"Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone?"

Do you appreciate the things you have?

Listen, late last night, I heard the screen door sway

And a big yellow taxi took my girl away

Now, don't it always seem to go

That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone?

They paved paradise to put up a parking lot

I like Joni Mitchell's song because it resonates with me and many others. My wife and I were married for almost fifty years. We had our difficulties. By that, we had our arguments, which were about nearly nothing. But I now understand, after her passing away from cancer, that I took for granted that she would always be there.

It is commonplace for people to take for granted that their possessions, partners, children, parents, and grandparents will always be there. But it is never the case. As life progresses, things change, and we experience many losses. It may seem trivial to many readers, but I experienced the death of the great actor Gene Hackman with deep regret and sadness. His loss represented everything I grew up with through much of my younger life.

That is why we must fully grasp the moment and live each moment—spending time in envy or jealousy of what others own is hopeless. Someone may own a specific type of car that we cannot afford. The result is that, in our minds, we diminish the vehicle we own instead of truly enjoying our four-wheeled possession.

Joni Mitchell's song Big Yellow Taxi is about loss and regret. It reminds us we often take things for granted until they disappear. The song talks about how beautiful things, like nature and personal freedom, are slowly being taken away by modern life. Only when they are gone, do we realize how much they mattered to us.

The line "You don't know what you got until it's gone" is the heart of the song. It expresses the sadness of realizing something's value only after losing it. It also applies to relationships, health, time, or anything else we take for granted.

The song speaks about love and personal loss. She sings about a man who leaves, and she feels the pain of his absence. We must appreciate the people in our lives. When they are no longer there, it's permanent. It is a common human experience to realize too late how much someone meant to us.