4 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Young Girl Blues Lyrics
It’s Saturday night, it feels like a Sunday in some ways.
If you had any sense, you’d maybe go way for a few days.
Be that as it may, you can’t only say you are lonely.
You are but a young girl working your way through the phonies.
Café on, milk gone,
Such a sad light unfading.
Yourself you touch, but not too much,
You hear it’s degrading.
The flowers on your stockings, wilting away in the midnight.
The book you are reading is one man’s opinion of moonlight.
Your skin is so white, you’d like maybe to go to bed soon.
Just closing your eyes, if you’re to rise up before noon.
High heels, car wheels,
All the losers are groovin’
Your dream, strange scene,
Images are movin’.
Your friends, they are making a popstar or two every evening.
You know that scene backwards, they can’t see the patterns they’re weaving.
Your friends, they are models, but you soon got over that one.
You sit in your one room, a little brought down in London.
Café on, milk gone,
Such a sad light unfading.
Yourself you touch, but not too much,
You’ve heard it’s degrading.
It’s Saturday night, it feels like a Sunday in some ways.
If you had any sense, you’d maybe go way for a few days.
Be that as it may, you can’t only say you are lonely,
You are but a young girl and you’re working your way through the phonies.
If you had any sense, you’d maybe go way for a few days.
Be that as it may, you can’t only say you are lonely.
You are but a young girl working your way through the phonies.
Such a sad light unfading.
Yourself you touch, but not too much,
You hear it’s degrading.
The book you are reading is one man’s opinion of moonlight.
Your skin is so white, you’d like maybe to go to bed soon.
Just closing your eyes, if you’re to rise up before noon.
All the losers are groovin’
Your dream, strange scene,
Images are movin’.
You know that scene backwards, they can’t see the patterns they’re weaving.
Your friends, they are models, but you soon got over that one.
You sit in your one room, a little brought down in London.
Such a sad light unfading.
Yourself you touch, but not too much,
You’ve heard it’s degrading.
If you had any sense, you’d maybe go way for a few days.
Be that as it may, you can’t only say you are lonely,
You are but a young girl and you’re working your way through the phonies.
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Yet another song about Linda Lawrence, who was at this time, I believe, in California (maybe New York) pursuing a modelling career (Brian Jones Jr. back in Britain with her parents) because she wanted to be independent.
P.S. can anyone figure out the chords?
I don't know the actual story behind the song, but there's so much to be interpreted.
To me this song speaks of an empty existence, fueled by drugs and suchlike. When he says "You hear it's degrading" I don't think this means humiliation degrading, more degrading like milk degrading, makes for a lower quality product. Because this girl is thought of (and thinks of herself) as a product, not a human with a soul.
This is my favorite Donovan song ever.
Marianne Faithfull did a cover of this song. and i know she didn't write the lyrics but when she sings this song in first person it's as if he wrote the song for or about her and the scene and the people in the scene that she was surrounded by (sixties london). Marianne became a drug addict living in the streets in the 70's but started to become so in the late 60's.
Yourself you touch, but not too much, You hear it�s degrading.
Your friends, they are making a popstar or two every evening. -the musician scene, where every second person tends to have their 15 minutes of fame. You know that scene backwards, they can�t see the patterns they�re weaving.- Marianne was sick of the scene, noticed the roads that people took during their time in the scene. like a circle/pattern. Your friends, they are models, but you soon got over that one. -the beautiful women, anita pallenberg. Marianne was conscious yet sucked her insecurities up and got over it. You sit in your one room, a little brought down in London. - she was a really lonely person and spent a lot of time in various small london apartments.
I feel that the song is about being a drug addict in a typical musicians scene.
If you have read Marianne's biography 'Faithfull' you will understand this song, utterly and completely.
Great song. According to Donovan's autobiography, "'Young Girl Blues' is [Linda Lawrence's] disillusionment as a model in Los Angeles." So I guess that's settled.
But boy howdy, as Anaivy noted, Marianne Faithfull covered YGB with such a delicate yet bleak knowingness, she made it her own. Donovan might as well have written it for her.
Not without reason, people tend to dismiss Donovan as a hippie minstrel, but he could write with keen insight as well. This is one of his best.
By all means, look up the Marianne Faithfull version.