Justin David Hayward (born 14 October 1946) is an English musician best kno… Read Full Bio ↴Justin David Hayward (born 14 October 1946) is an English musician best known as songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist for the rock band The Moody Blues. In 2018, Hayward was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside the Moody Blues.

Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England, and educated at Shrivenham School in Berkshire and the Commonweal School in Swindon. He was playing in several bands as early as age 15 when he bought his Gibson 335, a guitar that appears on nearly all of his records throughout his career, and a Vox AC30 amplifier. All previous guitars were "unsatisfactory" and required modification. He performed with local Swindon groups in clubs and dance halls playing mostly Buddy Holly songs. One of Hayward's early groups was All Things Bright, which opened for The Hollies and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. At age 17, he signed an eight-year publishing contract as a songwriter with the skiffle artist and record producer Lonnie Donegan, a move Hayward later regretted, as it meant the rights to all his songs written before 1974 would always be owned by Donegan's Tyler Music. In 1965 he answered an advertisement in Melody Maker and auditioned as guitarist for Marty Wilde and he went on to work with Wilde and his wife in The Wilde Three.

For the most part, Hayward has used a red Gibson ES-335, though he also uses other guitars in both performing and recording, including a 1955 Martin D-28 "Dreadnought", a James Olson six-string acoustic, a black Guild acoustic, a Squier Stratocaster (essentially an inexpensive Fender Stratocaster, as Squier is a subsidiary of Fender), a Fender Telecaster, a blonde Guild 12-string acoustic (tuned to "open C" for "Question"), and in 1967 a black Gibson Les Paul. Between 1965 and 1968, he was without his Gibson 335 and relied on other instruments, most notably a 1964 Fender Telecaster and a hand-built 12-string guitar he had renovated for Donegan (he eventually bought this guitar from Donegan's widow). However, in an interview included on the Lovely to See You concert DVD (2005), Hayward says the 1963 Gibson 335 has been with him since 1967. Recently, he has played a Collings D3 on stage and on recordings. Among other instruments, Hayward also played mandolin on A Question of Balance and sitar on In Search of the Lost Chord.

Written at the end of one love affair and the beginning of another, the song "Nights in White Satin" was, according to Hayward, "in adoration of all women". Hayward married model Ann Marie Guirron on 19 December 1970. His daughter Doremi, who sings on the track "Raised on Love" on Hayward's 1977 album Songwriter, was born on 3 December 1972.

In 2013, Hayward spoke of his learning Transcendental Meditation in 1967, along with other members of the Moody Blues.

Country Girl
Justin Hayward Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

No deposit, no deposit
No return, no, no return
Knew I had, knew I had to learn
So I fell for a country girl

Running away from the city lights
I'm gonna get out of the smog
Going down in the countryside

I might even get me a job

I'm moving out of this neighborhood
If I have to walk through the wall
Rocking and rolling down the country lanes
Getting away from it all

No deposit, no deposit
No return, no, no return
Knew I had, knew I had to learn
'cause I knew I had

No deposit, no return
Knew I had to learn
Knew I had, knew I had to learn
So I fell for a country girl

And I'm running away from the city lights
I'm gonna get out of the smog
Going down in the countryside
I might even get me a job

Moving out of this neighborhood
Doing a daylight flit
Rocking and rolling down the country lanes
'cause Mother Nature told me to quit

I fell in love on a cool, clear night
Where the grass was green
And the moon was bright

And you wouldn't believe
But I swear I was there
And we tasted the dew
On the clean night air

No deposit, no return
Knew I had, knew I had to learn

No deposit, no deposit
No return, no, no return
Knew I had, knew I had to learn
So I fell for a country girl

And now I'm running away from the city lights
I'm gonna get out of the smog
I'm going down in the countryside
I might even get me a job

Moving out of this neighborhood
If I have to walk through the wall
Rocking and rolling down the country lanes
Getting away from it all

Now I'm running away from the city lights
I'm gonna get out of the smog
Going down in the countryside
I might even get me a job

I'm moving out of this neighborhood
Doing a daylight flit

Rocking and rolling down the country lanes
'cause Mother Nature told me to quit

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Justin Hayward's song Country Girl tell a story of a person who finds themselves disenchanted with city life and yearning for something different. The repetition of "no deposit, no return" and "knew I had to learn" emphasize the idea that they have made a decision and are committed to it, even if they are unsure of what lies ahead. The singer is drawn to a country girl and falls in love with her in the idyllic surroundings of green grass, moonlight, and clean air.

The first two verses express the need to escape from the smog and neighborhoods of city life, stating that they would "walk through the wall" if necessary. The third verse references the idea of "doing a daylight flit," which means to leave suddenly without paying the rent or bills. This imagines a sense of desperation and urgency, suggesting that leaving the city is not only a yearning but a necessity for the singer. The final verse reflects on the peacefulness and purity of the countryside, as Mother Nature seems to be guiding the singer away from the city and towards a simpler life.

Line by Line Meaning

No deposit, no deposit
I didn't invest anything upfront

No return, no, no return
I know I won't get anything back

Knew I had, knew I had to learn
I knew I had to take a risk and gain some experience

So I fell for a country girl
So I fell in love with a girl from the countryside

Running away from the city lights
I'm escaping the noise and pollution of the city

I'm gonna get out of the smog
I'm going to avoid the harmful fumes in the city air

Going down in the countryside
I'm heading to a quiet and peaceful rural area

I might even get me a job
I could even find work there

Moving out of this neighborhood
I'm leaving this area

If I have to walk through the wall
Even if it's tough, I'll do whatever it takes

Rocking and rolling down the country lanes
I'll enjoy the freedom of driving on quiet country roads