Thursday Inspiration #232 Coyote

Respond to this challenge, by either using the prompt word lips, or going with the above picture, or by means of the song ‘Coyote’, or by going with another song by Joni Mitchell, or you can go with anything else that you think fits.  On November 13, 1975, Joni Mitchell joined the concert tour by Bob Dylan called The Rolling Thunder Review, which included numerous musicians and collaborators with a traveling hodgepodge of stars, featuring Dylan, Joan Baez, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Sam Shepard, Ronee Blakley, Bob Neuwirth, Kinky Friedman, Roger McGuinn, Allen Ginsberg, Gordon Lightfoot, Mick Ronson, and more.  Filmmaker Martin Scorsese chronicled the troubled spirit of America in 1975 along with the joyous music that Bob Dylan performed during this tour.  Joni just happened to be writing ‘Coyote’ during these performances, and although Joni has never admitted it, the song was almost certainly written about the American actor, playwright, author, director and screenwriter and fellow traveler Sam Shepard.  Joni did admit to finding Sam Shepard very attractive when she was on coke.

Joni recorded ‘Coyote’ on her 1976 eighth studio album Hejira, and a live version of ‘Coyote’ was performed by Mitchell with the Band for the concert movie The Last Waltz, and this was included on the film’s soundtrack album.  Another live version appears on Joni Mitchell’s live album Shadows and Light.  Hejira refers to Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution in 622 AD, marking the consolidation of the first Muslim community.  Joni’s album Hejira was a departure from her pop records to a more freeform jazz and folk-inspired sound.  In this song, Joni Mitchell likens Sam Shepard’s seduction of her to that of a coyote chasing down a prize.  ‘Coyote’ is about an encounter that the narrator of the story has with a ranch worker that is referred to as the coyote.  These two people come from different backgrounds, and they struggle to find common ground.  They engage in an affair that is a whirlwind of emotions, involving a powerful portrayal of the contradictions and complexity, desire and longing, and the struggles to find oneself and connect with others in the midst of an ever-changing world.  The woman is on the run from a broken relationship, searching for a sense of freedom and independence, but also feels lost and uncertain about what she wants.  The coyote that she encounters represents a kind of freedom and wildness that she longs for, but she knows this will never work.  Mitchel refers to herself as a hitcher, which is a reference to the traveling she did on The Rolling Thunder Review tour, but also to her cocaine use at the time.  ‘Coyote’ has become one of Joni Mitchell’s most beloved and iconic songs and in 1979 it reached #79 on the Canada Top Singles chart.

There’s no comprehending
Just how close to the bone and the skin and the eyes
And the lips you can get
And still feel so alone
And still feel related
Like stations in some relay