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)
Dark Eyes
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the midnight moon is on the riverside
They're drinking up and walking
And it is time for me to slide
I live in another world
Where life and death are memorized
Where the earth is strung with lover's pearls
A cock is crowing far away
And another soldier's deep in prayer
Some mother's child has gone astray
And she can't find him anywhere
But I can hear another drum
Beating for the dead that rise
Whom nature's beast fears as they come
And all I see are dark eyes
They tell me to be discreet
For all intended purposes
They tell me revenge is sweet
And from where they stand, I'm sure it is
But I feel nothing for their game
Where beauty goes unrecognized
All I feel is heat and flame
And all I see are dark eyes
Oh, the French girl, she's in paradise
And a drunken man is at the wheel
Hunger pays a heavy price
To the falling gods of speed and steel
Oh, time is short and the days are sweet
And passion rules the arrow that flies
A million faces at my feet
And all I see are dark eyes
The first verse of the song "Dark Eyes" by Judy Collins describes a scene of men gathered together at night, perhaps in a pub, drinking and talking. The singer suggests that this is a signal for her to leave. She feels that she is in a different world than these men; a world where life and death are constantly present and love is abundant. Instead of the revelry of the men she sees only dark eyes, a metaphor for the sadness and longing that characterizes her world.
The second verse introduces two more characters: a rooster crowing in the distance, and a soldier praying. The singer emphasizes how war disrupts families, leaving mothers searching for their lost children. She can hear a different drumbeat, one that honors the dead and fears the cruelty of nature. Once again, the singer sees only dark eyes, reflecting the painful realities of life.
The final verse juxtaposes two scenes: a French girl in paradise, and a man driving drunk. The singer suggests that the thrill of the present is fleeting and that one must enjoy life before it's gone. She also points out how the cost of indulgence leads to sacrifice. Even with a million faces around her, the singer still sees only dark eyes- proof that there is always some sadness on the outskirts of beauty.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the gentlemen are talking
Men are engaging in discussion
And the midnight moon is on the riverside
The moon is shining brightly by the river
They're drinking up and walking
They are walking while drinking
And it is time for me to slide
It's time for me to leave
I live in another world
I live in a separate reality
Where life and death are memorized
Where mortality is constantly recognized
Where the earth is strung with lover's pearls
Where love is a valued treasure
And all I see are dark eyes
All I see are deep, dark eyes
A cock is crowing far away
A rooster is crowing in the distance
And another soldier's deep in prayer
Another soldier is devoutly praying
Some mother's child has gone astray
A mother's child is lost and wandering
And she can't find him anywhere
She is unable to locate him
But I can hear another drum
I am able to hear a different rhythm
Beating for the dead that rise
For those who have passed, yet continue to endure
Whom nature's beast fears as they come
Whom even nature's most powerful creature fears
And all I see are dark eyes
All I see are eyes so deep they appear black
They tell me to be discreet
They advise me to be cautious
For all intended purposes
For the sake of achieving my goals
They tell me revenge is sweet
They suggest that vengeance is satisfying
And from where they stand, I'm sure it is
From their perspective, it surely is
But I feel nothing for their game
Their attempts to manipulate me have no effect
Where beauty goes unrecognized
Where inner beauty is not appreciated
All I feel is heat and flame
All I feel is passion and intensity
And all I see are dark eyes
And all that is visible are the abyssal eyes
Oh, the French girl, she's in paradise
The French girl is in a blissful state
And a drunken man is at the wheel
A man who has had too much to drink is driving
Hunger pays a heavy price
The price of desire is costly
To the falling gods of speed and steel
To the powerful forces of motion and technology
Oh, time is short and the days are sweet
Time is brief, but life is enjoyable
And passion rules the arrow that flies
Passion is the motivating force for our actions
A million faces at my feet
Numerous people are vying for my attention
And all I see are dark eyes
Despite the multitude of faces, I can only see dark eyes
Contributed by Lucy S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Moira Murphy
What an arrangement.Breathtaking.Judy has been around forever and is a treasure I'll always value.Does Dylan beautifully!
Antonia Torres
Linda música 🇧🇷🇧🇷🤗🎶🎶💃
Mark Kubiak
Dylan wrote this? He's magnificent! What a beautiful rendition!!
Dennis Hartnett
Magnificent person and musician. I had the good fortune to meet her briefly in San Francisco in 2011 after her performance here. She was wonderful - warm, wise, and very funny. I will never forget it or her.
grofy
this is the best song ever written.
Jonathan Berger
I had a huge crush on Judy Collins when I was in high school. I still do, despite having seen one of her recent shows, in which she's totally let go of the ethereal "maid of constant sorrow" stage persona and tells wonderful stories about who was sleeping with whom in the 60's Greenwich Village folk scene. (Short version: everybody and everybody.) Her music has always been amazing and has never been equaled. To my ear, every song she's ever recorded is the best version of that song -- yes, including "Both Sides Now," and I say that as a big Joni Mitchell fan -- and every song on this album is an example of that.
superteacher13
I love Judy Collins.
Roldão Almeida
Very very beautiful!!
Robert Ommundsen
Dylans version was best on a patchy album.this is a great version
Tony Webb
Agree!