Overture - Cotton Avenue - Joni Mitchell

A red sun came rolling down a grey sky

And the frogs and dogs and night birds then

Started up singing sweet country lullaby

You see that patch of city lights-

Somewhere in there’s cotton avenue-

That’s where i’m going to take myself tonight

With a spit shine on my dancing shoes

If you got a place like that to go

You just have to go there

If you got no place special

Well then, you just go no place special

I guess it’s just the summer in the young blood

Ripe and juicy in the young blood

Teasing to go down to …

Cotton avenue

To hear the shiny shiny music

See all the shiny people dancing to it

Anytime you go to …

Cotton avenue

If you got a place like that to go

You know you got to go there

If you got no place special

Well then, you just go no place special

You see that summer storm brewing in the southern sky

By the time it hits here i’ll be dancing high and dry

To rhythm and blues

On cotton avenue

Poor boys’ll be hanging around outside in the street

They got all the latest words

They’re dancing to the latest beat

While they’re hustling and sizing you

On cotton avenue

If you got a place like that to go

You just have to go there

If you’ve got no place special

Well my dear

You just so no place … special