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)
Queen Of The Night
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can hear your name
Sand slides through the stranger's hand
As he deals the game.
All the candles are burning low
No more cradles and no more snow
Bet your life on a lucky roll
Play your queen, you could win your soul,
To risk everything.
In your goblet the wine is black
As a moonless night
Wet your lips before you kiss
The blazing light
Bets are off but the game is on,
Drop the armor you counted on
All your armies are fled and gone
Win your king, you can play your pawn
Take your time, you have just begun
To risk everything.
Catch your tears in a golden sieve
Don't regret what you did to live
Don't forget that you must forgive
To risk everything.
Through the window you see the storm
That is gathering,
Painted gypsies on dappled horses are galloping
Through the trees in the howling wind
Down the hills to the river bend
Shadow ghosts that are blind as night
Shrieking curses against the night,
Daring you to come join their flight
And risk everything.
Catch your tears in a golden sieve
Don't regret what you did to live
Don't forget that you must forgive
To risk everything.
There is nothing to hold you now
To your fault or mine
Fallen idols and martyred souls
Are the only kind
Feet of clay in the emerald skies
Birds of prey when the dreamer dies
Perfect crosses perfect your lies
Burning saints in the flaming skies
Bet your life every promise dies
All that's left for you to try
Is risking everything.
Catch your tears in a golden sieve
Don't regret what you did to live
Don't forget that you must forgive
To risk everything.
Oooo, Oooo
Catch your tears in a golden sieve
Don't regret what you did to live
Don't forget that you must forgive.
To risk everything.
Time slips by in the hourglass
You can hear your name
Sand slides through the stranger's hand
As he deals the game.
All the candles are burning low
No more cradles and no more snow
Bet your life on a lucky roll
Play your queen, you could win your soul,
Stakes are high you can live or die
To risk everything.
Catch your tears in a golden sieve
Don't regret what you did to live
Don't forget that you must forgive
To risk everything.
The song "Queen of the Night" by Judy Collins is a haunting tale of risk and temptation, of choosing to wager everything to win your soul. The opening verses describe the urgency of time slipping away as sand falls through the hourglass and a stranger deals the game. The imagery used in the song paints a picture of a game of chance, with stakes high enough to risk everything, including your soul. The lyrics suggest that each choice is a calculated risk - you can roll the dice and try to win big, or play it safe and regret the chances you didn't take.
Collins uses poetic language to describe the atmosphere of the game, where candles burn low, and the wine is black as a moonless night. As the stakes get higher, the game becomes more dangerous, and the imagery becomes more dark and brooding, describing painted gypsies on dappled horses galloping through the storm.
In the end, the message of the song is clear: to risk everything, you must be willing to forgive and to catch your tears in a golden sieve. The haunting melody and evocative lyrics make "Queen of the Night" a compelling and unforgettable song.
Line by Line Meaning
Time slips by in the hourglass
Time passes quickly as if through an hourglass
You can hear your name
You recognize that time is passing and it's affecting you
Sand slides through the stranger's hand
Time is fleeting and out of our control
As he deals the game.
Time feels like a game we're all participating in
All the candles are burning low
Time is running out
No more cradles and no more snow
Childhood is gone and so is innocence
Bet your life on a lucky roll
Life is a gamble and there's no guarantee of success
Play your queen, you could win your soul,
Put your best foot forward and you may come out ahead
Stakes are high you can live or die
The risks you take can make or break you
To risk everything.
Sometimes the only way to succeed is to take a leap of faith
In your goblet the wine is black
Life can be dark and uninviting
As a moonless night
The future is unclear
Wet your lips before you kiss
Take a moment to savor life's pleasures
The blazing light
Life can be powerful and overwhelming
Bets are off but the game is on,
Despite the risks and uncertain outcomes, life goes on
Drop the armor you counted on
Let go of what's been holding you back
All your armies are fled and gone
The ways you've protected yourself in the past no longer work
Win your king, you can play your pawn
Sometimes the best way to succeed is to start small
Take your time, you have just begun
Keep moving forward, there's still time
Catch your tears in a golden sieve
Hold on to your emotions, they are precious
Don't regret what you did to live
Remember that life comes with sacrifices
Don't forget that you must forgive
Forgive yourself and others to move forward
Through the window you see the storm
Life is unpredictable and unsettling
That is gathering,
There's trouble ahead
Painted gypsies on dappled horses are galloping
Life can be colorful and alluring
Through the trees in the howling wind
The world can be a scary and dangerous place
Down the hills to the river bend
Life is a journey and there are ups and downs
Shadow ghosts that are blind as night
There are mysteries and unknowns in the world
Shrieking curses against the night,
Sometimes things in life don't go as planned
Daring you to come join their flight
Life is full of risks, and sometimes it's daring to take them
And risk everything.
It's tempting to take big risks, even if it means you could lose everything
There is nothing to hold you now
There's no guarantees in life
To your fault or mine
It's not anyone's fault that life is unpredictable
Fallen idols and martyred souls
There are great people who have fallen and died
Are the only kind
It's a harsh world, and we are all vulnerable
Feet of clay in the emerald skies
We are all human, and we all have weaknesses
Birds of prey when the dreamer dies
The world can be cruel and unforgiving
Perfect crosses perfect your lies
There are often hidden motives and secrets in life
Burning saints in the flaming skies
There are people willing to sacrifice everything for what they believe in
Bet your life every promise dies
Promises do not always come to fruition
All that's left for you to try
Keep trying even if the odds are against you
Is risking everything.
Sometimes you have to take big risks to achieve success
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID LUBELL BUSKIN, JUDY COLLINS, ROBIN BATTEAU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
john Aldrich
Love this song
James Estes
So haunting what a great song