Donovan came to fame in the United Kingdom in early 1965 with a series of live performances on the television pop series, Ready Steady Go!. He first hit the charts in 1965 with his single "Catch the Wind", continuing on with a string of hits, most of them produced by Mickie Most. Donovan's 1966 Sunshine Superman marked not only a transition to the burgeoning psychedelic scene, but is also viewed as a formative album in its genre, inspiring countless contemporaries. His 1967 double album A Gift from a Flower to a Garden—the first major album released as a boxed set—completed the transition from beat poet folkster to hippie troubadour.
As a close friend of The Beatles, he traveled with them to India during their stay at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and taught them the "clawhammer" finger-picking style, which is featured on several tracks on their seminal 1968 double album The Beatles, better known as "The White Album."
The decline of Donovan's commercial popularity coincides roughly with his split from Most in 1969, as well as gradually lessened interest in psychedelics by artists and the record-buying public alike. With the advent of punk rock during the mid-'70s, Donovan, now viewed as a "nice boy" '60s relic, truly fell from favor. Music critics' tastes too had changed; Donovan's new product, while still quirky and experimental, earned little but scorn and derision. As the decades progressed, Donovan would record and perform only sporadically, often separated by several years.
Donovan's career went through a revival of sorts with the emergence of Britain's rave scene in the '90s. As a result, his most famous works were reissued, and once again viewed favorably by critics. With the release of the back-to-basics Rick Rubin-produced Sutras in 1996, Donovan's career settled into a comparatively steady stream of new releases, coupled with archival material and various reissues. He was inducted into the Rock and Hall of Fame in 2012.
Bert's Blues
Donovan Lyrics
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But it's taking time.
A-been a-lookin' for a good girl,
A-one to please my mind as well as my time.
I've been singing in the evening,
Flying through the night.
But I hurt my good gal,
Flying through the night.
I've been picking up the sunshine,
I've been drinking down the rain, girl,
I've been picking up the sunshine,
It makes me think on when I'll see you again.
You know time could bring a change, girl,
It ain't for me to say.
You'll soon be out of range, girl,
A-this could only be the way it's meant to be.
Fairy castle stark and black in the moonlight,
The jingle jangle jester rides his stallion
Seagull flies across my eyes forever.
Sadly goes the wind on its way to Hades.
Would I, should I, could I be a stranger,
I shall walk right by and sigh goodbye.
Lucifer calls his legions from the hillside.
Sadly goes the wind on its way to Hades.
I've been lookin', oh yeah,
I say I've been lookin' far a good girl,
You better believe it, baby, yeah!
Yes, I've been lookin' for a good gal, oh yeah!
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm,
Ain't kiddin' you, ain't kiddin' you, ain't kiddin' you
Yeah, I've been a-lookin
Bert's Blues by Donovan is a song about the singer's search for a good girl. He's been looking for a girl who will please his mind as well as his time, but it's taking time. In the meantime, he's been singing and flying through the night. However, he hurt his good gal and hopes she makes out right. He's been picking up the sunshine and drinking down the rain, but it only makes him think about when he'll see his good gal again. The singer acknowledges that time could bring a change, and he isn't the one to say. He suggests that his good gal may soon be out of range, and that could be the way it's meant to be.
The song then takes a surreal turn in the next stanza, where the singer talks about a fairy castle stark and black in the moonlight. The jingle jangle jester rides his stallion, and a seagull flies across the singer's eyes forever. Sadly goes the wind on its way to Hades. The singer wonders if he could be a stranger, and if he were, he'd walk right by and sigh goodbye. Finally, Lucifer calls his legions from the hillside as the wind sadly goes on its way to Hades again.
Overall, the song is about the singer's search for love and the ups and downs he's encountered along the way, but it also suggests a deeper, more symbolic interpretation about the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of change.
Line by Line Meaning
Been a-lookin' for a good girl,
I have been looking for a girl who is both mentally and physically pleasing, but it's taking time.
A-been a-lookin' for a good girl,
I have been looking for a girl who is both mentally and physically pleasing, but it's taking time.
A-one to please my mind as well as my time.
I am looking for someone who can please me emotionally as well as physically.
I've been singing in the evening,
I have been singing during the evening hours.
Flying through the night.
I've been going through the night with speed or ease.
But I hurt my good gal,
I have caused pain to my good girl.
I hope she makes out right, Flying through the night.
I hope that she's doing alright, and if she's going through hardships, she moves through them swiftly.
I've been picking up the sunshine,
I've been taking in the good things in life.
I've been drinking down the rain, girl,
I've been taking in the bad things in life.
I've been picking up the sunshine,
I've been taking in the good things in life.
It makes me think on when I'll see you again.
It reminds me of when I'll see you again.
You know time could bring a change, girl,
Time can change things, and I can't say for sure.
It ain't for me to say.
It's not up to me to decide.
You'll soon be out of range, girl,
You'll be out of my reach soon.
A-this could only be the way it's meant to be.
This might be the natural course of things.
Fairy castle stark and black in the moonlight,
A castle looks like a fairy tale castle in the moonlight, but the color of the outer walls is black.
The jingle jangle jester rides his stallion
The jester travels on horseback, making a lot of noise with bells and other decorations on his outfit.
Seagull flies across my eyes forever.
A seagull flies in front of me and will remain in my memory forever.
Sadly goes the wind on its way to Hades.
The wind is sad as it travels to Hades or the underworld.
Would I, should I, could I be a stranger,
I might seem like a stranger or different person in different circumstances.
I shall walk right by and sigh goodbye.
I will walk by and say goodbye while feeling sad.
Lucifer calls his legions from the hillside.
Lucifer or the devil is calling his army from the hillside.
Sadly goes the wind on its way to Hades.
The wind is sad as it travels to Hades or the underworld.
I've been lookin', oh yeah,
I'm looking for a girl.
I say I've been lookin' far a good girl,
I am looking for a girl who is both mentally and physically pleasing.
You better believe it, baby, yeah!
You should believe that I am looking for a good girl.
Yes, I've been lookin' for a good gal, oh yeah!
I am looking for a girl who is both mentally and physically pleasing.
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm,
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm.
Ain't kiddin' you, ain't kiddin' you, ain't kiddin' you
I'm not joking or lying.
Yeah, I've been a-lookin'
I am still searching for a girl.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DONOVAN LEITCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind