Not sure if I've seen this mentioned here before, but has anyone here heard Ani DiFranco's song "The Garden of Simple" from her Revelling/Reckoning album. This song was written about Prince and is incredibly beautiful.

garden of simple

some crazy fucker carved a sculpture out of butter
and propped it up in the middle of the bonanza breakfast bar
and i am stuffing toast and sausage into my pockets
under a sign that says grand opening
while my dog is waiting in the car

i wake up, i check out
i fill the tank and wash the windshield clean
then i'm back out on the highway
and BANG that's when i remember my dream:

we were standing in a garden
and i had a machine that made silence
it just sucked up the whole opinionated din
and there were no people on the payroll
and there were no monkeys on our backs
and i said, show me what you look like
without skin

science chases money
and money chases its tail
and the best minds of my generation
can't make bail
but the bacteria are coming to take us down
that's my prediction
it's the answer to this culture
of the quick fix prescription

but in the garden of simple
where all of us are nameless
you were never anything but beautiful to me
and, you know, they never really owned you
you just carried them around you
and then one day you put 'em down
and found your hands were free

so now it's early in the morning
at the longitude of memphis
and the sun is setting sweetly on hong kong
and the big plan is just to keep spinning
cuz the big bang is only just beginning
and sometimes it's all that we can do just to hang on

and what i meant to say is "muah" (kiss) which means i'm thinking of ya
which means i've been thinking of you
all along

This is a great song. The depth sneaks up on you. The song could really be about anyone but when you listen to it in the context of Prince you can just see the two of them in the Garden having this spritual meeting of the artisic mind. Great Visual.

...and I just bought a ticket to see her in Wilm. NC. 16th row. Can't wait!!

PrinceOscar said:

You will absolutely love Ani in concert. She is dynamite!!

that's really nice.

I'm a HUGE Ani DiFranco fan, and I love this song, but I've never heard anything from Ani about it being about Prince. So do you remember where you read or heard that "Garden of Simple" was about Prince? I always thought it was written for her (then) husband. I could be wrong here, though.

I have Revelling/Reckoning and To the Teeth and love them both, but I never knew this particular song was about Prince. If anyone can post the source from which this song in particular is supposedly about Prince, please do!

wildsign said:

This is the only verse that would make any sence that it was written about Prince. I don't know, it might be about Prince, it might not... Sometimes I think us fans like to see Purple even when it's not there!

PicassoFace said:

Ani was interviewed on the radio here in Australia a few years back, not long after this album came out. She said she wrote this song while she was in Hong Kong and she was thinking about Prince. So I heard it from her own mouth!!
[Edited 3/3/05 20:42pm]
[Edited 3/3/05 20:43pm]

I cannot quote the source, but I have also heard Ani say she was thinking about Prince. I guess it really is not "about" Prince but she wrote it with him in mind. Most of the song describes her dream so it is more abstract.

I do so love Ani in concert. I have seen her numerous times. I am looking forward to seeing her in a ballroom type setting with an actual seat. I love general admission shows, b/c I can usually mill around and find a decent spot, but I don't have the patience to wade to all the way to the front. This will be nice.

who the hell is Ani DiFranco





this is what happens when u live on prince.org

hemakesmecream said:

Ani DiFranco has released about 16 albums since 1990. She never signed to any record label, instead starting her own label when she was very young and releasing everything herself. She would have been inspiring to Prince when he was trying to gain more freedom.

Anyway, she plays guitar on "I Love U But I Don't Trust U Anymore" on Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. Prince also sings backing vocals on her track "Providence" on her To The Teeth album, which came out about the same time. Maceo Parker was playing with Ani on her tour in 1999 (he also plays on a few tracks on To The Teeth), and Prince hooked up with them when they visited Minneapolis.

PrinceOscar said:

Yeah, you're right. I guess I shouldn't have said the song was "about" Prince as such. But as she said she was thinking about Prince when she wrote it, you could say it's a song TO Prince, as though she's telling him a story about her dream. It's very lovely.

Last time I saw Ani was in a theatre setting as well. And even though I missed being able to get up close, it was still electrifying. She is so engaging on stage. This was just after "Educated Guess" came out and she had no band, just her and her guitar. Is she playing with a band now?

wildsign said:

her acoustic guitar playing is inspiring..i wish one day they will work on a true collaberation cause she rivals wendy on guitar...beautiful!!

DiFranco's When u were mine with Maceo is one of the best versions of that song... Me thinks..