Banquet by Joni Mitchell Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Come to the dinner gong
The table is laden high
Fat bellies and hungry little ones
Tuck your napkins in and take your share

[Chorus 1]
Some get the gravy
And some get the gristle
Some get the marrow bone
And some get nothing though there's plenty to spare

[Verse 2]
I took my share down by the sea
Paper plates and Javex bottles on the tide
Seagulls come down and they squawk at me
Down where the water-skiers glide

[Chorus 2]
Some turn to Jesus
And some turn to heroin
Some turn to rambling round
Looking for a clean sky and a drinking stream
[Chorus 3]
Some watch the paint peel off
Some watch their kids grow up
Some watch their stocks and bonds
Waiting for that big deal American Dream

[Verse 3]
I took my dream down by the sea
Yankee yachts and lobster pots and sunshine
And logs and sails and Shell Oil pails
Dogs and tugs and summertime
Back in the banquet line, angry young people crying

[Chorus 4]
Who let the greedy in?
Who left the needy out?
Who made this salty soup?
Tell him we're very hungry now for a sweeter fare

[Chorus 5]
In the cookie I read, "Some get the gravy
And some get the gristle
Some get the marrow bone
And some get nothing though there's plenty to spare"