The Beat of Black Wings Lyrics by Joni Mitchell

(from the album Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm)

Words and music by joni mitchell

I met a young soldier
He said his name was killer kyle
He was shakin' all over
Like a night-frightened child
This is his story
It's a tough one for me to sing
Hard as the squawk and the flap
And the beat of--the beat of black wings

"they gave me a gun," he said
"they gave me a mission
For the power and the glory--
Propaganda--piss on 'em
There's a war zone inside me--
I can feel things exploding--
I can't even hear the f**king music playing
For the beat of--the beat of black wings."

He said, "i never had nothin'--
Nothin' I could believe in
My girl killed our unborn child
Without even grievin'!
I put my hands on her belly
To feel the kid kickin'--damn!
She'd been to some clinic
Oh--the beat of black wings."

"they want you--they need you--
They train you to kill--
To be a pin on some map--
Some vicarious thrill--
The old hate the young
That's the whole heartless thing
The old pick the wars
We die in 'em
To the beat of--the beat of black wings."

There's a man drawing pictures
On the sidewalk with chalk
Just as fast as he draws 'em
Rain come down and wash 'em off
"keep the drinks comin' girl
'til I can't feel anything
I'm just a chalk mark in a rainstorm
I'm just the beat of black wings."

Download The Beat of Black Wings Lyrics

Download TXT Download PDF

Post a comment

Other Lyrics from Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm

1. Cool Water Lyrics
2. Lakota Lyrics
3. My Secret Place Lyrics
4. Number One Lyrics

Other Joni Mitchell Albums

• Travelogue Lyrics
• Turbulent Indigo Lyrics
• Shadows And Light (Live) Lyrics
• Song To A Seagull Lyrics
• Clouds Lyrics
• Ladies Of The Canyon Lyrics
• Blue Lyrics
• For The Roses Lyrics
• Court And Spark Lyrics
• Miles Of Aisles (Live) Lyrics
• The Hissing Of Summer Lawns Lyrics
• Hejira Lyrics
• Don Juan's Reckless Daughter Lyrics
• Mingus Lyrics
• Wild Things Run Fast Lyrics
• Dog Eat Dog Lyrics
• Night Ride Home Lyrics
• Hits Lyrics
• Misses Lyrics
• Taming The Tiger Lyrics
• Both Sides Now Lyrics

Joni Mitchell News

• Iceland Airwaves 2007: The Dis Review - Drowned In Sound
  Plus, she looks and sings like Joni Mitchell and we like Joni Mitchell. Yep, in that way. Afterwards, the in-store performances in the city centre kick off.
  drownedinsound.com
• Rockers To Bring Fire To Arena - Manchester Evening News
  ... plaudits for putting Canada on the musical map (despite some critic's claims otherwise, the likes of Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell can lift that gong,
  manchestereveningnews.co.uk
• Herbie Hancock Explores The Words Behind The Music On 'river: The ... - The Canadian Press
  But the jazz pianist's outlook changed when he recorded an album of songs by Joni Mitchell, his old friend who shares his penchant for genre-bending musical
  canadianpress.google.com
• Great Cds That Are Flying Under The Radar - Baltimore Sun
  On his new CD, the ever-restless musician pays tribute to Joni Mitchell, another tireless musical spirit. River - the follow-up to 2005's Possibilities,
  baltimoresun.com
• Luciana Souza: The Voice Of The New Bossa Nova - All About Jazz
  LS: Larry Klein (who produced the record, and is my husband) and I started with songwriters who had influenced me, such as James Taylor, Joni Mitchell,
  allaboutjazz.com
• On Disc: Joni Mitchell - The Western Gazette
  After almost a decade on hiatus, Shine marks a radiant return to music for Joni Mitchell, courtesy of Starbucks’ record label, Hear Music.
  gazette.uwo.ca
• Neil Young, Joni Mitchell Top Best 100 Canadian Albums - Canada.com
  ... number-one album, Joni Mitchell the number two. Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot and Ian Tyson also figure. "That might be our country music," he says.
  canada.com
• Neil Young's Harvest Tops List Of 100 Favourite Canadian Albums - The Canadian Press
  Joni Mitchell's "Blue" comes in at number 2, followed by Young's "After the Gold Rush." Rounding out the top five are the Band's "Music From Big Pink" and
  canadianpress.google.com
• Joni Mitchell's Muse Returns On 'shine' - The Associated Press
  NEW YORK (AP) — A few years ago, Joni Mitchell had rejected her musical muse, refusing to write or even play music as she devoted her life to painting,
  ap.google.com
• Music Reviews: Bettye Lavette, Joni Mitchell, Kim Kashkashian And ... - Kansas City Star
  ... Battle of Bettye LaVette)," an autobiographical account of the many obstacles she has faced in her 40-plus years of trying to make it in the music biz.
  kansascity.com