Their music bridged the gaps between the socially and spiritually conscious folk music of Bob Dylan, the studio trickery of The Beach Boys, and the sardonic rock of The Beatles. Some of their trademark songs include pop versions of Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man and Pete Seeger’s Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season), and the originals I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, and Eight Miles High. Throughout their career they helped forge such subgenres as folk rock, raga rock, psychedelic rock, jangle pop, and – on their 1968 classic Sweetheart of the Rodeo – country rock inviting Gram Parsons on rhythm guitar.
The original and most successful lineup consisted of Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Michael Clarke, Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark. After several line-up changes (with lead singer/guitarist McGuinn as the only consistent member), they broke up in 1973.
In 1991 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and several band members launched successful solo careers after leaving the group. The most successful was David Crosby who was inducted again for his work with Crosby, Stills & Nash. Other than The Beatles, the only artist with all members inducted twice are, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Mind Gardens
The Byrds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Green and blossomin' round against the sea
And there the sun came and the rain pourin' down
Garden grew and flourished and splattered bits of color on the ground
And it took shape and symmetry and all of life around
But there came winds driven and howling
There came snow and I feared for the garden
So I built a wall and I built another and roofed it over thick and strong
The killing cold could not get in
But when the sun came and the gentle rain of spring
They could not reach the garden behind those walls
It would have died, safely, securely, died
But as I longed and as I learned I tore the walls all down
The garden still lives
The Byrds' song Mind Gardens is a poetic and metaphorical description of the human mind and its capacity for growth and creativity. The song begins with a description of a beautiful garden on a high hill that is flourishing with life and color, but is threatened by the harsh winds and snow of winter. To protect the garden, the singer builds walls and roofs around it, shielding it from harm.
However, the walls also trap the garden behind them, preventing it from receiving the life-giving sunlight and rain that it needs to survive. The singer comes to realize that the walls are preventing the garden from truly thriving and growing, and so he tears them down, allowing the garden to continue to live and flourish.
The metaphor of the garden represents the human mind, which can be protected and sheltered from harm but must also be allowed to receive new experiences and ideas in order to continue to grow and develop. The song encourages listeners to embrace change and to remain open to new possibilities in order to fully explore the vast potential of the mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time there was a garden on a high hill
In the beginning, there was a garden on a mountain peak
Green and blossomin' round against the sea
The garden was vibrant and nestled near the ocean
And there the sun came and the rain pourin' down
The sun shone and the rain nourished the garden
Garden grew and flourished and splattered bits of color on the ground
The garden thrived and vibrant colors covered the earth beneath it
And it took shape and symmetry and all of life around
The garden took on pattern and structure which was mirrored all around it
But there came winds driven and howling
Suddenly, fierce winds howled and blew
There came snow and I feared for the garden
The snow came and I worried for the safety and health of the garden
So I built a wall and I built another and roofed it over thick and strong
I constructed thick, strong walls around the garden with a sturdy roof on the top
And kept it from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
I safeguarded the garden from the harsh, unpredictable whims of fate
The killing cold could not get in
The deadly cold air was prevented from entering the garden
But when the sun came and the gentle rain of spring
However, when spring showers and gentle sunshine arrived
They could not reach the garden behind those walls
They were unable to penetrate the walls of the garden
It would have died, safely, securely, died
The garden would have perished, held captive by its safe confines
But as I longed and as I learned I tore the walls all down
Yet after much yearning and learning, I dismantled the walls of the garden
The garden still lives
And despite the danger and the risks, the garden perseveres
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVID VAN CORTLANDT CROSBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@712dal
I have (and will continue to) defended this song......it was NEVER as bad as the critics made it out to be.....it is experimential, psychedelic, and actually has profound lyrics.....it fit with the times and is still relevant today
@asterixe1
When one critic or YouTube comment says something, all others follow. People are immature lemmings. Even for people who don't like this experimental psychedelic sound, it can't be that bad. I think this song is cool.
@Vitally14
I’ve loved this song for so long until one day I decided to look up more information on it and discovered the hate. I was shocked because this is my favorite Byrds song!
@surfwriter8461
It was a noble attempt, and mostly successful, at a more creative and challenging musical performance and lyrics. I don't know what critics you're referring to, but I take all that with a grain of salt. Sometimes, they have a point, and sometimes they're in a herd mentality of agreeing to like or dislike something that doesn't deserve their unanimous view.
@henkhor-pi5bm
It is about taste and I like this number on the album and what other people think about it is their opinion . Many people do what other people think or do but has nothing to do with taste only with following like lemmings , what also an in truth story is .
@frizzlefrap
There ain''t no way in hell you can think this song is good -------- Sounds like he's doin' some serious TRIPPIN so you must have done the same in the days this came out !
@Quicksilverfan69
I love this song, and will continue to defend it. Its experimental psychedelia to me fits the lyrics, and it is one of the better songs from the Younger Than Yesterday album (there, I said it).
@martinkent333
More than than hemorrhoids!
@andyloren442
David Crosby was ahead of it's time , specially with this song,RIP a truly genius
@chicobeat
The garden... still lives. Rest in peace, David Crosby. 😢