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)
Test Of Time
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The fire in the cave is burning hard and bright
Three days her lover hunted on the plains
She never knew if he would ever come home again
So she could feed the flame of love and then
Hold him in her arms again
Make the demons all depart
A love that lasts is hard to find
Like the harmony in an old design
But the love of a good woman
The love a good woman
Stands the test of time
Woman on a cliff at the break of a winters day
A baby at her breast and her lover far away
Watches the horizon for the curving sails to rise
Across the water and through the stormy skies
He returns at last from the battle field
Where death has marched with a Christian shield
She will make the demons all depart
Heal the wounds that break the heart
A love that lasts is hard to find
Like the harmony in an old design
But the love of a good woman
The love a good woman
Stands the test of time
The brittle will be broken
And the supple will survive
Men are born to fight in armor
Women born to stay alive
Behind every veil of tears
There is a sister of a thousand years
High in a canyon where the city meets the stars
My face against the window and my dreams that reach so far
Back to the women whose spirits so fierce and fine
Whose warriors fought for a love like yours and mine
Oh we are all the guardians
And everyday we start again
To make the demons all depart
Heal the wounds that break the heart
A love that lasts is hard to find
Like the harmony in an old design
But the love of a good woman
The love a good woman
Stands the test of time
A love that lasts is hard to find
Like the harmony in an old design
But the love of a good woman
The love a good woman
Stands the test of time
A love that lasts is hard to find
Like the harmony in an old design
But the love of a good woman
The love a good woman
Stands the test of time
"Test of Time" is a song by Judy Collins that tells stories of women waiting for their men to return home, either from hunting or battle. It celebrates the enduring power of women's love and strength. In the first verse, Anastasia, a woman in the desert, waits for her lover to come home, never knowing if he will. She feeds the fire of love with hope and when he finally returns, she heals his wounds with her love.
In the second verse, a woman with a baby at her breast stands on a cliff, watching for her lover's ship to return from a battle. When he finally comes home, she too heals his wounds with her love. The third verse tells of the power of women throughout history. Collins speaks of women being the guardians of healing and love, making the demons all depart and healing the wounds that break the heart.
The repeated phrases, "A love that lasts is hard to find" and "The love of a good woman stands the test of time," emphasize the central message of the song which is to celebrate the strength and enduring power of women's love. While men may be born to fight, women are born to stay alive and love.
Throughout history, women have played an essential role in sustaining their communities through their love, strength, and resilience. This song reminds us of the importance of recognizing and honoring the power that women have always held.
Line by Line Meaning
Anastasia woman in the cold of the desert night
Describing a woman named Anastasia who is in the chilly desert at nighttime
The fire in the cave is burning hard and bright
A fire is present in a cave, blazing bright and strong
Three days her lover hunted on the plains
Her lover hunted for three days on a vast expanse of land
She never knew if he would ever come home again
She didn't know if her partner would return to her ever again
So she could feed the flame of love and then
She could keep their love alive by maintaining her passion
Hold him in her arms again
She could embrace and hug him tightly once again
Make the demons all depart
She could banish their fears and worries completely
Heal the wounds that break the heart
She could comfort and soothe the emotional pain in their hearts
A love that lasts is hard to find
Finding love that is enduring and long-lasting is difficult
Like the harmony in an old design
Similar to the balance in an aged piece of work
But the love of a good woman
However, the affection of dependable women
The love a good woman
and the care that she provides
Stands the test of time
Endures through trials and the passage of time
Woman on a cliff at the break of a winters day
A lady overlooking a cliff during a winter morning
A baby at her breast and her lover far away
Holding a baby while her distant partner is away
Watches the horizon for the curving sails to rise
She intently awaits her significant other's approaching vessel
Across the water and through the stormy skies
Traversing troubled waters and skies of tempests
He returns at last from the battle field
He finally arrives after fighting on a battlefield
Where death has marched with a Christian shield
Where people have died strongly defending their faith
The brittle will be broken
The fleeting will be shattered
And the supple will survive
While the yielding will remain
Men are born to fight in armor
Men are naturally inclined to engage in combat
Women born to stay alive
Women are naturally equipped to persevere
Behind every veil of tears
Beneath every display of sorrow
There is a sister of a thousand years
Lies a cohort of women stretching back for centuries.
High in a canyon where the city meets the stars
Amidst a deep ravine that intersects with the sky-high urban metropolis
My face against the window and my dreams that reach so far
Leaning against a window, allowing my aspirations to soar
Back to the women whose spirits so fierce and fine
Returning to women with such strong, admirable spirits
Whose warriors fought for a love like yours and mine
Whose fighters battled for cherished, unique affections
Oh we are all the guardians
We all serve as protectors
And everyday we start again
And each day we start anew
A love that lasts is hard to find
Enduring love is difficult to come by
Like the harmony in an old design
Similar to a balanced, aged work of art
But the love of a good woman
However, the devotion of a reliable woman
The love a good woman
and her compassionate ways
Stands the test of time
Is solidified through trials and the passing of time
A love that lasts is hard to find
Finding love that is enduring and long-lasting is difficult
Like the harmony in an old design
Similar to the balance in an aged piece of work
But the love of a good woman
However, the affection of dependable women
The love a good woman
and the care that she provides
Stands the test of time
Endures through trials and the passage of time
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID LUBELL BUSKIN, JUDY COLLINS, ROBIN BATTEAU, SUSAN HAMILTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dian L. Robbins
I have more Judy Collins LP's and CD's than any other artist. Because her mustic is timeless. This is a wonderful ballad.
Dennis Hartnett
No comments so far?! Well then allow me! Typical Judy Collins Faire-by typical I mean 1st rate musicianship, intelligent, stirring words that most often tell a story we identify with on some level, a gorgeous, soaring melody that at once stirrs our souls and leaves us wanting more. And in the middle of it all is Judys' nearly 4 Octive Soprano which only grows more resonant, stronger, and somehow more beautiful with the passge of the years Out of space-Judy-saw your SF concert this week-PERFECT
Lou Ann Daniels
Judy Collins - she stands the test of time. .
John LaStrada
Very good assessment sfden50. These are the types of comments I like reading on YouTube. These are helpful little reviews and in your case, everything you said was accurate. Great tune by Judy. This is how I write my little comments too and I have received many thanks from posters. Thank you.
Christian Davies
Please join 'Judy Collins Fans' on facebook! ;-)
Cindy Maes
:)