Carole King - Been to Canaan Lyrics Meaning

Reading people’s song lyric interpretations on the internet is an easy to remind yourself that most people aren’t artist— and have no idea how the creative mind works.

If Canaan, Connecticut, was her home, yes, a literal interpretation has plenty the recommended it. But that doesn’t mean it can’t ALSO be about something else, figuratively speaking. Canaan is, indeed, in the Bible— and no doubt that’s where the town got its name.

Writers— and particularly poets— have their antennae tuned to language, history, metaphor and symbol. She may well have just liked the sound of her hometown’s name; she may also have been intrigued by the Biblical allusion and thought, “Gee, that’ll roll around in the listener’s mind, I like it...”

Bottom line: songs and poems can and usually do “mean” more than one thing at the same time. And sometimes they mean practically nothing but simply sound good.

Now stop your bickering, you simpleminded twits.