#4 Les lyrics du jeudi /// Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell - The Last Time I Saw Richard (from Blue)

(Joni Mitchell painting)

D'abord absente de la version première de l'album, The Last Time I Saw Richard fut rajoutée à la dernière minute. La séparation récente d'avec son compagnon Graham Nash (de Crosby, Stills & Nash) l'a très probablement inspirée pour l'écriture de la dernière chanson de Blue.

Au départ, deux avis opposés sur les relations amoureuses, une conversation d'un soir.

D'un côté, Richard, cynique et fataliste : "All romantics meet the same fate, someday, cynical and drunken, boring someone in some dark cafe"

De l'autre, Joni, plus optimiste : "You got tombs in your eyes, but the songs you punched are dreams, listen, they sing of love so sweet, love so sweet"

Quelques temps plus tard, on apprend que, ironie du sort, c'est Richard qui s'est marié. En dépit de ça, il boit toujours, et rien n'a changé dan son esprit.

La vision de Joni, elle, s'est assombrie. De déceptions en déceptions, l'espoir s'est tu. Et ces cafés noirs, qui lui semblaient si morbides, sont maintenant les seuls refuges qui s'offrent à sa vue. Et à sa vie.

The last time I saw Richard was Detroit of '68

And he told me:

"All romantics meet the same fate, someday

Cynical and drunken

Boring someone in some dark cafe,"

"You laugh," he said

"You think you're immune

Go look at your eyes, they're full of moon!

You like roses, and kisses

And pretty men to tell you all those pretty lies

Pretty lies

When you gonna realize

They're only pretty lies?

Only pretty lies

Just pretty lies,"

He put a quarter in the Whirletzer

And pushed three buttons and the thing began to whirl

And a bar maid came by with fishnet stockings and a bow-tie

She said:

"Drink up now, it's getting on time to close,"

"Richard, you haven't really changed," I said

"It's just that, now you're romanticizing some pain that's in your head

You got tombs in your eyes, but the songs you punched are dreams

Listen, they sing of love so sweet, love so sweet

When you gonna get yourself back on your feet?

Oh, love can be so sweet

Love, so sweet,"

Richard got married to a figure skater

And he bought her a dishwasher

And a coffee percolator

And he drinks at home now most nights

With the TV on and all the houselights left up bright

I'm gonna blow this damn candle out

I don't want nobody coming over to my table

I don't got nothing to talk to anybody about

All the dreamers pass this way someday

Hiding in bottles, in dark cafes, dark cafes

Only a dark cocoon before I get my gorgeous wings and fly away

Only a phase, these dark cafe days...