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)
Fires Of Eden
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard someone say
Must be a whisper in the wind
'Cause you're too far away
But in my restless sleep I could swear I saw you next to me
Sayin' I'm comin' home
You'll never spend another night alone
There was never a better time
But you know those fires of Eden
Still burn in this heart of mine
The morning's uncertain
It's a nervous day
And I look for a reason
Why I should feel this way
I hear a voice from before drifting through my open door
Saying it"s alright
We're gonna light those flames tonight
Remember when love was innocent
There was never a better time
But you know those fires of Eden
Still burn in this heart of mine
Remember when love was freedom
We knew we were two of a kind
And you know those fires of Eden
Still burn in this heart of mine
And don't you wonder how we drifted so far
When we belong to each other even miles apart
And there's a place that was meant for the 2 of us
And when you touch the embers
You'll feel my love as strong as it ever was
Remember when love was innocent
There was never a better time
But you know those fires of Eden
Still burn in this heart of mine
Remember when love was freedom
We knew we were two of a kind
And you know those fires of Eden
Still burn in this heart of mine
Remember when love was innocent
There could still be better times
'Cause you know those fires of Eden
Still burn in this heart of mine
In Judy Collins's song Fires Of Eden, the singer reminisces about a lost love, but still holds onto the hope that they'll be reunited someday. The lyrics describe a sense of longing and uncertainty, as the singer dreams about her former lover but wakes up alone. Despite the separation and uncertainty, she still feels a strong connection to the person and the love they once shared.
The line "Remember when love was innocent, there was never a better time" suggests that the relationship was once pure and uncomplicated, before it got complicated or drifted apart. The chorus "But you know those fires of Eden still burn in this heart of mine" speaks to the idea that even though the relationship is over, the memory and feeling of love still stays with you.
The overall theme of the song is both nostalgic and hopeful, acknowledging the pain of loss but holding onto the possibility of a future reunion. The use of nature imagery - wind, flames, and the "Fires of Eden" - adds to the sense of longing and the idea that love is a powerful, elemental force that can never truly extinguish.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not over til it's over
The singer heard someone say that a situation is not over until it has truly ended.
Must be a whisper in the wind
The singer imagines that the voice they heard was merely a soft sound carried to them by the wind.
'Cause you're too far away
The singer believes that the person they heard was too far away to have actually spoken to them.
But in my restless sleep I could swear I saw you next to me
The artist dreamt that they were with the person they missed and were convinced that it felt real.
Sayin' I'm comin' home
In the dream, the person the artist missed told them that they were coming home soon.
You'll never spend another night alone
The person who was coming home promised the singer that they would never be alone again.
Remember when love was innocent
The singer recalls a time when their love was pure and free of complications.
There was never a better time
The artist believes that the innocent love they experienced was the best time of their life.
But you know those fires of Eden / Still burn in this heart of mine
Despite the passage of time, the artist's love for their partner still burns strong and bright.
The morning's uncertain / It's a nervous day
The artist feels anxious and unsure about the day ahead.
And I look for a reason / Why I should feel this way
The singer searches for an explanation for their current emotional state.
I hear a voice from before drifting through my open door
The artist hears a voice from their memory coming from an open door.
Saying it's alright / We're gonna light those flames tonight
The singer remembers a reassuring voice telling them that everything will be okay and their love will reignite.
And don't you wonder how we drifted so far / When we belong to each other even miles apart
The singer questions how they have grown so distant from their loved one when they feel like they still belong to each other no matter the distance.
And there's a place that was meant for the 2 of us / And when you touch the embers / You'll feel my love as strong as it ever was
The singer believes in a place where they and their partner belong together and their love will be rekindled if they touch the embers (of their love).
There could still be better times / 'Cause you know those fires of Eden / Still burn in this heart of mine
The artist believes that there is still hope for their love and that the passion still burns strong in their heart.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KIT HAIN, MARK GOLDENBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ch3rky
It's not over til it's over
I heard someone say
Must be a whisper in the wind 'Cause you're so far away
But in my restless sleep I could swear I saw you next to me
Sayin' I'm comin' home
You'll never spend another night alone
Remember when love was innocent
There was never a better time
But you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of mine
The morning's uncertain
It's a nervous day
And I look for a reason
Why I should feel this way
I hear a voice from before
drifting through my open door Saying it"s alright
We're gonna light those flames tonight
Remember when love was innocent
There was never a better time
But you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of mine..
Remember when love was freedom
We knew we were two of a kind But you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of mine
And don't you wonder
how we drifted so far
When we belong to each other even miles apart
And there's a place
that was meant for the 2 of us
And when you touch the embers You'll feel my love as strong as it ever was
Remember when love was innocent
There was never a better time
But you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of mine Remember when love was freedom
We knew we were two of a kind And you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of mine
Remember when love was innocent There could still be better times 'Cause you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of min..
jc n
Such a beautiful song. Never knew that there were other versions apart from Cher's version from her love hurts album.
James Blunt : Folk Pop Music
I Love this Album . This album is absolutely gorgeous. This album is so ahead of it time.
Rod Labbe
Love this album. It's Judy's only Columbia release. Wonder why there weren't more?
Paul Heffron
I had the joy of watching her sing this numerous times in her concerts. She is a class act and has lasted a long time.
VICTOR ORNELAS
Beautiful song..beautiful lady !
Ch3rky
It's not over til it's over
I heard someone say
Must be a whisper in the wind 'Cause you're so far away
But in my restless sleep I could swear I saw you next to me
Sayin' I'm comin' home
You'll never spend another night alone
Remember when love was innocent
There was never a better time
But you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of mine
The morning's uncertain
It's a nervous day
And I look for a reason
Why I should feel this way
I hear a voice from before
drifting through my open door Saying it"s alright
We're gonna light those flames tonight
Remember when love was innocent
There was never a better time
But you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of mine..
Remember when love was freedom
We knew we were two of a kind But you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of mine
And don't you wonder
how we drifted so far
When we belong to each other even miles apart
And there's a place
that was meant for the 2 of us
And when you touch the embers You'll feel my love as strong as it ever was
Remember when love was innocent
There was never a better time
But you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of mine Remember when love was freedom
We knew we were two of a kind And you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of mine
Remember when love was innocent There could still be better times 'Cause you know those fires of Eden Still burn in this heart of min..
Edward Gozdowski
How many people anymore even have a clue as to what the "Fires of Eden" really means??? So much of the average, everyday common knowledge of the world before the, let's say, 1960's, that I would suggest that there out there a whole ton of people for whom a reference to "Eden" would leave them clueless.
Edward Gozdowski
Memo to Cher- Can't touch this.
Warren Taylor
You muffed one of the lines in your lyrics!
It's not "There was never a better time",
It's "There was never a bed or a time", clearly!
Cindy Maes
Remember When i bought this CD ,i didn't know what fires of Eden was but i liked the way she sounds .LOL