King's major success began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits, many of which have become standards, for numerous artists. She has continued writing for other artists since then. King's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s, when she sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts. After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut album Writer, King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry, which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years.
King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being Tapestry, which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a performer and songwriter. She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first woman to be so honored. She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_King
Studio albums
Writer (1970)
Tapestry (1971)
Music (1971)
Rhymes & Reasons (1972)
Fantasy (1973)
Wrap Around Joy (1974)
Thoroughbred (1976)
Simple Things (1977)
Welcome Home (1978)
Touch the Sky (1979)
Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King (1980)
One to One (1982)
Speeding Time (1983)
City Streets (1989)
Colour of Your Dreams (1993)
Love Makes the World (2001)
A Holiday Carole (2011)
Goat Annie
Carole King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Herdin' her goats on the hillside
No one knows
And she ain't tellin' her age
I'd say she's just about seventy-five
She's an old timer tryin'
To hold on to what she's got
I still remember the stories
The townspeople told to each other
Just because she liked her goats
Better than people
They said the devil was her brother
She never paid them no mind
She just kept on
Bein' herself Goat Annie
She's a rare individual
One of a dying breed
Everything she's got
Right now
Is all she'll ever need
One day the government decided
They had to have
The land she lived on
They came with the papers
Polite as could be
They said she had just thirty days
To get gone
You could see them smirking
We're just doin' our job here
You understand, Goat Annie
She said, I was born and raised here
Ain't never done wrong to no one
You ain't gonna
Throw me off my land, not
Me or my goats or my shotgun
Then she leveled her 12-gauge
With a blast, she sent 'em packin'
Go, Goat Annie
Next day they came with the lawmen
But that didn't get 'em nowhere
Rather than shoot
At a poor old lady
They decided to let her
Live her days out there
It doesn't happen very often
But there are still some people
With heart
Like Goat Annie
Carole King's song "Goat Annie" tells the story of an old woman, Goat Annie, who lives with her goats on a hillside. The song portrays her as being independent and content with her simple life. The townspeople, however, gossip about her and accuse her of having a connection with the devil since she prefers her goats over people. Despite her alleged association with the devil, she continues to live her life the way she wants.
The government comes to take her land, but she stands her ground and refuses to leave. She shoots at them with her shotgun and scares them off, showing her resilience and determination. The song ends with the realization that there are still people like Goat Annie who are true to themselves, independent and have a heart.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was young I used to see her
The singer saw Goat Annie when they were young
Herdin' her goats on the hillside
Goat Annie used to tend to her goats on the hillside
No one knows
No one knows much about Goat Annie
And she ain't tellin' her age
Goat Annie won't disclose her age
I'd say she's just about seventy-five
The artist thinks Goat Annie is around 75 years old
She's an old timer tryin'
Goat Annie is an elderly person
To hold on to what she's got
Goat Annie is trying to keep her possessions
They call her Goat Annie
Goat Annie is known for taking care of her goats
I still remember the stories
The artist recalls the stories about Goat Annie
The townspeople told to each other
The people of the town would spread stories about her
Just because she liked her goats
Goat Annie preferred the company of her goats
Better than people
Goat Annie preferred the company of her goats over the townspeople
They said the devil was her brother
Some people spread rumors that Goat Annie was related to the devil
She never paid them no mind
Goat Annie wasn't bothered by the rumors
She just kept on
Goat Annie ignored the rumors and kept to her own business
Bein' herself Goat Annie
Goat Annie was just who she was and didn't try to be anyone else
She's a rare individual
Goat Annie is a unique person
One of a dying breed
Goat Annie is unique and rare, and not many people are like her
Everything she's got
Goat Annie values all of her possessions
Right now
At present
Is all she'll ever need
She doesn't need anything more than what she already has
One day the government decided
The government decided one day
They had to have
They needed to take possession of
The land she lived on
Goat Annie's land
They came with the papers
The government officials came with the required documents
Polite as could be
They were courteous and well-mannered
They said she had just thirty days
They gave Goat Annie thirty days to vacate the land
To get gone
To leave
You could see them smirking
The government officials seemed pleased with themselves
We're just doin' our job here
The officials were only doing their duty
You understand, Goat Annie
The officials tried to appeal to her understanding
She said, I was born and raised here
Goat Annie explained that she was born and raised on the land
Ain't never done wrong to no one
She never harmed anyone
You ain't gonna
You will not
Throw me off my land, not
Goat Annie will not let the officials take her land
Me or my goats or my shotgun
She was willing to use force to protect herself, her goats, and her shotgun
Then she leveled her 12-gauge
Goat Annie readied her shotgun
With a blast, she sent 'em packin'
Goat Annie scared off the officials with a shot from her shotgun
Go, Goat Annie
Goat Annie was victorious in her defense of her land and goats
Next day they came with the lawmen
The officials returned with the police
But that didn't get 'em nowhere
The police didn't get very far
Rather than shoot
Rather than use violence
At a poor old lady
At the elderly Goat Annie
They decided to let her
They decided to allow Goat Annie
Live her days out there
To remain on her land for the rest of her life
It doesn't happen very often
It is not common
But there are still some people
There are still some individuals
With heart
With kindness and compassion
Like Goat Annie
Goat Annie is an example of such a person
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CAROLE KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind