Discover the story of the song > The Magdalene Laundries – Joni Mitchell

The song is about a woman who was sent to a convent laundry called the Magdalene Laundries where other unmarried girls who had become pregnant or were deemed to be behaving inappropriately were also sent. The protagonist was treated terribly and felt like she was doomed to shame. The song also reflects on the unfairness of sending young women to such a place, and how some of them never got to leave.