The Byrds (69,78 %)

Greatest Hits (90,53 %)

In collection

The Byrds - Greatest Hits
Released: 1967-08-07
Type: Compilation
1.
Mr. Tambourine Man
02:20
2.
I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better
02:33
3.
The Bells of Rhymney
03:31
4.
Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
03:36
5.
All I Really Want to Do
02:04
6.
Chimes of Freedom
03:52
7.
Eight Miles High
03:36
8.
Mr. Spaceman
02:10
9.
5D (Fifth Dimension)
02:34
10.
So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star
02:06
11.
My Back Pages
03:06
 
Album length:
31:28

Lyrics

1.
Mr. Tambourine Man
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Though I know that evenin's empire has returned into sand,
Vanished from my hand,
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping.
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet,
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship,
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip,
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'.
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way,
I promise to go under it.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Though you might hear laughin', spinnin', swingin' madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin'.
And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind,
I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're
Seein' that he's chasing.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind,
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
2.
I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better
The reason why I can't say
Gotta let you go babe and right away
After what you did I can't stay on
And I'll probably feel a whole lot better when you're gone

Baby for a long time you had me believe
You said your love was all mine and that's the way it would be
I didn't know that you were putting me on
And I'll probably feel a whole lot better when you're gone
Oh when you're gone

I got to say that it's not like before
And I'm not gonna play your game anymore
After what you did I can't stay on
And I'll probably feel a whole lot better when you're gone
Oh when you're gone
Oh when you're gone
Oh when you're gone
3.
The Bells of Rhymney
Oh what will you give me say the sad bells of Rhymney
Is there hope for the future say the brown bells of Merthyr

Who made the mine owner say the black bells of Rhonda
And who killed the miner say the grim bells of Blaina

Throw the vandels in court say the bells of Newport
All would be well if if if if cry the green bells of Cardiff

Why so worried sisters why sang the silver bells of Wye
And what will you give me say the sad bells of Rhymney

Oh what will you give me say the sad bells of Rhymney
Is there hope for the future say the brown bells of Merthyr

Who made the mine owner say the black bells of Rhonda
And who killed the miner say the grim bells of Blaina
4.
Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
To every thing, turn, turn, turn,
There is a season, turn, turn,turn,
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything, turn, turn, turn,
There is a season, turn, turn, turn,
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything, turn, turn, turn,
There is a season, turn, turn, turn,
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything, turn, turn, turn,
There is a season, turn, turn, turn,
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
5.
All I Really Want to Do
I ain't lookin' to compete with you
Beat or cheat or mistreat you
Simplify you, classify you
Deny, defy or crucify you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

No, and I ain't lookin' to fight with you
Frighten you or uptighten you
Drag you down or drain you down
Chain you down or bring you down
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I ain't lookin' to block you up
Shock or knock or lock you up
Analyze you, categorize you
Finalize you or advertise you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to straight-face you
Race or chase you, track or trace you
Or disgrace you or displace you
Or define you or confine you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to meet your kin
Make you spin or do you in
Or select you or dissect you
Or inspect you or reject you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to fake you out
Take or shake or forsake you out
I ain't lookin' for you to feel like me
See like me or be like me
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
6.
Chimes of Freedom
Far between sundown's finish an' midnight's broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway as thunder went crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees of the unarmed road of flight
An' for each an' ev'ry underdog soldier in the night
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Through the city's melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden as the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin' rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an' forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin' constantly at stake
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
And the poet and the painter far behind his rightful time
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

In the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales
For the disrobed faceless forms of no position
Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts
All down in taken-for-granted situations
Tolling for the deaf an' blind, tolling for the mute
and the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chained an' cheated by pursuit
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Even though a cloud's white curtain in a far-off comer flashed
An' the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting
Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail
For the lonesome hearted lovers with to personal a tale
And for each unharmful gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Starry-eyed and laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an' we watched with one last look
Spellbound an' swallowed 'til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an' worse
An' for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
7.
Eight Miles High
Eight miles high and when you touch down
You'll find that it's stranger than known
Signs in the street that say where you're going
Are somewhere just being their own

Nowhere is there warmth to be found
Among those afraid of losing their ground
Rain gray town known for its sound
In places small faces unbound

Round the squares huddled in storms
Some laughing some just shapeless forms
Sidewalk scenes and black limousines
Some living, some standing alone
8.
Mr. Spaceman
Woke up this morning with light in my eyes
and then realized it was still dark outside
It was a light comin'down from the sky
I don't know who or why

Must be those strangers that come every night
Whose saucers shaped light put people up tight
Leave blue green footprints that glow in the dark
I hope they get home all right

Hey Mr. Spaceman, won't you please take me along
I won't do anything wrong
Hey Mr. Spaceman, won't you please take me along for a ride

Woke up this mornin', I was feeling quite weird
Had flies in my beer, my tooth paste was smeared
I opened my window, they'd written my name
said: "So long, we'll see you again".

Hey Mr. Spaceman, won't you please take me along
I won't do anything wrong
Hey Mr. Spaceman, won't you please take me along for a ride

Hey Mr. Spaceman, won't you please take me along
I won't do anything wrong
Hey Mr. Spaceman, won't you please take me along for a ride
9.
5D (Fifth Dimension)
Oh how is it that I could come out to here and be still floating
And never hit bottom and keep falling through
Just relaxed and paying attention

All my two dimensional boundaries were gone I had lost to them badly
I saw the world crumble and thought I was dead
But I found my senses still working

And as I continued to drop thru the hole
I found all the surrounding
Who showed me the joy that innocently is
Just be quiet and feel it around you

And I opened my heart to the whole universe and I found it was loving
And I saw the great blunder my teacher's had made
Scientific delirium madness

I will keep falling as long as I live
All without ending
And I will remember the place that is now
That has ended before the beginning

Oh how is it that I could come out to here and be still floating
And never hit bottom and keep falling through
Just relaxed and paying attention
10.
So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star
So you you want to be a rock 'n' roll star
then listen now to what I say
Just get an electric guitar
and take some time and learn how to play
And when your hair's combed right and your pants fit tight
it's gonna be all right

Then it's time to go down town
where the agent men won't let you down
Sell your soul to the company
who are waiting there to sell plastic ware
And in a week or two if you make the charts
the girls'll tear you apart

The price you pay for your riches and fame
Was it all a strange game
You're a little insane
The money that came and the public acclaim
Don't forget what you are
You're a rock 'n' roll star
11.
My Back Pages
Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin' high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I
Proud 'neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

Half-cracked prejudice leaped forth
"Rip down all hate," I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull, I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

Girls' faces formed the forward path
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpse evangelists
Unthought of, thought, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

A self-ordained professor's tongue
Too serious to fool
Spouted out that liberty
Is just equality in school
"Equality," I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My existence led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.