Though born in Seattle, Washington (where she spent the first ten years of her life), she moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1949. As a child Collins studied classical piano with Antonia Brico, making her public debut at age 13 performing Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos. It was the music of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and the traditional songs of the folk revival of the early 1960s, that piqued Collins' interest and awoke in her a love of lyrics. Three years after her debut as a piano prodigy, she was playing guitar. She eventually made her way to Greenwich Village, New York City, where she busked and played in clubs until she signed with Elektra Records, a record label with which she was associated for 35 years. In 1961, Collins released her first album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, at the age of 22.
At first she sang traditional folk songs, or songs written by others, in particular the social poets of the time, such as Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, and Bob Dylan. She recorded her own versions of seminal songs of the period, such as Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" and Pete Seeger's "Turn, Turn, Turn". Collins was also instrumental in bringing then little known composers to a wider public; for example, she recorded songs by Canadian poet Leonard Cohen, and Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell.
With her 1967 album Wildflowers, she began to record her own compositions, the first of which was entitled "Since You've Asked". This album also provided Collins with a major hit, and a Grammy award, with her version of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now", which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1968's Who Knows Where the Time Goes was produced by Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills & Nash), with whom Collins was romantically involved at the time (she is the "Judy" of the Stills-written CSN classic "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"). It had a mellow country sound, and included Ian Tyson's "Someday Soon" and the title track, a Sandy Denny song which has been covered by several artists.
By the 1970s, Collins had a solid reputation as an art song singer and folksinger. She had also begun to stand out with her own compositions. She was also known for her broad range of material: her songs from this period include the traditional gospel song "Amazing Grace", the Stephen Sondheim Broadway ballad "Send in the Clowns" (both of which were top 20 hits as singles), and her own compositions such as "My Father" and "Born to the Breed".
In 1979 she posed nude on the album "Hard Times For Lovers".
In more recent years, Collins has taken to writing, producing a memoir, "Trust Your Heart" in 1987, and two novels. Though her record sales are not what they once were, she still records and tours. One of her more recent albums is a collection of songs based on her novel Shameless. She performed at US President Bill Clinton's first inauguration in 1993, singing "Amazing Grace" and "Chelsea Morning". (The Clintons have stated that their daughter Chelsea was named after Collins' recording of the Joni Mitchell song.)
Activism
Like other folk singers of her generation, Collins was drawn to social activism. She is a representative for UNICEF and campaigns on behalf of the abolition of landmines. Following the 1992 death of her son Clark Taylor at age 33 after a long bout with depression and substance abuse, she has also become a strong advocate of suicide prevention. Her 2003 book, Sanity & Grace, chronicles her recovery from her son's suicide and attempts to provide some comfort and guidance to other families dealing with the loss of a loved one to suicide. She describes the "Seven T's" as a means for going through this process of recovery: Truth, Therapy, Trust, Try, Treat, Treasure, and Thrive. The Truth is that there should be no guilt in suicide; Therapy helps people express their emotions and seek grief counseling; Trust is the effort to believe that one can make it through the loss and keep a belief in life and in the future; Try means to stay away from drugs and alcohol or any excess--including overeating--as a means to deal with the loss and pain; Treat means to take care of the mind, body, and spirit with exercise and meditation; Treasure means to keep the memory of the moments to be treasured, and for this Collins recommends writing and keeping a journal; and Thrive means to be positive, hopeful, open to love and others, and continuing to know that you can rebuild your life on a basis of hope.
Awards and recognition
Grammy Award, Best Folk Performance or Folk Recording, "Both Sides Now", 1968
Grammy Award, Song of the Year, "Send in the Clowns", 1975
Nominated with Jill Godmillow for an Academy Award for the documentary "Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman" (1975), about her classical piano instructor, conductor Antonia Brico.
Discography
Maid of Constant Sorrow (1961)
The Golden Apples of the Sun (1962)
Judy Collins #3 (1964)
The Judy Collins Concert (1964)
Judy Collins' Fifth Album (1965)
In My Life (1966)
Wildflowers (1967)
Who Knows Where The Time Goes? (1968)
Whales and Nightingales (1970)
Both Sides Now (1971)
Living (1971) (Live)
Colors of the Day (1972) (Greatest Hits)
True Stories, and Other Dreams (1973)
Judith (1975)
Bread and Roses (1976)
So Early in the Spring (1977) (15th anniversary collection)
Hard Times for Lovers (1979)
Running for My Life (1980)
Times of Our Lives (1982)
Home Again (1984)
Trust Your Heart (1987)
The Stars Of Christmas (Selected Especially For Avon) (1988)
Sanity and Grace (1989)
Fires of Eden (1990)
Baby's Bedtime (1990)
Baby's Morningtime (1990)
Judy Sings Dylan... Just Like a Woman (1993)
Come Rejoice! A Judy Collins Christmas (1994)
Shameless (1994)
Voices (1995)
Christmas at the Biltmore Estate (1997)
Forever: An Anthology (1997)
Both Sides Now (1998)
Classic Broadway (1999)
All on a Wintry Night (2000)
Judy Collins Live at Wolf Trap (2000)
Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy (2004)
The Essential Judy Collins (2004)
Portrait of an American Girl (2006)
Videography
Baby's Bedtime (1992)
Baby's Morningtime (1992)
Junior playing the operator of a home for unwed mothers opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger
Christmas at the Biltmore Estate (1998)
The Best of Judy Collins (1999)
Intimate Portrait: Judy Collins (2000)
Judy Collins Live at Wolf Trap (2003)
Wildflower Festival (2003) (DVD with guest artists Eric Andersen, Arlo Guthrie, and Tom Rush)
Bibliography
Trust Your Heart (1987)
Amazing Grace (1991)
Sanity and Grace: A Journey of Suicide, Survival and Strength (2003)
Albatross
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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.
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 relativeβs 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
@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.
@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!
@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.