He recorded and performed primarily with an acoustic guitar and sang about his joy in nature, his disdain for city life, his enthusiasm for music, and his relationship trials. Denver's music appeared on a variety of charts, including country music, the Billboard Hot 100, and adult contemporary, in all earning him twelve gold and four platinum albums with his signature songs "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Annie's Song", "Rocky Mountain High", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", and "Sunshine on My Shoulders".
Denver starred in films and several notable television specials in the 1970s and 1980s. He continued to record in the 1990s, also focusing on environmental issues by lending vocal support to space exploration and testifying in front of Congress in protest against censorship in music. He lived in Aspen, Colorado for much of his life and was known for his love of Colorado which he sang about numerous times. In 1974 Denver was named poet laureate of the state. The Colorado state legislature also adopted "Rocky Mountain High" as one of its two state songs in 2007. Denver was an avid pilot and died at the age of 53 in a single-fatality crash of his personal experimental aircraft.
Rhymes & Reasons
John Denver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the coming of the winter
Fear that is within you now
It seems to never end
And the dreams that have escaped you
And the hope that you've forgotten
You tell me that you need me now
And you wonder where we're going
Where's the rhyme and where's the reason
And it's you cannot accept
It is here we must begin
To seek the wisdom of the children
And the graceful way of flowers in the wind
[Chorus]
For the children and the flowers
Are my sisters and my brothers
Their laughter and their loveliness
Could clear a cloudy day
Like the music of the mountains
And the colours of the rainbow
They're a promise of the future
And a blessing for today
Though the cities start to crumble
And the towers fall around us
The sun is slowly fading
And it's colder than the sea
It is written from the desert
To the mountains they shall lead us
By the hand and by the heart
They will comfort you and me
In their innocence and trusting
They will teach us to be free
[Chorus]
And the song that I am singing
Is a prayer to non believers
Come and stand beside us
We can find a better way
In John Denver's song Rhymes & Reasons, the singer is trying to comfort someone who is full of sadness and fear as they wonder where they are headed in life. The person speaks of their dreams that have gone unfulfilled and the hope they have lost. The singer reassures them that they are not alone and that they will be a friend to them. He tells them that they need to seek the wisdom of children and the beauty of nature to find the answers they are looking for.
The chorus speaks of the connection between all beings, calling the children and flowers "my sisters and my brothers". Their joy and beauty can dispel darkness and bring hope to any situation. Even as cities crumble and things fall apart, the innocence and trust of children can guide us toward freedom and a better way of life. The singer encourages those who don't believe to stand with them and seek a brighter future together.
Line by Line Meaning
So you speak to me of sadness
You express your feelings of sorrow to me
And the coming of the winter
And the approach of difficult or challenging times
Fear that is within you now
Anxiety that currently resides in your heart
It seems to never end
It feels like it will go on indefinitely
And the dreams that have escaped you
And the aspirations that have disappeared from your life
And the hope that you've forgotten
And the positive expectations that you no longer have in mind
You tell me that you need me now
You say that you require my presence at this moment
You want to be my friend
You desire to establish a friendship with me
And you wonder where we're going
And you contemplate what direction our lives are headed
Where's the rhyme and where's the reason
Where is the logic and sense in our existence
And it's you cannot accept
And you are unable to comprehend
It is here we must begin
This is where we ought to start
To seek the wisdom of the children
To look for insight from the youths
And the graceful way of flowers in the wind
And the elegant manner in which flowers sway with the breeze
For the children and the flowers
Because the children and the flowers
Are my sisters and my brothers
Are inextricably linked to me
Their laughter and their loveliness
Their joy and their beauty
Could clear a cloudy day
Can make a sad day brighter
Like the music of the mountains
Similar to the melodies produced by mountains
And the colours of the rainbow
And to the hues of the rainbow
They're a promise of the future
They indicate a fruitful and promising future ahead
And a blessing for today
And a fortunate occurrence right now
Though the cities start to crumble
Even if urbanisations begin to fall apart
And the towers fall around us
And skyscrapers collapse in our vicinity
The sun is slowly fading
The sun is gradually losing its brilliance
And it's colder than the sea
And it is colder compared to the ocean
It is written from the desert
It has been inscribed from the desert regions
To the mountains they shall lead us
They will direct us towards the mountains
By the hand and by the heart
By means of physical touch and emotional connection
They will comfort you and me
They will offer solace to both of us
In their innocence and trusting
Through their lack of societal awareness and reliance
They will teach us to be free
They will instruct us how to live without constraints
And the song that I am singing
And the music that I am performing
Is a prayer to non believers
Serves as a supplication to those without faith
Come and stand beside us
Come and be with us
We can find a better way
We can discover a more superior manner of conducting ourselves
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JOHN DENVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben - Moderator
Hey J Parker, Sorry to hear you're having these issues. Would you mind please emailing our support team an example album or track to support [at] sonichits.com?
J Parker
SonicHits just gets worse and worse. Albums that don't play,songs that don't play, tracks that are NOT the named song or even the right artist, adverts that cover content and cause the site to interrupt and buffer inthe middle of songs. I've got to find a better music site!