Seals & Crofts was Jim Seals (born James Eugene Seals on 17 October 1941; d… Read Full Bio ↴Seals & Crofts was Jim Seals (born James Eugene Seals on 17 October 1941; died 6 June 2022) and Dash Crofts (born Darrell George Crofts on 14 August 1940), a popular American soft-rock duo in the early 1970s best-known for their hit "Summer Breeze".

Both Seals and Crofts were born in Texas. They first met when Crofts was a drummer for a local band. Later, Seals joined a band called Dean Beard and the Crew Cuts where he played guitar; later on Crofts joined the band. With Beard, they moved to Los Angeles to join The Champs. In 1958, Seals and Crofts toured with The Champs. After the success of their number one Latin rock instrumental hit "Tequila", the pair returned to Los Angeles to work as session musicians.

In 1962, Jimmy Seals, Dash Crofts, Glen Campbell, and Jerry Cole left The Champs to form a band named "Glen Campbell and the GCs" which played at The Crossbow in Van Nuys, CA. The band only lasted a couple of years before the members went their separate ways. Crofts returned to Texas and Seals joined a band named "The Dawnbreakers" (a reference to a book by the same name). Crofts eventually returned to California to join The Dawnbreakers. However, The Dawnbreakers turned out to be unsuccessful. Crofts married fellow Dawnbreaker Billie Lee Day in 1969, and both Seals and Crofts were introduced and converted to the Bahá'í Faith.

After the failure with The Dawnbreakers, the two decided to play as a duo, with Seals on guitar, saxophone and violin, and Crofts on guitar and mandolin. They signed a contract with Talent Associates and released two LPs, which were largely ignored. The pair signed a new contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1971. Their first album with their new label was also unsuccessful, but their second album, Summer Breeze charted at #7 in 1972.

After a long and successful run of recordings in the 1970s, the two lost their contract with Warner Brothers and set aside music for a while. They held a short reunion tour in 1991–1992 and appeared at several Bahá'í gatherings. Crofts lived in Mexico, Australia and then Nashville, playing country music and making occasional hit singles. Seals moved to Costa Rica and has lived on a coffee farm since 1980.

In 2003, Seals and Crofts reunited and recorded a new album, "Traces", for the first time since 1998. They toured during 2004–2005.

In the early 2000s up to 2008, Seals embarked on various tours with his brother Dan ("England" Dan Seals, of England Dan & John Ford Coley), billing themselves as Seals & Seals.

In December 2010, the bandmates' daughters Juliet (Seals) Crossley and Amelia (Crofts) Dailey, along with Genevieve (Bogan) Dozier, daughter of Seals and Crofts engineer Joey Bogan, formed a musical trio called The Humming Birds. They released their self titled EP The Humming Birds in September 2012.

In 2018, Brady Seals (Jim's cousin) and Lua Crofts (Dash's daughter) began touring as Seals and Crofts 2, performing the catalog of Seals and Crofts, as well as some new music.

East of Ginger Trees
Seals & Crofts Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Go east of your dream and farm
Let peace and silence spin your yarn
What harm can befall thee in yon "Wilderness of Clove"

Go on east of ginger trees
Go soft and silent like the breeze
With ease be off and wander in yon "Wilderness of Clove"

Go on past the goldenrods
Where fools and angels lose their odds
And gods of our ancestors
Did immerse themselves in Clove

Go on toward the "Crimson Shore"
Beyond this life of metaphors
Where doors of understanding's house
Decorates He them with Clove

"Be lions roaring in the forests of knowledge

Whales swimming in the oceans of life"
Prepare to meet Bahá'you'lláh in the "Garden of Clove"

Overall Meaning

The song "East of Ginger Trees" by Seals & Crofts is a beautiful ode to exploring the world and finding peace in nature. The opening lines of the song, "Go east of your dream and farm, let peace and silence spin your yarn," suggest that the singer is encouraging the listener to step away from their everyday life and find solace in the wilderness. They suggest that there is no harm that can befall the listener in the "Wilderness of Clove," encouraging them to embrace the unknown and venture out of their comfort zone.

As the song progresses, the singer continues to encourage the listener to explore further and soak in the beauty of nature. They suggest that they should "go on past the goldenrods," where "fools and angels lose their odds." The reference to "Clove" throughout the song suggests a sense of mysticism, as though the singer believes that this wilderness is a sacred and special place. They suggest that even the gods of our ancestors once immersed themselves in Clove, further emphasizing the idea that this is a place of great significance.

The last lines of the song are perhaps the most powerful, with the singer urging the listener to "be lions roaring in the forests of knowledge" and "whales swimming in the oceans of life." They suggest that by embracing this sense of adventure and exploration, the listener will be preparing themselves to meet Bahá'you'lláh in the "Garden of Clove." This final verse suggests that the song has a spiritual undertone, encouraging the listener to find meaning and purpose in their journey through life.

Line by Line Meaning

Go east of your dream and farm
Travel beyond your imagination and comfort zone

Let peace and silence spin your yarn
Experience tranquility and use it to create stories

What harm can befall thee in yon "Wilderness of Clove"
There is no danger in exploring unfamiliar territory

Go on east of ginger trees
Continue to journey through new and unknown terrain

Go soft and silent like the breeze
Remain calm and peaceful throughout your travels

With ease be off and wander in yon "Wilderness of Clove"
Travel without difficulty through the unfamiliarity of the 'Wilderness of Clove'

Go on past the goldenrods
Move beyond the familiar and into the unknown

Where fools and angels lose their odds
Where everyone, regardless of their nature, is uncertain

And gods of our ancestors
The deities worshipped by those before us

Did immerse themselves in Clove
Embraced the unknown and allowed themselves to experience the new and different

Go on toward the "Crimson Shore"
Journey towards the uncertain future