"Do your smiles covert complicity, debase as it admires?" -- what's that
about? read Pat's post...
I think Joni is asking whether her admirer is true in his/her intent. Does
the person really mean what he/she is saying or is he/she just hitting on
her to advance their own means? Joni has long been surrounded by "thieves
and sycophants" within the record industry. I don't think it's uncommon for
persons of celebrity to wake up some days feeling like they don't have a
true friend in the world. Such feelings of selflessness are frightening,
and Joni is no stranger to writing from that perspective. Kinda like the
genesis for Sally Field's surprised, "You like me, you really like me."
Going out on a limb again on this one (grammatically), I think some
confusion arises from two areas:
1. the use of "covert" as a verb, rather than adjective (very efficient,
IMHO, to imply paranoia), and
2. the disconnect in the plural relating the second part of the question
back to "smiles." Elements of Style would probably rewrite this as, "Does
your smile covert (sic) complicity, debase as it admires?
As for "you're notches liberation doll", I really don't have a clue. "Don't
Interrupt The Sorrow" always seemed more of a stream of consciousness poem,
so I just roll with it. But stretch with me, won't you...the image it
conjures up for me is one of those inflatable party dolls, the "notches" are
belt notches (But who's counting? Rolling Stone?), and the word "liberation"
could be construed as sneering derision based on gender (it WAS the '70s).
Applying this, I'd guess it isn't a very flattering thing to call someone.
No wonder Anima's rising!
CC
"Somehow the slightest touch of a stranger sets up a trembling in my bones."
-- JM
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