Jung's concept (easy enough to do),
> or blatently ignoring it in an attempt (in the lyric
> anyways) to connect herself with a feminine power.
>
This is what I was thinking. I haven't read or studied Jung but I
have looked anima & animus up in the dictionary. It seems to me she
is referring to the feminine spirit, period. Not necessarily in the
male pysche. That and the reference to 'a vengeful little goddess' is
why I speculated that the reference might be to a stone or wooden
idol. I'm certainly not convinced that that is the case.
But my gut has always told me that the male in the song is telling the
woman that she is responsible for his weakness & dissolution. She is
reducing the living 'tall timber' of his masculinity & virility' down
to nothing but hard, unyielding & lifeless 'rock.' He refers to the
glasses of wine he drinks as her 'notches' as if she feels some kind
of satisfaction or victory at making him into a drunk. All through
the song he is blaming her for his downfall while trying to assert his
superiority & right to be deferred to. She has finally had enough of
it and is absolving herself of that responsibility. No more will she
accept the 'guilt of Eden' and she has called on the female spirit to
cleanse, release & acquit her of this false charge.
As to 'in flames our prophet witches', I think that's a reference to
times when women who were unmarried, independent & intelligent or
skilled in healing or had special talents or were just different from
the 'norm' in some way were sometimes accused, convicted & burned as
witches. It was another way that women were subjugated to patriarchal
rule. If a woman was intelligent with an independent spirit she'd
better hide it or 'be polite' as it were. Otherwise the consequences
could be dire.
I hope nobody thinks I sound like I have *the* definitive
interpretation of this or any other lyric. I certainly don't intend
to convey that. I agree that we all see Joni's songs from our own
perspectives and there is no one 'right' way to interpret them.
Mark in Seattle
