I think Joni is addressing the appetite that a jaded society or spirit has for external sources of renewal. "Innocence" in particular, is particularly appealing to the burnt out soul, because that is what has been lost. Creativity, which is an internal drive, is in a sense a form of ongoing innocence, or at least, an ability to retain a sense of wonder at the world. Although this has never been one of my favorites in her canon, I have always found these "three" concepts intriguing. I think there is a correlation between Three Great Stimulants and the narrator's cry in Beat of Black Wings--the old hate the young...again the old men who create wars send the youth to fight them, and to lose their innocence. The commentary in TGS is perhaps about cultural vampirism in a way. Just a thought. Patrick Vancouver the arbutus are being rained upon
