Buckley often regarded his tenor voice as an instrument, a talent most noticeable on his albums Happy Sad, Lorca, and Starsailor. His first marriage was to Mary Guibert, with whom he had a child, musician Jeff Buckley. They divorced in 1968 and after this Buckley would meet with his son only once more. Buckley married second wife Judy Brejot Sutcliffe in 1970 and adopted her son, Taylor.
Born in Washington DC, Buckley,an Irish-American, lived for 10 years in Amsterdam, New York, before moving to southern California, initially to Bell Gardens and later settling in Anaheim in 1965. His experiences with music were through his family, artists such as Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland being particular favorites in the household. During his childhood, Buckley was a fan of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Nat King Cole and Miles Davis, although country music was his foremost passion. Reflecting this, at the age of 11 Buckley learned how to play the banjo, an instrument which his mother had bought to occupy him following a bout of mumps. He attended Loara High School in Anaheim, California, and, amongst others, made friends with Don Gordon, Larry Beckett, Jim Fielder (original member of Blood, Sweat & Tears) and future wife, Mary Guibert. He was an accomplished high school athlete, becoming a quarterback for the school team in addition to getting a place on the baseball team. During this period playing as quarterback, Buckley broke the first two fingers on his left hand but they never fully returned to normal and made guitar playing more difficult. At the age of 15, Buckley abandoned the banjo and moved on to the guitar, playing with Princess Ramona & The Cherokee Riders, a country and western band. However, the lead singer saw Buckley was uninterested and instead suggested he apply himself to the emerging 1960's folk scene.
Buckley's career began with his 1966 debut Tim Buckley, its mix of pop and folk rock drawing on popular influences of the time. His popularity peaked with second album Goodbye and Hello, a more mature record with avant-garde influences and political sentiments. In the three years that followed Buckley was at his most prolific and experimental, producing four albums of varying styles. Happy Sad and Blue Afternoon showed Buckley's folk roots while Lorca veered to more avant-garde styles. The final album of this period, Starsailor, is a mix of jazz, funk and avant-garde styles, representing his continual evolution in genre. This period, while garnering some critical success, proved disastrous for his record sales as the disparity of his styles caused his fan-base to all but disappear.
Following this Buckley changed genres again, with 1972 release Greetings from L.A., which incorporated the funk, rhythm and blues and soul sounds of the early 1970s in to his music. However, this release and the following album Sefronia did not match up to the success of his previous work. In 1974, having alienated much of his fan-base and squandered money made at his peak, Buckley released Look at the Fool, which was neither well received by the public nor the majority of critics. By this point Buckley had grown disillusioned with the music industry and his drug abuse of the past seven years had affected him.
In spite of this, in early 1975, desperate for musical recognition and an escape from poverty and obscurity, Buckley dropped his drug dependencies and engaged the musical press regarding a live album comeback. Buckley began performing material drawn from his whole career as a response to the desires of his audience, desires he had always spurned in the past. However, Buckley relapsed and on June 28, 1975, he overdosed on heroin. His wife Judy, having earlier put him in bed, was unable to rouse him and paramedics pronounced him dead on arrival. He was 28 years old and was survived by his wife and adopted son Taylor, and his biological son, Jeff (who also died at a young age).
Sally Go 'round the Roses
Tim Buckley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sally go round the roses
Sally go round the roses
Sally go round the roses
Oh, Sally don't you go down
Oh, Sally don't you go down
Is to find your baby been laying with another girl
Sally, don't you do down, honey
Aw, Sally don't you go down town
Well, I'm going down town, Lord, I'm drinkin' tonight
I'm goin' down town, gonna be dancin' tonight
I'm goin down town, gonna drink myself blind
I'm goin' down town, I gotta keep that mood high
It's been a long time since I've had my way
It's been a long time since I've had my way at all
I want to do that drunken belly rub
I want to sing that jukebox melody
Now sally, don't you go down
I want to stroll like we used to stroll
Way back home in Baltimore
Singing, Sally go round the roses
Sally go round the roses
Sally go round the roses
Sally go round the roses
Sally, don't you go down
Oh, baby don't you go down town
The saddest thing in this whole wide world
To find your baby been laying with another girl
Sally, don't you go down
Oh, darlin', don't you go down town
I'm singin', Sally go round the roses
I'm singin', Sally go round the roses
I'm singin', Sally go round the roses
I'm singin', Sally go round the roses
I'm singin', Sally go it around
Sally go it around
Sally go it around
Sally go it around
The roses, roses
Sally going round the roses
The lyrics of Tim Buckley's song "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" tell a story of a man pleading with his lover Sally not to cheat on him with another woman. The repeated lines of "Sally go round the roses" are actually a reference to a children's game that was popular in the 1950s and 60s. The game consisted of girls holding hands in a circle and singing "Sally go round the roses" while spinning around. The song's narrator seems to be using the playful image of the game to contrast with the darker subject matter of infidelity and heartbreak.
The verse "Oh, Sally don't you go down" is repeated several times throughout the song, and it can be interpreted in a few different ways. It could be seen as a direct plea to Sally not to cheat, or it could be interpreted as a more general warning to anyone tempted to stray. The line "I want to do that drunken belly rub" is an example of the song's playful tone, as is the reference to a "jukebox melody." The singer is trying to recapture the fun and carefree times he used to have with Sally and wants to keep their relationship from turning dark and complicated.
Overall, Tim Buckley's "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" is a song about temptation, infidelity, and the fear of losing someone you love. It manages to combine a playful, almost childlike melody with lyrics that are full of emotion and depth.
Line by Line Meaning
Sally go round the roses
Repeating this line emphasizes the idea of Sally moving in circles or cycles.
Oh, Sally don't you go down
The singer is pleading with Sally not to descend into sadness or depression.
The saddest thing in this whole wide world
Is to find your baby been laying with another girl
Discovering that your partner has cheated on you is one of the most painful experiences in life.
Sally, don't you do down, honey
Aw, Sally don't you go down town
Again, the artist urges Sally not to succumb to negative emotions and to avoid going to a place that could exacerbate those feelings.
Well, I'm going down town, Lord, I'm drinkin' tonight
I'm goin' down town, gonna be dancin' tonight
I'm goin down town, gonna drink myself blind
I'm goin' down town, I gotta keep that mood high
The artist is admitting that they are going out to drink and dance in order to escape their problems and maintain a positive outlook.
It's been a long time since I've had my way
It's been a long time since I've had my way at all
The singer has likely faced challenges or felt powerless for an extended period of time.
I want to do that drunken belly rub
I want to sing that jukebox melody
Now sally, don't you go down
I want to stroll like we used to stroll
Way back home in Baltimore
The singer longs for a time when they were carefree and had fun with Sally, and is trying to relive those moments in their own way.
Singing, Sally go round the roses
Sally go round the roses
Sally go round the roses
Sally go round the roses
Once again, the chorus repeats to reinforce the cyclical nature of Sally's life.
Oh, baby don't you go down town
I'm singin', Sally go round the roses
I'm singin', Sally go round the roses
I'm singin', Sally go round the roses
I'm singin', Sally go it around
Sally go it around
Sally go it around
Sally go it around
The roses, roses
Sally going round the roses
The artist reiterates their desire for Sally to avoid negative influences and maintain a positive attitude, while also continuing to sing about the cyclical nature of life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Abner Spector, Lona Stevens, Zell Sanders
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BuddyHelm
We recorded this at the Starwood in L.A. mid seventies. I'm on the drumset. Thanks for posting this. I had no idea there was video.
@eduardomota2429
Amazing !
Here in Brazil Tim is a cult hero.
@guruleinii
@Eduardo Mota You Brazilians got it going on compared to us Germans, culturally speaking..
@foxandscout
Those were the days. I had a teenage crush on Tim but only saw him 3 times Max’s Kansas City and Schaefer in Central Park twice: were you there?
I saw Jeff more than a dozen and we shared a beer a few times.
@patriciasoebagio1035
(Russell Buddy Helm) ~Wow! I was so extremely lucky to have seen Tim Buckley perform this song, "Sally Go Round the Roses"~ sometime in the very late 60's or early 70's in Victoria BC ~& it was a transforming experience Maybe you were playing that evening, i wonder? It was at the MacPherson Playhouse, I'm pretty sure
@BuddyHelm
@Patricia Soebagio Those were fun gigs. Beautiful Island.
@gabriellaklein8898
This is such an imaginative and daring interpretation of this haunting song from The Jaynettes. He lives the music so deeply, with passion and amazing control of his rich voice. I am so glad to have found this. Thank you.
@carolanndowding8558
I’m 74 years old and only discovered Tim this week (24/06/2022) Tim would be 75 years old if he hadn’t passed so young. I’m in love. Yes - oldies have feelings too !
@hanshan12
My God, even after 20 years of searching for rare Tim, new things can be found.
@leeflea2874
Do u have any idea which concert this is from? Its not Starwood 75 as the conversation/introduction is different