The "classic" lineup of Jefferson Airplane, from October 1966 to February 1970, was Marty Balin (vocals), Paul Kantner (guitar, vocals), Grace Slick (vocals), Jorma Kaukonen (lead guitar, vocals), Jack Casady (bass), and Spencer Dryden (drums). Marty Balin left the band in 1971. After 1972, Jefferson Airplane effectively split into two groups. Kaukonen and Casady moved on full time to their own band, Hot Tuna. Slick, Kantner, and the remaining members of Jefferson Airplane recruited new members and regrouped as Jefferson Starship in 1974, with Marty Balin eventually joining them. Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and was presented with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Spencer Dryden died on January 11, 2005.
Both Signe Anderson and Paul Kantner died on January 28, 2016.
Marty Balin died on September 27, 2018
Don't Slip Away
Jefferson Airplane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Almost been a year since we've been together
Seems so long ago since you drifted away
Suddenly the past has fallen in behind us
Now all I know is I want you to stay
Don't slip away, oh no, don't slip away
Now that you're here we should just let it happen
You know I'm sorry, but what can I say?
The best years are after tomorrow
But time for changing should begin with today.
Don't slip away, oh no, don't slip away
Now that you're here we should just let it happen
You can't hide what we shared with each other
I know you still care and feel the same way
I'm sure there's more love in your heart than you're showing
Now it depends on what you have to say.
Don't slip away, oh no, don't slip away
Now that you're here we should just let it happen
The lyrics of Jefferson Airplane's "Don't Slip Away" express a yearning for connection and reconciliation with someone who has drifted away. The singer acknowledges that time has passed since they were last together, but that they still have feelings for the person and want them to stay. The idea that "some things are best if they're only forgotten" suggests that there may have been some difficulties in the past, but the singer is willing to move beyond them and start fresh. The lines "The best years are after tomorrow / But time for changing should begin with today" speak to the idea that the future is full of potential, but that it's important to take action in the present to make the most of it.
Overall, the lyrics of "Don't Slip Away" are about the importance of seizing the moment and not letting opportunities for connection and love slip away. The song captures a universal feeling of longing for a lost love and the desire to make things right.
Line by Line Meaning
Almost been a year since we've been together
It's been a long time since we were together
Seems so long ago since you drifted away
It feels like it's been forever since you left
Suddenly the past has fallen in behind us
The past is now behind us and we should focus on the present
Now all I know is I want you to stay
I realize that I want you back in my life
Don't slip away, oh no, don't slip away
Please don't leave me again
Now that you're here we should just let it happen
We should let our relationship develop naturally
Some things are best if they're only forgotten
Sometimes it's better to forget what happened in the past
You know I'm sorry, but what can I say?
I apologize, but there's not much else I can do
The best years are after tomorrow
The future holds great things for us
But time for changing should begin with today.
We should start making changes now to improve our relationship
You can't hide what we shared with each other
You can't deny the love we had for each other
I know you still care and feel the same way
I know you still have feelings for me
I'm sure there's more love in your heart than you're showing
I believe you love me more than you're letting on
Now it depends on what you have to say.
It's up to you to decide the fate of our relationship
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, MARYANN SARAH SHELLEY MUSIC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Alexander Spence, Martyn J. Buchwald
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Smith
yummy groovitude ! - always love this band's ability to take me back to a different feeling and a different time.... The Airplane were not only famous, they were actually very very creative and very very good - WAAAAYYYYYYY better than anything you will hear these days.
ARON KAY
don't let the 60's slip away
May, the seeker
One of their most beatiful songs, thank you for posting! Peace & Love
2000toddowen
It's great to hear this once again. Listening thru the "Takes Off" LP on youtube. I already know the album sequence of the songs thru repeated listenings from my highschool days, when I had this LP and most everyone else was getting into disco. I still care and feel the same way. Well....maybe now I can stomach some disco songs a little better. Even disco has a few tunes that've survived 30+ years.- which I doubt will be said of what is being produced today.
StoneCole
Love the folk rocky JA of the first two albums.
pbruc brooks
Listen to those guitar riffs and the folk harmony. The Airplane was an Icon back then.
MeloLand
Wonderful song.
Robert Wright
pre-grace; signe, and more folk than psychedelic rock
Ed Lawrence
@J F ...........Grace's lyrics were atrocious.
J F
Signe was way cooler than Grace, imo