Donna
"Hair" Lyrics
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Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
There was a sixteen year old virgin
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Looking for my Donna
I just got back from looking for Donna
San Francisco
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Looking for my Donna
Have you seen
My sixteen year old tattooed woman
Heard a story
She got busted for her beauty oh oh oh
Oh oh!
Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
There was a sixteen year old virgin
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Looking for my Donna
I've been to India and saw the yogi light (lie?)
In South America the Indian smoke glows bright
I'm reincarnated and so are we all
And in this lifetime we'll rise
Before we fall
Before we fall
Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
There was a sixteen year old virgin
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Looking for my Donna
And I'm going to show her
Life on earth can be sweet
Gonna lay my mutated head (self) at her feet
And I'm gonna love her make love to her
Till the sky turns brown
I'm evolving I'm evolving
Through the drugs
That you put down
Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
There was a sixteen year old virgin
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Looking for my Donna
Looking for my Donna
Donna!
The song “Donna” by the band Hair is an ode to a sixteen-year-old virgin named Donna. The singer of the song is searching for Donna and has just come back from San Francisco where he became a psychedelic urchin. He sings of Donna being a tattooed beauty who got "busted for her beauty," hinting that she may have been in some trouble with the law. He continues to sing of his travels, having been to India and South America before reincarnating. He is in love with Donna and claims that he will show her how sweet life on earth can be. He even goes as far as to say he will lay his "mutated" self at her feet and love her until the sky turns brown. Finally, the song ends with him simply calling out for Donna.
The song can be interpreted in different ways, but some believe it is speaking to the counterculture of the time period in which it was written (1967). The singer's search for Donna is symbolic of the search for freedom and truth that many young people were pursuing at that time. The lyrics about traveling to India and South America are also indicative of the hippie culture's infatuation with Eastern spirituality and counterculture.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
In the past, I was searching for a woman named Donna
There was a sixteen year old virgin
Donna was a young, inexperienced girl when I first met her
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
I have strong feelings for Donna and keep calling out to her
Looking for my Donna
I am still trying to find Donna
I just got back from looking for Donna
I recently returned from trying to find Donna
San Francisco
I went to San Francisco to look for Donna
Psychedelic urchin
The atmosphere in San Francisco was unusual and a little wild
Have you seen
Do you know where I can find
My sixteen year old tattooed woman
Donna has tattoos and is still young
Heard a story
I heard someone talk about her
She got busted for her beauty oh oh oh
She got in trouble because of her attractiveness
Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
I can't stop thinking about finding Donna
I've been to India and saw the yogi light (lie?)
I have traveled and had unique experiences
In South America the Indian smoke glows bright
The culture in South America is different
I'm reincarnated and so are we all
I believe in reincarnation
And in this lifetime we'll rise
We will all experience growth and improvement
Before we fall
But we will also have hard times
And I'm going to show her
When I find Donna, I want to teach her
Life on earth can be sweet
Life can be enjoyable and positive
Gonna lay my mutated head (self) at her feet
I want to be vulnerable and subservient to Donna
And I'm gonna love her make love to her
I have romantic feelings for Donna
Till the sky turns brown
I will continue to love her for a long time
I'm evolving I'm evolving
I am changing and growing
Through the drugs
My experiences with drugs have influenced my journey
That you put down
The drugs I have taken in my life
Looking for my Donna
Even though I haven't found Donna yet, I am still trying
Donna!
I am still calling out to her
Contributed by Christopher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@38chinadoll
The best Broadway musical EVER.
@kaylac.5406
My grandma took me to see Hair when I was twelve or so and this song has been sort of stuck in my head for the past few years. :)
@notchuckproductions5029
Really even with the nudity and the drugs? that's one progressive grandmother!
@sylsuzszadan970
Luv
@toecutterjones
Thank you bwtrax for all of these songs. The CD I had for over 20 years since high school is just scratched to shit and skips on all the best songs. LONG LIVE THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING!! (dances)
@HipsterEatinShark
This kills ANY other version of this song. It's just not the same without the fuzz guitar and the original cast.
@RoyFive
For me there is no other version!
@MelBee128
Absolutely correct. The movie version and the revival so not capture the spirit of the song. There's a thread of desperation and resistance to the entire soundtrack because they're still in the middle of it. All the things they're singing about are still happening! Love it
@zackstark24601
R.I.P Galt MacDermot We Will Remember You
@farawaykin
Why is it blocked everywhere but the US tho? :(