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
The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil
Jefferson Airplane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd lean on the wind when the breeze came by
You'd say to the wind as it took you away
That's where I wanted to go today
And I do know that I need to have you around
And I do, I do know that I need to have you around
Love like a mountain springtime
Flashing through the rivers of my mind
It's what I feel for you
You and me go walking south
And we see all the world around us
The colors blind my eyes and my mind to all but you
And I do know that I need to have you around
And I do, I do know that I need to have you around
Around
I have a house where I can go
When there's too many people around me
I can sit and watch all the people
Down below goin' by me
Halfway down the stairs is a stair
Where I sit and think about you and me
I sit and think about you and me
But I wonder will the sun still see all the people goin' by
Will the moon still hang in the sky when I die
When I die, when I'm high, when I die, when I die?
If you were a cloud and you sailed up there
You'd sail on water as blue as air
You'd see me here in the fields and say
Doesn't the sky look green today?
But I wonder will the sun still see all the people goin' by
Will the moon still hang in the sky when I die
When I die, when I die
When I'm high, when I die, die, die, die, die?
The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil by Jefferson Airplane is a song that explores the themes of love, freedom, and mortality. The opening lines present an ethereal image of a bird soaring high and leaning on the wind. The bird addresses the wind as if it were a companion with whom it has a close relationship. The bird's desire to go where the wind takes it is a metaphor for the singer's desire to go where love takes them. The repetition of the lines "And I do know that I need to have you around" reinforces the importance of the singer's relationship with their loved one.
The second verse describes a walk taken by the singer and their partner. The colors around them seem to merge and dissolve, leaving only the two of them. This imagery suggests that love has the power to blur distinctions and boundaries, leaving only the lovers and their connection. The lines "I have a house where I can go/when there's too many people around me" introduce the idea of retreat. The singer needs a space where they can be alone and think about their relationship. The final lines of the song return to the theme of mortality. The singer wonders if the world will continue to exist after they are gone. The repetition of the phrase "when I die" creates a sense of finality and inevitability.
Line by Line Meaning
If you were a bird and you lived very high
If you were able to fly high in the sky like a bird,
You'd lean on the wind when the breeze came by
You would glide with the wind when it blew past,
You'd say to the wind as it took you away
You would speak to the wind as it carried you away,
That's where I wanted to go today
You would express that that was where you wanted to go at that moment,
And I do know that I need to have you around
I am aware that I need to have you close to me,
And I do, I do know that I need to have you around
I emphasize that I need to have you around,
Love like a mountain springtime
The love I have for you is like the fresh water of a mountain spring,
Flashing through the rivers of my mind
It runs through my thoughts like a river that bursts with energy,
You and me go walking south
We walk together towards the south,
And we see all the world around us
Together, we see everything that surrounds us,
The colors blind my eyes and my mind to all but you
The vivid colors of the world distract me from everything except you,
Around
I repeat the word "around" to emphasize the importance of having you near me,
I have a house where I can go
I have a place where I can go for solitude,
When there's too many people around me
When I am surrounded by too many people,
I can sit and watch all the people
I can watch passersby from my perch above them,
Down below goin' by me
As they go about their business below me,
Halfway down the stairs is a stair
On the stairs halfway down to the ground floor,
Where I sit and think about you and me
I frequently ponder about the relationship between us at that spot,
But I wonder will the sun still see all the people goin' by
I question if the sun will continue to see human beings passing by,
Will the moon still hang in the sky when I die
I wonder if the moon will still be in the sky after I pass away,
When I die, when I'm high, when I die, when I die?
I repeat this phrase multiple times, questioning whether events will still happen when I am dead,
If you were a cloud and you sailed up there
If you were a cloud floating up high in the sky,
You'd sail on water as blue as air
You would glide through the blue sky as if it were ocean water,
You'd see me here in the fields and say
You would look down and see me here in the fields and whisper to yourself,
Doesn't the sky look green today?
You would observe the sky and marvel at its green tint,
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Paul Kantner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nataliacarolina97
If you were a bird and you lived very high,
knew even the wind as the breeze came by,
say to the wind as it took you away,
That's where I wanted to go today"
And I do know that I need to have you around
Love like a mountain springtime,
flashing through the rivers of my mind;
it's what I feel for you.
You and me go walking south
And we see all the world around us,
The colors blind my eyes and my mind to all but you,
And I do know that I need to have you around,
And I do, I do know that I need to have you around.
I have a house where I can go
When there's too many people around me;
I can sit and watch all the people
Down below goin' by me;
Halfway down the stair is a stair
Where I sit and think about you and me;
But I wonder will the sun still see all the people goin'
Will the moon still hang in the sky when I die,
When I die, when I'm high, when I die?
If you were a cloud and you sailed up there,
You sail on water as blue as air,
You'd see me here in the fields and say,
"Doesn't the sky look green today?"
@carlinraton1
"The Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil"
If you were a bird and you lived very high,
knew even the wind as the breeze came by,
say to the wind as it took you away,
That's where I wanted to go today"
And I do know that I need to have you around
Love like a mountain springtime,
flashing through the rivers of my mind;
it's what I feel for you.
You and me go walking south
And we see all the world around us,
The colors blind my eyes and my mind to all but you,
And I do know that I need to have you around,
And I do, I do know that I need to have you around.
I have a house where I can go
When there's too many people around me;
I can sit and watch all the people
Down below goin' by me;
Halfway down the stair is a stair
Where I sit and think about you and me;
But I wonder will the sun still see all the people goin'
Will the moon still hang in the sky when I die,
When I die, when I'm high, when I die?
If you were a cloud and you sailed up there,
You sail on water as blue as air,
You'd see me here in the fields and say,
"Doesn't the sky look green today?"
@jackhillty
I got this album from the public library in 1971. I was 13. With the first note of feedback my brain ripped open and life began to make sense to me for the first time.
@chevken1831
This didn't make you have some kind of mental breakdown back then?
@Vox_Rhododendron
Found this album among my grandfather’s records. He’s got legendary music taste, I gotta say.
@mindfoodprime
This was my introduction to Acid Rock. I never looked back.
@alfrick12string2
Yeah: I was 18 and went to the Carnegie Public Library ca. 1971 and I pulled this one out, WITH headphones for a nice stereo effect. The second time I felt what "a trip" would really feel or coming down on a roller coaster full speed. My other favorites before that were Eight Miles High and Tomorrow Never Knows.
Jack's psychedelic jazzy bass playing influenced me a lot to pick a the instrument myself. I loved Jefferson Airplane: singers and musicianship all around: and the memories are still fresh.
@haintedhouse3052
when Paul sings Love, like a mountain springtime, flashin thru the rivers of my mind and Grace is doing her vocal magic in the background, i breakout in chills from head to toe.
@pommelhorsepommelhorse8731
armadillo
@anthonystratton4941
You should have heard Gracie over the top of Marshall amps WITHOUT a microphone.
@anthonybalistreri5226
My aunt gave me this album around 1970. It was in Mono on the thickest vinyl I have ever seen. Played it over and over, put it on cassette tape and listened to it even more. Still have it, in great shape.
@sugarhollowdaddy
This album came out when I was 16. I was a dishwasher at a resort in Vermont, and they would let me hang out in the lounge in the afternoons when no one was around. I would put this record on the stereo and get goosebumps. Like a freight train, with Medusa straddling the cow-catcher, screaming down the track. "Will the moon still hang in the sky . . . when I die.?"