Never could quite fall in love with Joni Mitchell’s folk music.

That shrill, piercing soprano, rarely accompanied by more than a lonely guitar or piano, has a strange way of jumbling a melody into a disconnected confusion of notes.

But lyrics? That’s another story. Joni’s always had an unbelievable ability to express herself in clever, metaphorical ways, and her latest album, “For the Roses,” spotlights lots of beautiful examples.

“See You Sometime,” for instance, paints a many-colored portrait of a gal’s feeling toward her former beau: the exhilaration of new freedom, irritation at her former partner’s shortcomings.

She speaks directly to the fellow and the technique underlines the mood nicely.

Sometimes, Joni is dramatically biting:

“Pin-cushion-prick ... Fix this poor bad dreamer? ... ‘Money’ cold shadows reply.” (from “Cold Blue Steel,” a frightening look at drug addiction.)

Other times, Joni writes “around” her point as in “Electricity” where she portrays man’s inability to communicate in terms of overloaded circuits, flying sparks and loose wires.

Whatever the vehicle, though, J.M.’s lyrics are vivid and picturesque. Joni could have stuffed her lyrics inside a book rather than an inside album cover jacket and put her points across just as effectively.