[edit] Career
Lind signed a recording contract with World Pacific Records in 1965, and it was on that label that he had his huge hit. The single may have done even better in the UK Singles Chart had he not had competition from Val Doonican, who released a rival version of the same song. In the end, both versions made the Top Ten.
He remains a virtual one-hit wonder, and retired from the music business in 1969 to pursue other interests. In more recent years he has resided in Florida, and works as a writer. He is the author of five novels, and has written for publications such as Weekly World News and the Sun. He returned to the music business in 2004 when he began performing again and established an official website.
The british Band "Pulp" have a song called after him. "Bob Lind (The only way is down)" from their last album "We love life".
------
Unlike what is the case with many artists, Bob Lind is an active participant in his own official site - so one can have the rare experience of communicating with one's music idol, asking him curly questions about the lyrics to his songs, and occasionally getting the answers! There have also been recent reissues of some of his 1960's and 70's releases, including the album that carried Elusive Butterfly.
Cool Summer
Bob Lind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the high mountain air
Is the girl that I
Would have married
But the summer was too long
And the ocean was to wide
And the burden too heavy
In the fall when things were new
We walked out and wandered through
And a word set my restless mind to dreaming
In those quiet Autumn days
Sitting in some small cafe
Our worths they were set
To each other
But the summer was too long
And the ocean was too wide
And our dreams too heavy
To be carried
But our words were deaf and blind
To the coming summertime
Even though we knew inside
It was coming
So I sail across the mist
With a promise and a kiss
And I saw her face in every wave
Its breaking
And the summer was to long
And the ocean was too wide
And the burden too heavy
To be carried
But somehow i cant be sad
Thinking about the times we had
It was love, i'll remember it
Forever
And somewhere up there
In the high mountain air
Is the girl
That I would have married
The song "Cool Summer" by Bob Lind portrays a bittersweet memory of a lost love from summer. The opener "Somewhere up there in the high mountain air is the girl that I would have married" reveals the singer's yearning for his lost love. However, he reflects on how the burden was too heavy to be carried during summer, which hints towards the difficulty of the relationship. The singer mentions that there were happy moments, but due to the summer being too long and ocean too wide, the love and dreams could not be realized.
The song also takes the listeners through the seasons that followed the summer, giving hope that things would turn out differently. In the autumn, the couple walked together, and the singer was lost in his dreams. However, as the following summer approached, they were deaf and blind to the impending end of their relationship. The singer saw his lost love in every wave as he sailed across the mist, but the love could not be saved.
It is a song of nostalgia and unfulfilled love. As the singer reflects in the final verse, he cannot be sad and will remember their love forever. The song's lyrics and melancholic melody convey a sense of longing and loss, leaving an emotional impact on the listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere up there
Up in the high mountain air, there is a girl whom I could have married.
In the high mountain air
The girl whom I could have married is somewhere up in the high mountain air.
Is the girl that I
The girl whom I could have married is the one I am referring to.
Would have married
I would have married her if things were different.
But the summer was too long
The summer lasted too long for our love to survive.
And the ocean was to wide
The vast ocean between us made it difficult to be together.
And the burden too heavy
The weight of our love was too much for us to carry.
To be carried
We were not strong enough to carry the weight of our love.
In the fall when things were new
During the autumn season when things felt fresh and new.
We walked out and wandered through
We went for walks and explored together.
And a word set my restless mind to dreaming
A simple word sparked a dreamy feeling within me.
In those quiet Autumn days
During the calm and peaceful days of autumn.
Sitting in some small cafe
We sat in a cozy cafe, enjoying each other's company.
Our worths they were set
Our values and what we saw as important were aligned.
To each other
We saw the most worth in each other.
But our words were deaf and blind
We were oblivious to the fact that our words would not sustain us through the coming summer.
To the coming summertime
We didn't see that the summer would be too long and hard for us to survive as a couple.
Even though we knew inside
Deep down, we knew that our love would not survive the summer.
It was coming
The difficult time ahead (summer) was inevitable.
So I sail across the mist
I sailed away, leaving her behind in search of a different life.
With a promise and a kiss
We said our goodbyes with a promise to never forget each other and a final kiss.
And I saw her face in every wave
As I sailed away, I saw her face in every wave and was reminded of our love.
Its breaking
The waves crashing on the shore are a symbol of our broken love.
But somehow I can't be sad
Although our love did not work out, I do not feel sadness when I think of her and the memories we shared.
Thinking about the times we had
When I reminiscence, I remember the fond times we had together.
It was love, I'll remember it
Although our love did not survive, I will always cherish the love we shared.
Forever
Our love will always hold a special place in my heart, even though she is somewhere up in the high mountain air, and I sailed away.
Contributed by Max T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@domenicocirillo2279
Corrected lyrics, but some part is still a little bit oscure.
Somewhere up there
In the high mountain air
Is the girl that I
Would have married
But the summer was too long
And the ocean was to wide
And the burden too heavy
To be carried
In the fall when things were new
We walked town and wandered through
And a word set my restless mind to dreaming
Winter's soft warm caress
Made the hours stop and rest,
I wonder if it was what it was seeming.
But the summer was too long
And the ocean was to wide
And our dreams too heavy
To be carried
In those quiet Autumn days
Sitting in some small cafe
Our worths they were set
To each other
Yes the wind played at the noon
And cast a shadow across the room
We walked back down the road together
In the winter of that year
Through the snow you would appeared
And we laid around and laughed when times were easy
But our words were deaf and blind
To the coming summertime
Even though we knew inside
It was coming
In the spring when it was warm
I would hold your (?)
And we walked across the grass
Just feeeling lazy
But our nights had just begun
To be worried and restless ones
And the thoughts of the summer wave that heavy
When you're young
Your life may seems
Like and an endless happy dream
But your choices are always yours to make.
So I sail across the mist
With a promise and a kiss
And I saw her face in every wave
That's breaking
And the summer was to long
And the ocean was too wide
And the burden too heavy
To be carried
Well, I seen her a lot of times
Since that summer arrived
And I know that what we used to have
Is over
But somehow I can't be sad
Thinking about the times we had
It was love and I'll remember it
Forever
And somewhere up there
In the high mountain air
Is the girl
That I would have married
And the summer was to long
And the ocean was too wide
And the burden too heavy
To be carried
@jennylings6092
A Beautiful song that takes me back to a time when life seemed much simpler Bob has always been my favourite singer I love all his songs but sometimes find it so painful to listen to the words they are so lovely they make me cry. Such an underatted singer and songwriter.
@carlskelton5230
Heartbreaking, such a beautiful song, which brings back many memories for me when life was lovely.
@Icneumone7
You still have that life right? Cherish it
@raamlo
Sept 1958 to July 1959 I lived these words with Carolyn. 60 years later I still am not over the pain.
@StanBennet
It's a bitch
@lauraeiriarte
at least you had it
@lauraeiriarte
When you’re young, your life it seems, like an endless happy dream...
@marcchagall8211
'..but somehow i can't be sad, thinking about the times we had, it was love and i remember it forever..'
@Matt571
It is sad how Bob Lind never had a hit with this song and that his only big hit was Elusive Butterfly, he deserved to have more hits. A very talented singer and songwriter.
@pgroove163
he did alright...i just read one of his novels