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)
The Long and Winding Road
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to you door
The wild and windy night
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way
Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried
Anyway you'll never know
The many ways I've tried
And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't keep me waiting here
Lead me to your door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The song “The Long and Winding Road” by Judy Collins is a love song that tells a story of a journey that has been taken many times before. The road is long and winding, but it always leads the singer back to the same place. The lyrics suggest that this journey has been difficult, filled with heartbreak and pain, but the singer is still determined to reach their destination.
The song begins with the line, “The long and winding road that leads to your door will never disappear.” This line immediately sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is on a journey to find love and will never give up until they reach their destination. The second line, “I've seen that road before, it always leads me here, lead me to your door,” emphasizes the theme of persistence. No matter how many times the singer has travelled this road, it still leads them to the same place, to their loved one's door.
The second verse of the song is slightly more somber. It starts with, “The wild and windy night that the rain washed away has left a pool of tears crying for the day, why leave me standing here, let me know the way.” It seems that the singer wants the person they love to acknowledge the effort they have made to get to them. There is a sense of desperation in the lyrics as the singer cries out for help, “Let me know the way.” The next few lines, “Many times I've been alone and many times I've cried, anyway you'll never know the many ways I've tried,” further emphasize the idea of heartache and longing.
Overall, "The Long and Winding Road" is a poignant song that speaks to the heart of anyone who has ever loved and longed for their love to be reciprocated. The lyrics touch on themes of persistence, heartbreak, and determination, which makes the song resonate with many people.
Line by Line Meaning
The long and winding road
The challenging journey to reach to her lover's abode
That leads to your door
The road which ends at the doorstep of her lover's house
Will never disappear
This road is tough but will never vanish from her life
I've seen that road before
She has felt the pain of this journey many times in the past
It always leads me here
This path will never change and always ends up bringing her here
Lead me to your door
She wants the path to guide her to her lover's door
The wild and windy night
The tumultuous night with wild winds and rain
That the rain washed away
The rain has washed away her hopes and dreams
Has left a pool of tears
The only thing that is left behind is her own tears
Crying for the day
Her tears signify her longing for love and happiness
Why leave me standing here?
She cannot comprehend why her loved one abandoned her
Let me know the way
She is asking for guidance and direction to reach her lover
Many times I've been alone
She has been heartbroken and alone multiple times
And many times I've cried
Her sadness has made her cry countless times
Anyway you'll never know
She believes her lover can never understand the depths of her feelings
The many ways I've tried
She has exhausted all possible ways to make her relationship work
And still they lead me back
Despite everything, her journey always leads her back to him
To the long winding road
To this difficult and complex path
You left me standing here
Her lover has abandoned her and left her stranded
A long long time ago
It has been a long time since he left her
Don't leave me waiting here
She doesn't want him to leave her waiting any longer
Don't keep me waiting here
She wants him to return to her as soon as possible
Lead me to your door
She wants him to guide her back to his arms
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
An expression of her yearning and desire for her lover
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind