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)
Who Knows Where The Time Goes
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the bird are leaving,
Ah, how can they know it's time to go?
Before the winter fire,
We'll still be dreaming.
I do not count the time
Who knows where the time goes?
Sad deserted shore,
Your fickle friends are leaving,
Ah, but then you know it's time for them to go,
But I will still be here,
I have no thought of leaving.
I do not count the time
Who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?
And I'm not alone,
When my love is near me,
And I know,it will be so,till it's time to go,
So come the storms of winter ,
And then the birds of spring again.
I do not feel the time
Who knows how my love grows?
Who knows where the time goes?
La la la la la la......
Um um um um ........
Do do do do du.........
Ah ah ah ah ah......
Um um um um.......
The opening line "Across the morning sky, all the birds are leaving" conjures the image of a serene and picturesque morning. However, the second line "Ah, how can they know it's time to go?" may suggest the feeling of loneliness and longing for something to hold on to in the face of change. This feeling is also present in the next line "Before the winter fire, we'll still be dreaming", which suggests that the singer is aware of the fleeting nature of time and wants to make the most of what they have before they lose it.
The theme of impermanence is continued in the second verse with the line "Your fickle friends are leaving, ah, but then you know it's time for them to go". The singer observes the changing seasons and the cycle of life, but while everything around them changes, they remain steadfast and resilient, stating "I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving". In the final verse, the singer finds solace in their love, which is a constant source of comfort and familiarity in a world that changes so rapidly. They express this sentiment in the line "And I'm not alone, when my love is near me, and I know it will be so, till it's time to go".
Line by Line Meaning
Across the morning sky,
As the day begins, the birds start to disappear from the sky.
All the bird are leaving,
Birds leave and continue on their journey.
Ah, how can they know it's time to go?
Birds manage to sense when it's time to leave and continue their journey.
Before the winter fire,
Before the start of winter, while it's still warm.
We'll still be dreaming.
We'll still be hopeful and optimistic about our future.
I do not count the time
I don't pay attention to the time.
Who knows where the time goes?
Who can really say where time goes?
Sad deserted shore,
The shore is desolate and lonesome.
Your fickle friends are leaving,
Those who are not true friends are leaving.
Ah, but then you know it's time for them to go,
It's better to let false friends leave instead of holding onto them.
But I will still be here,
I will remain here with my true friends.
I have no thought of leaving.
I have no intention of leaving and will remain steadfast.
And I'm not alone,
I'm not alone because of the presence of my loved one.
When my love is near me,
The presence of my loved one makes my heart content.
And I know, it will be so, till it's time to go,
Our love will last until the end, regardless of how much time we have left.
So come the storms of winter ,
Even when times are difficult and bleak.
And then the birds of spring again.
Eventually, new beginnings will come.
I do not feel the time
I don't concern myself with the passing of time, losing myself in my thoughts.
Who knows how my love grows?
Only time will tell how much my love will grow.
Who knows where the time goes?
Who can really say where time goes?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SANDY DENNY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@puppymamalisa
For my mom who is 91 and doesn't have much longer. I Love You
@wapuka
one of the most beautiful songs ever written, i love the simplicity of a guitar and a voice, a brilliant voice.....who knows where the time goes and with it, loved ones, lovers, family and dear friends....
@verde1922
This song brings back many wonderful memories of life in the 60's. Thanks for the joy of music.
@msreneecarter3212
"Who knows where the time goes..." I adore Judy Collin's talent and beauty and grace...I always have and I always will.
@wapuka
for my twin sister, as she departs, who knows where the time goes.....i love you, becky
@63RobWanders
my alltime favourite from Judy. This is so beautiful and when I look at pictures from my youth or cycle to the house of my youth i have to think of this song!
@haworthhoarder
This is the acoustic (and better) non-album cut. Just a great song.
@willrothfuss
I still love this version the best.
@ToeIn2194
This is by far more soulful and simply gorgeous. I never really warmed to the other studio version.
@oliaslives6986
I COULD NOT agree with you more! This track--exclusive, apparently, to her COLORS OF THE DAY album--far, far outshines her earlier version where the very unwanted backup musicians chime in. This just works so much better...and, I feel, is a beautiful tribute to Sandy Denny's memory.