Five Leaves Left is the debut studio album by English folk musician Nick Dr… Read Full Bio ↴Five Leaves Left is the debut studio album by English folk musician Nick Drake. It was recorded between 1968 and 1969 and released in 1969 by record label Island.
Among his various backing musicians, Drake was accompanied by Richard Thompson, at that time with Fairport Convention and Danny Thompson of The Pentangle. Robert Kirby, a friend of Drake's from his youth, arranged the string instruments for several tracks while Harry Robinson arranged the strings for "River Man".
The title of the album is said to be a reference to the old Rizla cigarette papers packet, which used to contain a printed note near the end saying "Only five leaves left". Drake died five years after recording the album.
The album regularly appears on lists of the best albums of all time. The album was ranked number 283 on Rolling Stone magazine's original 2003 list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". NME ranked it at number 258 on their 2013 list of "NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
It is said that Drake felt frustrated at the lack of commercial success his music initially gathered, considering the help he had on his debut record. Besides fine production from Joe Boyd and assistance from folks like Fairport Convention's Richard Thompson and his unrelated bass counterpart from Pentangle, Danny Thompson, Drake also recruited school friend Robert Kirby to create most of the just-right string and wind arrangements. His own performance itself steered a careful balance between too-easy accessibility and maudlin self-reflection, combining the best of both worlds while avoiding the pitfalls on either side. The result was a fantastic debut appearance, and if the cult of Drake consistently reads more into his work than is perhaps deserved, Five Leaves Left is still a most successful effort.
Having grown out of the amiable but derivative styles captured on the long-circulating series of bootleg home recordings, Drake assays his tunes with just enough drama -- world-weariness in the vocals, carefully paced playing, and more -- to make it all work. His lyrics capture a subtle poetry of emotion, as on the pastoral semi-fantasia of "The Thoughts of Mary Jane," which his soft, articulate singing brings even more to the full. Sometimes he projects a little more clearly, as on the astonishing voice-and-strings combination "Way to Blue," while elsewhere he's not so clear, suggesting rather than outlining the mood. Understatement is the key to his songs and performances' general success, which makes the combination of his vocals and Rocky Dzidzornu's congas on "Three Hours" and the lovely "'Cello Song," to name two instances, so effective. Danny Thompson is the most regular side performer on the album, his bass work providing subtle heft while never standing in the way of the song -- kudos well deserved for Boyd's production as well.
According to the River Man Songfacts, the album title referred to the warning found towards the end of a packet of Rizla cigarette papers, that there were only five leaves left.
Among his various backing musicians, Drake was accompanied by Richard Thompson, at that time with Fairport Convention and Danny Thompson of The Pentangle. Robert Kirby, a friend of Drake's from his youth, arranged the string instruments for several tracks while Harry Robinson arranged the strings for "River Man".
The title of the album is said to be a reference to the old Rizla cigarette papers packet, which used to contain a printed note near the end saying "Only five leaves left". Drake died five years after recording the album.
The album regularly appears on lists of the best albums of all time. The album was ranked number 283 on Rolling Stone magazine's original 2003 list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". NME ranked it at number 258 on their 2013 list of "NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
It is said that Drake felt frustrated at the lack of commercial success his music initially gathered, considering the help he had on his debut record. Besides fine production from Joe Boyd and assistance from folks like Fairport Convention's Richard Thompson and his unrelated bass counterpart from Pentangle, Danny Thompson, Drake also recruited school friend Robert Kirby to create most of the just-right string and wind arrangements. His own performance itself steered a careful balance between too-easy accessibility and maudlin self-reflection, combining the best of both worlds while avoiding the pitfalls on either side. The result was a fantastic debut appearance, and if the cult of Drake consistently reads more into his work than is perhaps deserved, Five Leaves Left is still a most successful effort.
Having grown out of the amiable but derivative styles captured on the long-circulating series of bootleg home recordings, Drake assays his tunes with just enough drama -- world-weariness in the vocals, carefully paced playing, and more -- to make it all work. His lyrics capture a subtle poetry of emotion, as on the pastoral semi-fantasia of "The Thoughts of Mary Jane," which his soft, articulate singing brings even more to the full. Sometimes he projects a little more clearly, as on the astonishing voice-and-strings combination "Way to Blue," while elsewhere he's not so clear, suggesting rather than outlining the mood. Understatement is the key to his songs and performances' general success, which makes the combination of his vocals and Rocky Dzidzornu's congas on "Three Hours" and the lovely "'Cello Song," to name two instances, so effective. Danny Thompson is the most regular side performer on the album, his bass work providing subtle heft while never standing in the way of the song -- kudos well deserved for Boyd's production as well.
According to the River Man Songfacts, the album title referred to the warning found towards the end of a packet of Rizla cigarette papers, that there were only five leaves left.
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Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake Lyrics
Cello Song Strange face, with your eyes So pale and sincere Underneath …
Day Is Done When the day is done Down to earth then sinks the…
Fruit Tree Fame is but a fruit tree So very unsound. It can never…
Man in a Shed Well there was a man who lived in a shed Spent…
River Man Betty came by on her way Said she had a word…
Saturday Sun Saturday sun came early one morning In a sky so clear…
The Thoughts of Mary Jane Who can know The thoughts of Mary Jane Why she flies Or goes…
Three Hours Three hours from sundown Jeremy flies Hoping to keep The su…
Time Has Told Me Time has told me You're a rare, rare find A troubled cure Fo…
Way to Blue Don't you have a word to show what may be…
Preston
on Kimbie
And I need a Mackinaw
Preston
on Kimbie
hawl
Preston
on Kimbie
It's not a show. It's a shawl. The point here is that can be once a luxury item, a shawl that costs $9, while the speaker needs a Mackinaw, which is a practical warm coat. She "wants" something, but he "needs" something.
Preston
on Kimbie
Kimbie wants a nine dollar show
Kimbie desires a performance that costs exactly nine dollars
Kimbie wants a nine dollar show
Kimbie repeatedly expresses her desire for a nine dollar performance
She wants a nine dollar show
Kimbie is insistent on attending a nine dollar show
And I need
The artist has a need that is yet to be revealed
Well Kimbie let your hair hang down
The artist is telling Kimbie to let her hair loose and relax
Kimbie let your hair hang down
The singer repeats his request to Kimbie, urging her to let go of her worries
Let your hair hang down
The singer encourages Kimbie to let her hair down, implying that she should stop worrying and enjoy herself
T'il it touches the ground
The artist suggests that Kimbie should let her hair down completely
Well Kimbie let your hair hang down
The artist reminds Kimbie to let go of her worries as he intends to depart soon
Kimbie let your hair hang down
The artist emphasizes the importance of Kimbie letting her hair down before he leaves
Cause come the morning I’ll be gone
The singer implies that he will not stay for long
Well Kimbie where you been so long
The artist questions Kimbie's whereabouts since he last saw her
I’ve been down in your state pen
Kimbie has spent time in a prison located in the singer's state
With those rough and rowdy
Kimbie has been surrounded by aggressive and unruly people
Rough and rowdy men
The people Kimbie has been surrounded by in prison are male and are known for their aggressive behaviour
Well Kimbie where you been so long
The artist repeats his question, wondering where Kimbie has been and why she has been away for so long
And I gotta go back again
Kimbie reveals that she has to return to prison once again
Well I wished I was a mole in the ground
The singer expresses his wish to be a mole that burrows underground
I wished I were a mole in the ground
The singer repeats his desire to become a mole
I was a mole in the ground
The artist imagines himself as a mole burrowing beneath the surface of the earth
And that I’d tear this mountain
The artist imagines himself digging through a mountain
I’d tear this mountain down
The artist would use his strength to destroy a mountain if he were a mole
Wished I was a mole in the ground
The singer repeats his desire to become a mole, implying that he wants to be free from the burdens of the human world
Dave
on Free Ride
That interpretation isn't correct at all.