In my previous article Why The Blue Rose? this 1969 song by Joni Mitchell is about the occult. Though I wanted to discuss my study of this song in that article, I decided to have it written separately so that it would have an importance of its own.
ROSES BLUE by JONI MITCHELL
I think of tears, I think of rain on shingles
I think of rain, I think of roses blue
I think of Rose, my heart begins to tremble
To see the place she's lately gotten to
Gotten to, gotten to
She's gotten to mysterious devotions
She's gotten to the zodiac and Zen
She's gotten into tarot cards and potions
She's laying her religion on her friends
On her friends, on her friends
Friends who come to ask her for their future
Friends who come to find they can't be friends
Because of signs and seasons that don't suit her
She'll prophesy your death, she won't say when
Won't say when, won't say when
When all the black cards come you cannot barter
No, when all your stars are stacked you cannot win
She'll shake her head and treat you like a martyr
It is her blackest spell she puts you in
Puts you in, puts you in
In sorrow she can lure you where she wants you
Inside your own self-pity there you swim
In sinking down to drown her voice still haunts you
And only with your laughter can you win
Can you win, can you win
You win the lasting laurels with your laughter
It reaches like an arm before you sink
To win the solitary truth you're after
You dare not ask the priestess how to think
How to think, how to think
I think of tears, I think of rain on shingles
I think of rain, I think of roses blue
I think of Rose, my heart begins to tremble
To see the place she's lately gotten to
Gotten to, gotten to
This song, to me, speaks of our very own Laura Palmer. She's a woman who cries and has a trembling heart in private. This is due to the pain she has secretly endured in her life. The sexual assault caused by BOB as he was within her father, Leland, put some much trauma into her, the only feelings she has within her that are true are her sadness and outrage.
She has devotions to her own vices of drugs, sex, and prostitution. She lured her friend Donna briefly to the same dark path as we saw in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me when they arrived at the bar across the Canadian border with the men there.
The evil Laura plays games at the Black Lodge and makes Agent Cooper seem like a martyr, trapping him for 25 years. He bartered himself to the Lodge to save Annie. Something he had to do but in another way, shouldn't have. This sacrifice was evil Laura's victory against him, though a worthy sacrifice to his white knight syndrome.
Her sorrow lured everyone she knew and loved in Twin Peaks, causing all the stress and sorrow to burden their everyday lives. Harold Smith, who wrote her secret diary, was the one who knew of her secrets and was lured to swim with pity for her. He was deeply affected by her death, as everyone else, but I believe his sorrow was much deeper, due to his connection with Laura and her diary. He couldn't get her out of his mind and her voice did indeed haunt him in his memories and even dreams. Just as much as her diary would if it were stolen. With this, he was led to his own death by suicide. Also, her death leads to the craziness of her parents, even leading her mother Sarah into a deep depression.
The second to last verse mentions 'the arm'. To solitary truth, don't ask how to think. David Lynch was adamant that we should never ask him or anyone how to think of Twin Peaks and his other cinematic works, because not even he knows. The truth could be anything we think of, or every truth could be the right answer in its own way. Though this doesn't have much to do with Laura Palmer, I believe that however we think of her could be our own simple truth. Same with other aspects of the series and films.
There could be other interpretations I've missed in this song. If anyone notices anything, feel free to share it in the comments section below.
Thank you for reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts, theories, and debates in the comment section below. If interested, there is Twin Peaks... From Another Place group on Facebook and Discord to join. Also, feel free to check out my Twin Peaks: Chasing A Blue Rose fanfic series prequel, Twin Peaks: The Birdwatcher, published here and on Archives Of Our Own. Thanks again!!
Thanks again. See you in the trees.
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