According to Wikipedia, the song has been remade over the years by various artists (including Joni herself)...

...sometimes taking inflation into consideration:

There are various slight alterations of the lyrics from different versions. Joni Mitchell's original version goes...
They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
Then they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em

...while in Amy Grant's version, the people are charged "twenty-five bucks", and in Joni Mitchell's 2007 re-recording the people are charged "an arm and a leg".

The Counting Crows did a remake about a decade ago for the movie "Two Weeks Notice"...

...probably the most recognizable version since it still gets played on the radio periodically. (YouTube Video)

Bob Dylan actually did the most appropriate cover for the purposes of this post by including the line:

"A big yellow bulldozer took away the house and land".

Anyway...

...below is the picture that inspired this post:

The former Relax Inn is gone...

...replaced by (what could be) a new and improved parking lot for the Nu Diner!

CAT Tracks Editor's Note:

Okay, there are probably naysayers among you...

...those who would point out that the surface is not really "paved".

Hey...

Asphalt surely costs an arm and a leg these days (hence the lack of pothole repair in Cairo!) Can you really blame the demolition folks and/or Cairo Public Utility for substituting gravel? For sure it's an improvement! (At least until the grass and weeds start to grow.)

And...

"Paradise"?

...used in a post about the demolition of derelict buildings in a city long past its prime?

Well, consider this...

The Relax Inn.

Surely, during its many years as an oasis for weary travelers, or star-struck lovers, or locals in heat...

...many a someones leaned back late at night and sighed: