Cover art for Hejira by Joni Mitchell

Hejira

Produced by

Nov. 19761 viewer22.7K views

Hejira Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I'm traveling in some vehicle
I'm sitting in some café
A defector from the petty wars
That shell shock love away


[Verse 2]
There's comfort in melancholy
When there's no need to explain
It's just as natural as the weather
In this moody sky today


[Verse 3]
In our possessive coupling
So much could not be expressed
So now I'm returning to myself
These things that you and I suppressed

[Verse 4]
I see something of myself in everyone
Just at this moment of the world
As snow gathers like bolts of lace
Waltzing on a ballroom girl

[Verse 5]
You know it never has been easy
Whether you do or you do not resign
Whether you travel the breadth of extremities
Or stick to some straighter line

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About

This song bio is unreviewed
Genius Annotation

“Hejira” is about Mitchell’s reasons for leaving John Guerin, and Mitchell described it as probably the toughest tune on the album to write.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Is it true that Chaka Khan was supposed to cover this song for a tribute album?
Genius Answer

Yes. However, the A Case of Joni album eventually took another direction. But Chaka’s club music-lite version of “Hejira” eventually leaked to the internet.

Credits
Produced By
Written By
Lead guitar
Recording Engineer
Assistant Producer
Mastering Engineer
Mixing Engineer
Rhythm Guitar
Clarinet
Percussion
Release Date
November 1976
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