Turning and turning in my mind what the phrase “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” means…I had my students read the Yeats' poem “The Second Coming” and watch the Joni Mitchell video posted on Youtube. I read them excerpts of the Joan Didion essay. Chelsea said. “Slouching means you don’t really want to get there and Bethlehem represents peace so we are never going to have peace.” Jackie said Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
I want to ask Joni to give a textual analysis of the song. I’m sure she would say the song speaks for itself, but I’m sure there is a story behind it. I wonder if the song came to her in 1991 because it was echoing her Irish heritage and the world needed a second coming of Yeats' poem.
“Things fall apart” appears in both the poem and song.
“Nothing is sacred” is Joni’s line.
The song was in the ballet The Fiddler and The Drum when it was at UCLA Live a few years ago. I went to see it for my dead sister, who was a dancer.
When I moved to Los Angeles, I had my car shipped from New York City. On the dashboard was a mix tape a gay man had made me who I catered with filled with Joni Mitchell songs. It was stolen by the time my Volvo arrived in Los Angeles.
Slouching Toward Bethlehem was one of the songs on the tape. I hope whoever has the tape is enjoying the second coming of the song.
Listening to the song brings back my twenties…when I was catering next to a man who was a model before he was shot in the head in Iraq. When I was more of an artist and less of a teacher.
Slouching toward Bethlehem to be born….
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