Judy Collins (born Judith Marjorie Collins on May 1, 1939, in Seattle, Wash… Read Full Bio ↴Judy Collins (born Judith Marjorie Collins on May 1, 1939, in Seattle, Washington) is an American singer and songwriter known for the eclectic range of material she records (which has included folk, show tunes, pop, and rock and roll, as well as and standards) and for her social activism. Beginning in 1959, she was drawn to the music of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and the traditional songs of the folk revival of the early 1960s. In 1968 she was awarded a Grammy for "Both Sides Now". Since then she has had an enviable reputation as a singer and for her own compositions.

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)

Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye
Judy Collins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm
Many loved before us, I know that we are not new
In city and in forest they smiled like me and you

Now it's come to distances and both of us must try
Your eyes are soft with sorrow
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

I'm not looking for another as I wander in my time
Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme
You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me
It's just the way it changes like the shoreline and the sea

But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie
Your eyes are soft with sorrow
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm
Many loved before us, I know that we are not new
In city and in forest they smiled like me and you

Now it's come to distances and both of us must try

Your eyes are soft with sorrow
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

Overall Meaning

The song "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye" by Judy Collins is a bittersweet reflection on the uncertain and painful nature of love and separation. The opening lines paint a vivid picture of a morning spent in the arms of a loved one, with the poet's kisses described as "deep and warm" and their hair as a "sleepy golden storm." The following lines acknowledge that others have loved before them and that such love is a universal experience, occurring both in cities and forests.

Yet, as time and distance take their toll, the poet insists that they are not looking for another love, instead wanting to savor the memories of their past relationship. The line "It's just the way it changes like the shoreline and the sea" is particularly poignant, recognizing that love can be as unpredictable as the tides and that relationships can ebb and flow throughout our lives. Ultimately, the final lines urge the poet's former lover not to use such a painful phrase as "goodbye" when parting ways.

Overall, the lyrics of "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye" offer a complex and nuanced meditation on love, loss, and moving forward. It acknowledges both the beauty and pain of romantic relationships, urging listeners to cherish the moments they have while recognizing that goodbyes are never easy.

Line by Line Meaning

I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm
I cherished our intimate moments together, especially in the early part of the day.

Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm
Your hair was flowing on the pillow like a calm, beautiful storm.

Many loved before us, I know that we are not new
We are not the first people to experience love or to be in a relationship.

In city and in forest they smiled like me and you
Just like us, there are couples who are happy and content in different settings.

Now it's come to distances and both of us must try
Our relationship has been tested by distance, and we both need to make an effort to maintain it.

Your eyes are soft with sorrow
I can tell from your eyes that you are deeply saddened.

Hey, that's no way to say goodbye
Don't express your sadness with a sudden goodbye, it's not appropriate or respectful.

I'm not looking for another as I wander in my time
I am not ready or interested in finding another partner as I go through life's journey.

Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme
Let's take a stroll together, our steps will always be perfectly in sync.

You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me
We will always carry our love for each other, even when we are apart.

It's just the way it changes like the shoreline and the sea
Our relationship changes like the constant movement of the shoreline and sea, but it doesn't mean our love is any less.

But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie
We don't need to discuss the depth of the love, commitment, or the emotions we share or any complexity of our relationship.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Leonard Cohen

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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