Tuesday June 22, 2021 “The Joke” Brandi Carlile

At 17 in 1998, Carlile picked up the guitar, having developed a taste for rock & roll through Elton John's classic albums of the '70s, and began hitting the Seattle bar scene, playing anywhere she could get a gig including a stint singing backup for an Elvis Presley tribute act. 

In 2007 having achieved greater recognition, Carlile assembled a star-studded charity album for the nonprofit War Child, Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of the Story. The album featured Dolly Parton, Pearl Jam, Kris Kristofferson, Jim James, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton and the Avett Brothers, among others.

Brandi Carlile explained to NPR that today’s song.”The Joke” was a comment on the sociopolitical climate following the 2016 US presidential election.  She said  "there are so many people feeling misrepresented. So many people feeling unloved. The song is just for people that feel under-represented, unloved or illegal."

The Joke has been widely acclaimed by music critics, who have praised its melody and the subject matter in its lyrics. Magazine American Songwriter called the track's intensity "mind-blowing", and dubbed it "a true masterpiece". NPR lauded the single as "A country-rock aria dedicated to the delicate boys and striving girls born into — and, Carlile insists, destined to triumph over — this divisive time." Rolling Stone called the track an "anthemic ballad".

Stay safe and well...and enjoy this crushing live performance of this song at the 2019 Grammys where Brandi Carlile picked up a well deserved award for this tune!

You're feeling nervous, aren't you, boy?

With your quiet voice and impeccable style

Don't ever let them steal your joy

And your gentle ways, to keep 'em from running wild

They can kick dirt in your face

Dress you down, and tell you that your place

Is in the middle, when they hate the way you shine

I see you tugging on your shirt

Trying to hide inside of it and hide how much it hurts

 Let 'em laugh while they can

Let 'em spin, let 'em scatter in the wind

I have been to the movies, I've seen how it ends

And the joke's on them

 You get discouraged, don't you, girl?

It's your brother's world for a while longer

We gotta dance with the devil on a river

To beat the stream

Call it living the dream, call it kicking the ladder

They come to kick dirt in your face

To call you weak and then displace you

After carrying your baby on your back across the desert

I saw your eyes behind your hair

And you're looking tired, but you don't look scared

 Let 'em laugh while they can

Let 'em spin, let 'em scatter in the wind

I have been to the movies, I've seen how it ends

And the joke's on them

 Let 'em laugh while they can

Let 'em spin, let 'em scatter in the wind

I have been to the movies, I've seen how it ends

And the joke's on them