the so-called dream) and Joni is the friend who tried the marriage thing but it didn’t work for her because she wasn’t happy and when it comes to love,she cannot lie to herself. She is now telling Sharon of her melancholic journey for freedom but is reminiscing about some of the happy days of yore. The song feels sad. But not the kind of sad that is depressing but the kind of underlying sadness that you can live with and keep getting on with your life.

“And I came out to the “Big Apple” here , to face the dream’s malfunction” = example. getting on with life after the pain of a love gone wrong. I love this line so much. So much. Touched. The dream malfunctioned. Wow!

Why did this touch me so much in places I never even knew I had? I think it’s because I’m looking to be free in the time of my life when I feel the most imprisoned. There are so many things I want to try and do but I’m busy doing something else that isn’t my passion. I do not wish that feeling on my worst enemy, trust me. Give the song a listen, you might like it :).