Lyrics of
Big Yellow Taxi

Big Yellow Taxi is a song by singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, written in 1970. The song was inspired by Mitchells experience in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she was looking out of her hotel window and saw a beautiful stretch of park being destroyed to make way for a parking lot. It served as a commentary on the environment and unchecked urban growth, reflecting her dismay at humanitys impact on nature.


They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Ooooh, bop bop bop
Ooooh, bop bop bop

They took all the trees, and put em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them
No, no, no

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Ooooh, bop bop bop
Ooooh, bop bop bop

Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT
I don't care about spots on my apples
Leave me the birds and the bees
Please

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Hey now, they paved paradise to put up a parking lot
Why not?
Ooooh, bop bop bop
Ooooh, bop bop bop


Listen, late last night, I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi took my girl away

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Well, don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Why not?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Hey hey hey
Paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Ooooh, bop bop bop
Ooooh, bop bop bop

I don't wanna give it
Why you wanna give it
Why you wanna give it all away
Hey, hey, hey
Now you wanna give it
I should wanna give it
Now you wanna give it all away
I don't wanna give it
Why you wanna give it
Why you wanna give it all away
Hey, hey, givin it all,
givin it all away

Why do you want me?
Why do you want me?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot