Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They had their first number-one hit in April 1965 with a cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan. Crosby appeared on the Byrds' first five albums and produced the original lineup's 1973 reunion album. He subsequently formed Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1968 with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
After the release of their debut album, CSN won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1969. Neil Young joined the group for live appearances, their second concert being Woodstock, before recording their second album Déjà Vu. Meant to be a group that could collaborate freely, Crosby and Nash recorded three gold albums in the 1970s, while the core trio of CSN remained active from 1976 until 2016. CSNY reunions took place in each decade from the 1970s through the 2000s.
Songs Crosby wrote or co-wrote include "Lady Friend", "Everybody's Been Burned", "Why", and "Eight Miles High" with the Byrds and "Guinnevere", "Wooden Ships", "Shadow Captain", and "In My Dreams" with Crosby, Stills & Nash. He wrote "Almost Cut My Hair" and the title track "Déjà Vu" for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1970 album of the same name. He is known for having employed alternative guitar tunings and jazz influences. He released six solo albums, five of which charted. Additionally, he formed a jazz-influenced trio with his son James Raymond and guitarist Jeff Pevar in CPR. Crosby's work with the Byrds and CSNY has sold over 35 million albums.
Crosby was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once for his work in the Byrds and again for his work with CSN. Five albums to which he contributed are included in Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, three with the Byrds and two with CSN(Y). He was outspoken politically and was sometimes depicted as emblematic of the counterculture of the 1960s.
Natalie
David Crosby Lyrics
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Chewin' on a pencil playin' pool
Stayin' up all night
And full of dreams
I've known her family ever since we were small
Gettin' in trouble drivin' our folks up the wall
Wastin' time
Yeah, but we had fun
Sail away on a bottle top
And as the years passed by
One night I held her close to me
That was the first time I
Said I love you to Natalie
Carousel was crowded so we talked for a while
Natalie said "Baby, you know I miss your smile
Whenever you go away from me"
You know that time starts tickin' when a love starts to fade
I knew something was wrong but still I thought we had it made
The first time I said I love you to Natalie
That was the first time I said I love you to Natalie
Now I look at her pictures and I talk to these walls
Call out her name but she don't hear me at all
And she got wild and restless
Tried everything she could take
One night I tried to stop her
But I was too late
That was the last time I said I love you to Natalie
And that was the last time I said I love you to Natalie
That was the last time I said I love you, mmm ...
That was the last time I said I love you, mmm ...
That was the last time I said I love you to Natalie
The lyrics to David Crosby's song Natalie are a poignant story about a girl named Natalie and her relationship with the singer. The song begins with the singer reminiscing about the first time he saw Natalie – while she was still in school, chewing on a pencil and playing pool, full of dreams and staying up all night. The two had known each other's families for a long time and had gotten into trouble together, but they had a lot of fun.
As the years went by, the singer held Natalie close to him one night and said "I love you" for the first time. However, the relationship started to fade and the singer knew something was wrong but thought they had it made. Natalie became wild and restless, trying everything she could take. The singer tried to stop her but was too late. The last time he said "I love you" to Natalie was the night he tried to stop her.
The song tells a story of love and loss, with the singer looking back on memories of Natalie and coming to terms with the fact that he will never hear her again. It's a touching tribute to a lost love, filled with regret and nostalgia.
Line by Line Meaning
First time I saw her she was still in school
I first laid eyes on Natalie when she was a student
Chewin' on a pencil playin' pool
She was casually chewing on her pencil while shooting pool
Stayin' up all night
She used to stay up late all the time
And full of dreams
Natalie had a lot of aspirations and goals
I've known her family ever since we were small
I have known her family since we were children
Gettin' in trouble drivin' our folks up the wall
We used to cause problems and drive our parents crazy
Wastin' time
We weren't always productive, but we enjoyed each other's company
Yeah, but we had fun
Despite the lack of productivity, we had a great time together
She was gonna ride her bike to China
Natalie had a desire to take on adventurous challenges
Sail away on a bottle top
She had big dreams of traveling and seeing the world
And as the years passed by
As time went on
One night I held her close to me
We shared an intimate moment
That was the first time I
It was the initial moment
Said I love you to Natalie
I expressed my love for her
Carousel was crowded so we talked for a while
Amidst the busy carousel, we spent some time talking
Natalie said "Baby, you know I miss your smile
Natalie expressed her feelings to me, saying she missed me
Whenever you go away from me"
She didn't like when I was away from her
You know that time starts tickin' when a love starts to fade
Time moves on when love diminishes
I knew something was wrong but still I thought we had it made
Despite sensing something wasn't right, I believed we would make it
Now I look at her pictures and I talk to these walls
I reminisce about Natalie and speak to empty walls
Call out her name but she don't hear me at all
I call out to her, but she cannot respond
And she got wild and restless
Natalie became erratic and restless
Tried everything she could take
She attempted to explore and go through a lot of things
One night I tried to stop her
I attempted to intervene in her behavior
But I was too late
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stop her in time
That was the last time I said I love you to Natalie
The utterance of my love for Natalie happened for the last time
And that was the last time I said I love you to Natalie
It was the final moment in which I expressed love to Natalie
That was the last time I said I love you, mmm ...
It was the last occasion of verbalizing affection for her
That was the last time I said I love you, mmm ...
Once again, it was the concluding opportunity to express love to her
That was the last time I said I love you to Natalie
The final declaration of love towards Natalie
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEPHEN BISHOP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind