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)
Nothing Lasts Forever
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Good times, heartache
You'll get through this trouble though you may not know how
Your heart won't break
If you have a vision of your destiny
Tears can't stop you
Hidden in your heart is everything you can be
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
You know where you're goin' even when you are lost
Big world spinning
Just stay in the center where you think you belong
Gently turning
Run off with the Gypsies to the carnival
Tight rope walker
Mysteries and miracles wherever you go
You'll be fine
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Da da da
Da da da
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Watch the way the rainbow makes its way to the sun
Yellow, purple
Even in the shadows where the light doesn't shine
Magic silver
You could dream that all of this was meant to be
Daylight dawning
Nothing lasts forever, you should know that by now
You'll be fine
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Da da da
Da da da
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Tight rope walker, Gypsies
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing lasts forever
Mysteries and miracles
Nothing lasts forever
Judy Collins's "Nothing Lasts Forever" is a song about the impermanence of life and how everything, both good and bad, comes to an end. The song opens with the lyric, "Nothing lasts forever, you should know that by now," setting the tone for the rest of the song. The singer encourages the listener to keep going through heartache and tough times because, as the title suggests, nothing lasts forever. The listener is encouraged to hold onto a vision of their destiny and to stay focused even when they feel lost because they will be fine.
The next verse talks about running away with the gypsies to the carnival and experiencing mysteries and miracles wherever they go. The lyrics paint a picture of the beauty and wonder that surrounds us in life, even in the shadows where the light doesn't shine. The song ends on a positive note, reminding us that nothing lasts forever, and that we will be fine in the end.
Overall, the song is about finding hope in difficult times and remembering that no matter what happens, everything is impermanent. It's a reminder to hold onto our dreams, to believe in ourselves, and to keep moving forward no matter what challenges we face.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing lasts forever, you should know that by now
Life is full of ups and downs, and everything, good or bad, eventually comes to an end; you should understand that, at this point.
Good times, heartache
Life is a mixture of happy and sad times.
You'll get through this trouble though you may not know how
You will overcome your current situation even if you don't know how to do it right now.
Your heart won't break
No matter how tough the going may get, you will survive and emerge stronger.
If you have a vision of your destiny
If you have a clear idea of where you want to go in life,
Tears can't stop you
You wouldn't be affected by the setbacks and troubles on your path to success
Hidden in your heart is everything you can be
All that you can be, all the potential that you have is within you waiting to be realized.
You'll be fine
You will be okay, everything will work out in the end.
You know where you're goin' even when you are lost
Even when you don't know what to do or where to go, you still have a sense of direction and purpose in life.
Big world spinning
Life is constantly changing and moving forward.
Just stay in the center where you think you belong
Stay focused on where you want to be and where you best fit in life.
Gently turning
Life moves on naturally and constantly as you find your way.
Run off with the Gypsies to the carnival
Live life spontaneously, go out and experience new adventures.
Tight rope walker
Life is full of risks and balancing acts; it's up to you to keep your balance and keep moving forward.
Mysteries and miracles wherever you go
Life is full of surprises, both good and bad.
Watch the way the rainbow makes its way to the sun
Life has its magical and beautiful moments, cherish them.
Yellow, purple
The colors of the rainbow represent the diversity of life.
Even in the shadows where the light doesn't shine
There will always be tough times, but even in darkness, there is hope for light.
Magic silver
The magic of life is sometimes hidden in plain sight, waiting for you to discover it.
You could dream that all of this was meant to be
Believe that everything that happens to you is a part of your destiny.
Daylight dawning
After a dark night, there is always the hope of a new day.
Da da da
An instrumental break
Nothing lasts forever
The refrain; a reminder that everything, good or bad, eventually comes to an end.
Mysteries and miracles
Reiteration of the idea that life is full of surprises and unexpected events, both good and bad.
Tight rope walker, Gypsies
Reiteration of the idea to take risks, try new things, and live life spontaneously.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JESSE M. VALENZUELA, JUDY COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind