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The Path to the Milky Way Leads through Los Angeles Lyrics by Joy Harjo

2000

There are strangers above me, below me and all around me and we are all
strange in this place of recent invention.
This city named for angels appears naked and stripped of anything resembling
the shaking of turtle shells, the songs of human voices on a summer night
outside Okmulgee.
Yet it's perpetually summer here, and beautiful. The shimmer of gods is easier
to perceive at sunrise or dusk,
when those who remember us here in the illusion of the marketplace
turn toward the changing of the sun and say our names.
We matter to somebody,
We must matter to the strange god who imagines us as we revolve together in
the dark sky on the path to the Milky Way.
We can't easily see that starry road from the perspective of the crossing of
boulevards, can't hear it in the whine of civilization or taste the minerals of
planets in hamburgers.
But we can buy a map here of the stars' homes, dial a tone for dangerous love,
choose from several brands of water or a hiss of oxygen for gentle rejuvenation.
Everyone knows you can't buy love but you can still sell your soul for less
than a song to a stranger who will sell it to someone else for a profit
until you're owned by a company of strangers.
in the city of the strange and getting stranger.
I'd rather understand how to sing from a crow
who was never good at singing or much of anything
but finding gold in the trash of humans.
So what are we doing here I ask the crow parading on the ledge of falling that
hangs over this precarious city?
Crow just laughs and says wait , wait and see and I am waiting and not seeing
anything, not just yet.
But like crow I collect the shine of anything beautiful I can find.
Credits
Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo

About “The Path to the Milky Way Leads through Los Angeles” by Joy Harjo

Read the complete lyrics to "The Path to the Milky Way Leads through Los Angeles" by Joy Harjo in 2000. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"The Path to the Milky Way Leads through Los Angeles" is performed by Joy Harjo. in 2000 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Path to the Milky Way Leads through Los Angeles", explore more songs by Joy Harjo using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"The Path to the Milky Way Leads through Los Angeles" is credited to Joy Harjo. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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