“Bad Dreams” is inspired by a comment Joni Mitchell’s grandson made when he was three: “Bad dreams are good in the great plan.” She has joked that she should “cut him in” on the song’s profits.
[Verse 1]
The cats are in the flower bed, a red hawk rides the sky
I guess I should be happy just to be alive
But we have poisoned everything and oblivious to it all
The cell phone zombies babble through the shopping malls
[Chorus 1]
While condors fall from Indian skies
Whales beach and die in sand
Bad dreams are good
In the great plan
[Verse 2]
You cannot be trusted, do you even know you're lying?
It's dangerous to kid yourself, you go deaf and dumb and blind
You take with such entitlement, you give bad attitude
You have no grace, no empathy, no gratitude
[Chorus 2]
You have no sense of consequence
Oh, my head is in my hands
Bad dreams are good
In the great plan
[Bridge]
Before that altering apple, we were one with everything
No sense of self and other, no self-consciousness
But now we have to grapple with our man-made world backfiring
Keeping one eye on our brother's deadly selfishness
[Verse 3]
Everyone's a victim, nobody's hands are clean
There's so very little left of wild Eden Earth so near the jaws of our machines
We live in these electric scabs, these lesions once were lakes
No one knows how to shoulder the blame or learn from past mistakes
[Chorus 3]
So who will come to save the day?
Mighty Mouse, Superman?
Bad dreams are good
In the great plan
Bad Dreams was written by Joni Mitchell.
Bad Dreams was produced by Joni Mitchell.
Joni Mitchell released Bad Dreams on Tue Sep 25 2007.