Albatross
Judy Collins Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The lady comes to the gate dressed in lavender and leather
Looking North to the sea she finds the weather fine
She hears the steeple bells ringing through the orchard
All the way from town
She watches seagulls fly
Silver on the ocean stitching through the waves
The edges of the sky
Many people wander up the hills
From all around you
Making up your memories and thinking they have found you
They cover you with veils of wonder as if you were a bride
Young men holding violets are curious to know if you have cried
And tell you why
And ask you why
Any way you answer

Lace around the collars of the blouses of the ladies
Flowers from a Spanish friend of the family
The embroid'ry of your life holds you in
And keeps you out but you survive
Imprisoned in your bones
Behind the isinglass windows of your eyes

And in the night the iron wheels rolling through the rain
Down the hills through the long grass to the sea
And in the dark the hard bells ringing with pain
Come away alone

Even now by the gate with you long hair blowing
And the colors of the day that lie along your arms
You must barter your life to make sure you are living
And the crowd that has come
You give them the colors
And the bells and wind and the dream

Will there never be a prince who rides along the sea and the mountains
Scattering the sand and foam into amethyst fountains
Riding up the hills from the beach in the long summer grass
Holding the sun in his hands and shattering the isinglass?

Day and night and day again and people come and go away forever
While the shining summer sea dances in the glass of your mirror
While you search the waves for love and your visions for a sign
The knot of tears around your throat is crystallizing into your design

And in the night the iron wheels rolling through the rain
Down the hills through the long grass to the sea
And in the dark the hard bells ringing with pain




Come away alone
Come away alone with me.

Overall Meaning

Judy Collins's song "Albatross" is a hauntingly beautiful and poetic portrayal of a woman who is struggling to find her place in the world. The opening lines describe her standing at a gate, dressed in lavender and leather, gazing out at the sea and enjoying the weather. She hears the steeple bells ringing through the orchard and is entranced by the sight of seagulls flying over the ocean. The imagery in these lines suggests a sense of peace and contentment, but also a feeling of being isolated from the rest of the world.


As the song continues, we learn that many people come to visit the woman, searching for answers or some kind of deeper understanding. They cover her with "veils of wonder," treating her as if she were a bride. Young men holding violets are curious to know if she has cried, and they ask her why. The woman seems to be trapped in her own thoughts and feelings, feeling imprisoned in her bones and behind the "isinglass windows" of her eyes. Despite this, she survives, bound by the embroidery of her life.


The final verses of the song paint a picture of a woman who is still searching for meaning and purpose. She longs for a prince to come and sweep her away, scattering sand and foam into "amethyst fountains." Meanwhile, people come and go from her life, while she remains trapped in her own world of dreams and visions. In the end, the only company she has is the sound of the iron wheels rolling through the rain, and the hard bells ringing with pain.


Line by Line Meaning

The lady comes to the gate dressed in lavender and leather
A woman arrives at the entrance wearing a combination of a light purple fabric and animal skin material


Looking North to the sea she finds the weather fine
She gazes up at the northern skies, satisfied with the weather conditions while admiring the sea


She hears the steeple bells ringing through the orchard, all the way from town
From the orchard, she hears the sounds of chimes played at the church located downtown


She watches seagulls fly, silver on the ocean stitching through the waves, the edges of the sky
She observes the seagulls soaring high, with their wings reflecting silver in the ocean waves, as a backdrop of the sky's beauty further enhances the spectacular view


Many people wander up the hills, from all around you
Numerous individuals stroll through the hills, from various places and direction, heading towards her location


Making up your memories and thinking they have found you
They create the contents of past events recalling their past thoughts or habits, associating her with someone they knew


They cover you with veils of wonder as if you were a bride
They conceal her with magnificent fabric that creates a sense of marvel as though she is a bride walking down the aisle


Young men holding violets are curious to know if you have cried
Youthful men possessing a specific type of flower are inquisitive if she had cried previously


And tell you why
They reveal their reason


And ask you why
They inquire her reasoning for an action


Any way you answer
Regardless of her response


Lace around the collars of the blouses of the ladies
The decorative fabric called lace used to adorn the neckline of ladies' tops


Flowers from a Spanish friend of the family
Blossoms that are a gift from a relative’s friend who came from Spain


The embroid'ry of your life holds you in
The needlework artistically weaved into her clothes symbolizes her life and envelops it


And keeps you out but you survive
The intricate artwork may serve as a barrier, but she remains resilient


Imprisoned in your bones
The idea that her bones or whole being is confined in a state of restriction


Behind the isinglass windows of your eyes
The lenses of her eyes that glows reflect the beauty of transparency like glass


And in the night the iron wheels rolling through the rain
During the evening hours, the iron wheels continue to move on the road surfaces amidst rainfall


Down the hills through the long grass to the sea
Down through the slopes with long strands of grass bending naturally towards the sea


And in the dark the hard bells ringing with pain
Solemn ringing of the hard bells drift through the dark night, conveying a distraught message


Come away alone
Depart alone, finding solace in solitude


Even now by the gate with you long hair blowing
Even now standing by the entrance, with her lengthened hair gently waving


And the colors of the day that lie along your arms
The varied palettes of the daytime extend along her arms


You must barter your life to make sure you are living
To confirm her survival, an exchange of her life seems necessary


And the crowd that has come you give them the colors
Bestowing the colors of life to the crowd surrounding her


And the bells and wind and the dream
An idea of abstract thoughts that include harmonious sounds such as ringing bells, gentle breeze, and a fanciful vision


Will there never be a prince who rides along the sea and the mountains
Will there never be a future king who will embrace nature and travel through the sea and mountains?


Scattering the sand and foam into amethyst fountains
Will he disperse the sand and foam, forming glistening amethyst fountains?


Riding up the hills from the beach in the long summer grass
Will he ride up the hills from the beach through the lush green grass during summertime?


Holding the sun in his hands and shattering the isinglass?
Holding the sun, having immense power, will he smash the lenses of isinglass with his mighty grip?


Day and night and day again and people come and go away forever
The ceaseless cycle of people arriving and departing for an eternity


While the shining summer sea dances in the glass of your mirror
While the bright, sparkling sea reflects in the glass of her mirror animately


While you search the waves for love and your visions for a sign
While desperately searching for both signs of hope and love within the waves and imaginative thoughts


The knot of tears around your throat is crystallizing into your design
The lump of tears lodged in her throat hardens, becoming a part of her makeup


Come away alone with me
Join me in a secluded place to obtain some tranquility




Lyrics Β© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JUDY COLLINS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@richardlee4730

The lady comes to the gate dressed in lavender and leather
Looking North to the sea she finds the weather fine
She hears the steeple bells ringing through the orchard
All the way from town
She watches seagulls fly
Silver on the ocean stitching through the waves
The edges of the sky



Many people wander up the hills
From all around you
Making up your memories and thinking they have found you
They cover you with veils of wonder as if you were a bride
Young men holding violets are curious to know if you have cried
And tell you why
And ask you why
Any way you answer



Lace around the collars of the blouses of the ladies
Flowers from a Spanish friend of the family
The embroid'ry of your life holds you in
And keeps you out but you survive
Imprisoned in your bones
Behind the isinglass windows of your eyes



And in the night the iron wheels rolling through the rain
Down the hills through the long grass to the sea
And in the dark the hard bells ringing with pain
Come away alone



Even now by the gate with you long hair blowing
And the colors of the day that lie along your arms
You must barter your life to make sure you are living
And the crowd that has come
You give them the colors
And the bells and wind and the dream



Will there never be a prince who rides along
the sea and the mountains
Scattering the sand and foam into amethyst fountains
Riding up the hills from the beach in the long summer grass
Holding the sun in his hands and shattering the isinglass?



Day and night and day again and people come and go away forever
While the shining summer sea dances in the glass of your mirror
While you search the waves for love and your visions for a sign
The knot of tears around your throat is crystallizing into your design



And in the night the iron wheels rolling through the rain
Down the hills through the long grass to the sea
And in the dark the hard bells ringing with pain
Come away alone
Come away alone...with me.



@sifridbassoon

@@elizabethbednar6338 don't know if you are still around, but here are the words:
The lady comes to the gate dressed in lavendar and leather.
Looking north to the sea, she finds the weather fine.
She hears the steeple bells ringing through the orchard all the way from town.
She watches seagulls fly, silver on the ocean,
Stitching through the waves, the edges of the sky.

Many people wander up the hills from all around you.
Making up your memories and thinking they have found you.
They cover you with veils of wonder as if you were a bride.
Young men holding violets are curious to know if you have cried.
And tell you why and ask you why and hear the way you answer.

Lace around the collars of the blouses of the ladies.
Flowers from a Spanish friend of the family.
The embroidery of your life holds you in and keeps you out, but you survive.
Imprisoned in your bones behind the isenglass windows of your eyes.

And in the night the iron wheels rolling through the rain
Down the hill through the long grass to the sea.
And in the dark the hard bells ringing with pain
Come away alone

Even now by the gate with your long hair blowing
And the colors of the day that lie along your arms
You must barter your life to be sure you are living
And the crowd that has come, you give them the colors and the bells and wind and the dreams

Will there never be a prince who rides along the sea and the mountains
Scattering the sand and the foam into amethyst fountains
Riding up the hills from the beach in the long summer grass
Holding the sun in his hands and shattering the isinglass.
Day and night and day again and people come and go away again forever
While the shining summer sea dances in the glass of your mirror
While you search the waves for love and your visions for a sign
The knot of tears around your throat is chrystalizing into your design

And in the night the iron wheels rolling through the rain
Down the hills through the long grass to the sea.
And in the dark the hard bells ringing with pain
Come away alone



@markkennedy5479

"The embroidery of your life holds you in and keeps you out, but you survive." --Judy Collins

"You must barter your life to make sure you are living." --Judy Collins

"Fishing kills me, even as it keeps me alive." --Ernest Hemingway

"The lieutenant colonel realized for the first time what most people never realize about themselves--that he was not only a victim of outrageous fortune, but one of outrageous fortune's cruelest agents as well." --Kurt Vonnegut

[Life/history/experience can be construed as...]

"...an infinitely interpretable meaning which manifests itself by unexpected new events, which remains always equivocal, a meaning which, even when we entrust ourselves to it, is never known to us." --Karl Jaspers

Albatross: a long-winged bird, graceful in flight; a burdensome weight around your neck.



@frankmann7110

Magical story. It reminds of mine, from the same year. I was at Harvard School in NoHo, Army ROTC. John Gilmore was telling me he was going to loan me his copy of a prototype LP that he just got, "Paul came by our place last night and dropped it off on his way back to London."

It was Sgt. Peppers and "Paul" is now styled as Sir Paul.

I kept it two weeks and had learned it all by heart a half year before it came out.

My best friend since the first grade lived in Newport, 60 miles away and had finessed getting one of the first copies available in the country that June. He invited me by to hear it that weekend when school let out and was pretty flabbergasted to hear me sing along. He was startled beyond words at first. "It hasn't even been aired yet on radio? How could you know all the words?!"

I told him my classmate in N. Hollywood was the son of Voyle Gilmore, long time VP at Capitol Records, nearby. John had given it to me fresh from Paul's hand, without print on the labels, but the cover art already had them in the iconic old time band uniforms.

(Some years before that Gilmore had discovered and signed the Kingston Trio, when he heard them in San Francisco, one long-ago night at the Hungry I. And his name is on the jackets for all the Sinatra years there too.)

A real slice of life. If I'd just kept that vinyl I'd be a millionaire.



All comments from YouTube:

@donnchadhban

I was the very first person in the world to hear this finished recording. My landlord, John Haeny, was the recording engineer. When he finished it he brought it home and put it on his massive reel-to-reel tape recorder to hear the finished version. But there had been a storm and the electricity cut out. So he went out to get champagne, hash and ice cream. Before he returned, the electricity went back on and it started playing with only me there to hear it. The next morning I had to report to the US Military Draft Board.

@markthompson4804

Thank you for your service in a time that was so turbulent!

@donnchadhban

@Mark Thompson The Draft Board rejected me; I didn't serve.

@jeromeball859

if you, or others seeing this, know more about the story, imagery, metaphors used in Albatross, please reply! It's one of my favorites and was a song that Judy wrote herself and a song where she clearly spent great effort on the lyrics, music, and orchestration. For example, "stitching the waves and sky" - beautiful. I want to learn the references to the "iron wheels", "hard bells", and the background of the song.

@amandawhisnant622

Thank you for your service, and that was a cool story!

@busonipax

Great story to the song. It really sets the tone and brings back memories. Glad they rejected you Brother!

5 More Replies...

@ariadne7566

What an absolutely beautiful and moving song. The story it tells - a woman trapped, empty, longing for change but fearing independence, waiting, reflecting, wondering... there's such a delicate balance here of being hopeful yet afraid, and of simultaneously reinforcing and resisting the constraints that others have put on you, especially as a woman. So gorgeous.

@margaretmckitty9767

Beautifully said. So can relate

@richardlee4730

The lady comes to the gate dressed in lavender and leather
Looking North to the sea she finds the weather fine
She hears the steeple bells ringing through the orchard
All the way from town
She watches seagulls fly
Silver on the ocean stitching through the waves
The edges of the sky



Many people wander up the hills
From all around you
Making up your memories and thinking they have found you
They cover you with veils of wonder as if you were a bride
Young men holding violets are curious to know if you have cried
And tell you why
And ask you why
Any way you answer



Lace around the collars of the blouses of the ladies
Flowers from a Spanish friend of the family
The embroid'ry of your life holds you in
And keeps you out but you survive
Imprisoned in your bones
Behind the isinglass windows of your eyes



And in the night the iron wheels rolling through the rain
Down the hills through the long grass to the sea
And in the dark the hard bells ringing with pain
Come away alone



Even now by the gate with you long hair blowing
And the colors of the day that lie along your arms
You must barter your life to make sure you are living
And the crowd that has come
You give them the colors
And the bells and wind and the dream



Will there never be a prince who rides along
the sea and the mountains
Scattering the sand and foam into amethyst fountains
Riding up the hills from the beach in the long summer grass
Holding the sun in his hands and shattering the isinglass?



Day and night and day again and people come and go away forever
While the shining summer sea dances in the glass of your mirror
While you search the waves for love and your visions for a sign
The knot of tears around your throat is crystallizing into your design



And in the night the iron wheels rolling through the rain
Down the hills through the long grass to the sea
And in the dark the hard bells ringing with pain
Come away alone
Come away alone...with me.

@Rainwatercolor

Judy Collins, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Moody Blues came out with their music at the perfect time for me. I was a troubled teenager and they are the #1 reason I didn't go down a dark path of destruction. My life has been long and blessed and I thank them for helping me to get through those tough times. They have my never ending love and gratitude.

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