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.
Poor Cow
Donovan Lyrics
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Oh, I dwelt in the north in the green country,
Far-a-mere, far from here;
And dream of the girl with the sunshine eyes
Sundaily, Sundaily;
And I take to my rest at the end of day,
Whilst o'erhead the pretty stars do play.
And I dream along,
And I make a song
About everything that I've known and felt;
And it makes the sadness melt.
Then I wake up in the funny old kind of day,
The rain has gone away,
Watching the children sing and play
In the garden and the roadway.
Up comes a little one singin' a song
About a friend she knows called Rosie.
Off to the green wood you must go,
To bring (h)er a one fine posie.
All of a sudden the night is empty,
You're sad as a butterfly.
Oh I dwelt in the north in the green country,
Far-a-mere, far-a-mere;
And I dwelt with my pride and my songs and things
Wearily, wearily;
And I dream of the girl with the sunshine eyes
Sundaily, wherever she may be.
And I dream along,
And I make a song
About everything that I've known and felt;
And it makes the sadness melt.
Then I wake up in the funny old kind of day,
The rain has gone away
Watching the little ones sing and play
In the garden and the roadway.
Up comes a little one singin' a song
About a friend she knows called Rosie.
Off to the green wood you must go, to bring (h)er a one fine posie.
All of a sudden the night is empty, you're sad as a butterfly.
Oh, I dwelt in the north in the green country,
Far-a-mere, wearily;
And I dream of the girl with the sunshine eyes
Sundaily, wherever she may be.
And I dream along,
And I make a song
About everything that I've known and felt,
And it makes the sadness melt.
The lyrics of Donovan's song "Poor Cow" speak of the singer's longing for a girl he remembers from his past, with "sunshine eyes" that he finds himself dreaming of frequently. He describes living in the "green country" up north, and how as he dreams of this girl and sings about everything he's known and loved, his sadness melts away. He wakes up to the sound of rain having gone away, and sees children singing and playing in the garden and roadway, and one little girl singing a song about a friend called Rosie. However, the night slowly becomes empty, and he is left feeling sad like a butterfly.
Throughout the song, the singer continues to dream and sing, reminiscing about the past and the girl with the "sunshine eyes." He lives his life wearily but continues to find solace in his songs and dreams. The song has a melancholy feel to it, but there is a sense of hope as the singer continues to find comfort in his music.
Overall, the song seems to be about nostalgia and the power of memories and music to heal sadness and longing. The singer finds himself dreaming and singing about the people and experiences he has loved in the past, and though he may be tired and feeling empty at times, he continues to find comfort in his songs.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, I dwelt in the north in the green country,
I used to live in the north, in a beautiful place surrounded by greenery.
Far-a-mere, far from here;
It was called Far-a-mere, far away from here.
And dream of the girl with the sunshine eyes
I used to dream about a girl who had beautiful, bright eyes.
Sundaily, Sundaily;
I dreamed about her every day.
And I take to my rest at the end of day,
At the end of each day, I used to go to sleep.
Whilst o'erhead the pretty stars do play.
And while I was sleeping, the stars would shine brightly in the sky.
And I dream along,
I keep dreaming,
And I make a song
And I create a song
About everything that I've known and felt;
About everything that I have experienced and felt.
And it makes the sadness melt.
This song helps me overcome my sadness.
Then I wake up in the funny old kind of day,
When I wake up, it's a new day with its own unique character.
The rain has gone away,
The rain has stopped falling.
Watching the children sing and play
I observe the children who are singing and playing.
In the garden and the roadway.
They are doing this in the garden and on the road.
Up comes a little one singin' a song
One of the children comes up singing a song.
About a friend she knows called Rosie.
This song is about a friend she has named Rosie.
Off to the green wood you must go,
She must go to the green wood.
To bring (h)er a one fine posie.
She needs to bring one beautiful bouquet of flowers for her friend.
All of a sudden the night is empty,
Suddenly, the night feels empty.
You're sad as a butterfly.
I feel sad like a butterfly.
Oh I dwelt in the north in the green country,
Once again, I mention that I lived in the north in this beautiful place.
Far-a-mere, far-a-mere;
It was called Far-a-mere, far away from me, and I felt tired and weary there.
And I dwelt with my pride and my songs and things
I lived there with my pride, and had my songs and things with me.
Wearily, wearily;
I was very tired and exhausted there.
And I dream of the girl with the sunshine eyes
Despite the weariness, I continue to dream about the girl with the beautiful, bright eyes.
Sundaily, wherever she may be.
I dream about her every day, no matter where she is.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ELTON JOHN, BERNIE TAUPIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
E T
Love his songs. This one makes me happy inside like a child skipping. His "For Little Ones" collection gives me deep peace, much like the Ocean does. Always a high guy, a sweet soul, beloved of God and His own. Love to you, dear brother, and Peace.
anonymous anonymous
never did catch that wind but it is still soul stirring to listen to Donovan a unique oft forgot and underrated "cat"
Albert Jackson
Very pretty. Starts off like a traditional folk song then becomes nicely jazzy.
Christopher Walker
Great description!
questguess69
Great tune!
Gianni Spotti
Very nice
chreynest
simply beautiful
Joshua Yañez
Me compre este single 45rpm de época con la carátula original
James Manon
I always think of my childhood when I hear this song.A b side to Jennifer Juniper single.