Ne mogu da izdržim: nije uspelo ni kad sam preslušao pesmu triput. Naime, ja tu pesmu mogu da slušam ceo dan. Možda će ovo pomoći?…
Znate li za onaj slučaj kad neka pesma krene da vam zvoni u glavi, pa ne možete da je se otarasite? Šta god da radite ili mislite, pesma se uvek vrati kao neki mentalni čičak… Kažu da pomogne ako baš zaista i preslušate pesmu ponovo.
U mom slučaju, poslednjih tridesetak sati me progoni pesma koju jako volim još od vremena kad sam je prvi put čuo, a klinac sam bio… Čuo sam je u nedelju prepodne na Radio Paradise i od onda ne prestajem da mislim na nju: Coyote od Joni Mitchell, sjajna uvodna numera sa albuma Hejira (1976). Taj album je još jedno remek-delo u dugom nizu besprekornih muzičkih dela koja je ova fenomenalna umetnica poređala tokom svoje duge i plodne karijere. Situacija je htela da baš Coyote bude moj prvi susret sa Joni Mitchell – i to ona verzija koja je odsvirana na koncertu The Last Waltz (pogledajte je i poslušajte ovde). Međutim, ona prava i najbolja verzija je originalna, sa matičnog albuma:
Ah, Jaco Pastorius… Namerio se junak na junaka. Kakav rad, jebote… Kakav rad!…
Ne znam kako vi doživljavate ovu muziku. Za mene, ovako ogoljene forme su dokaz genijalnosti. Forma je prosta, ali zato je kompleksna mreža koja ne dozvoljava površni pristup. Pa nije ni čudo da me je obuzelo već trideset sati…
Ne zaboravimo ni fenomenalan tekst. Pomalo bitnik u duši, Joni Mitchell je često pevala o putovanjima.
– * –
Coyote
No regrets Coyote
We just come from such different sets of circumstance
I’m up all night in the studios
And you’re up early on your ranch
You’ll be brushing out a brood mare’s tail
While the sun is ascending
And I’ll just be getting home with my reel to reel…
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
You’re not a hit and run driver, no, no
Racing away
You just picked up a hitcher
A prisoner of the white lines on the freeway
We saw a farmhouse burning down
In the middle of nowhere
In the middle of the night
And we rolled right past that tragedy
Till we turned into some road house lights
Where a local band was playing
Locals were up kicking and shaking on the floor
And the next thing I know
That Coyote’s at my door
He pins me in a corner and he won’t take “No!”
He drags me out on the dance floor
And we’re dancing close and slow
Now he’s got a woman at home
He’s got another woman down the hall
He seems to want me anyway
Why’d you have to get so drunk
And lead me on that way
You just picked up a hitcher
A prisoner of the white lines of the freeway
I looked a Coyote right in the face
On the road to Baljennie near my old home town
He went running thru the whisker wheat
Chasing some prize down
And a hawk was playing with him
Coyote was jumping straight up and making passes
He had those same eyes – just like yours
Under your dark glasses
Privately probing the public rooms
And peeking thru keyholes in numbered doors
Where the players lick their wounds
And take their temporary lovers
And their pills and powders to get them thru this passion play
No regrets, Coyote
I just get off up aways
You just picked up a hitcher
A prisoner of the white lines on the freeway
Coyote’s in the coffee shop
He’s staring a hole in his scrambled eggs
He picks up my scent on his fingers
While he’s watching the waitresses’ legs
He’s too fat from the Bay of Fundy
From Appaloosas and Eagles and tides
And the air conditioned cubicles
And the carbon ribbon rides
Are spelling it out so clear
Either he’s going to have to stand and fight
Or take off out of here
I tried to run away myself
To run away and wrestle with my ego
And with this flame
You put here in this Eskimo
In this hitcher
In this prisoner
Of the fine white lines
Of the white lines on the free, free way
$#$