Carole King - Wasn't Born To Follow Lyrics






Oh, I'd rather go and journey where the
Diamond crescent's flowing
And run across the valley
Beneath the sacred mountain
And wander through the forest
Where the trees have leaves of prisms
That break the light up into colors
That no one knows the names of

And when it's time I'll go and wait
Beside the legendary fountain
Till I see your form reflected
In its clear and jeweled waters
And if you think I'm ready
You may lead me to the chasm
Where the rivers of our visions
Flow into one another

And I'll stay awhile and wonder
At the mist that they've created
And lose myself within it
Cleanse my mind and body
And I know at that moment
As I stand in that cathedral
I will want to dive
Beneath the white cascading water

She may beg and she may plead
And she may argue with your logic
Mention all the things I'll lose
That really have no value
Though I doubt that she will ever
Come to understand my meaning
In the end she'll surely know
I wasn't born to follow





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Carole King Wasn't Born To Follow Comments
  1. P.... L....

    Too fast. The version by The City is way better.

  2. J.... W....

    Always liked the Byrds version, but really like the monkees 2016 version with Peter Tork on vocals and banjo.

  3. T.... T....

    Seems like I live to champion the underdog...yes Carole King wrote this...WITH GERRY GOFFIN. Gerry was the lyricist of the team. All of those huge hit songs that they wrote for everyone else...were Gerry's stories and dreams. Carole is a wonderful artist and songwriter and she made her big mark as that long after these songs were written, making her name a household word....but the songs they wrote together, please let us not forget the lyrical genius of Gerry Goffin. Without the lyrics, we wouldn't even be talking about this song.

  4. J.... L....

    It was written by two people, but Carole gets the credit

  5. L.... J....

    I had to listen to this twice because it was a shock to my senses. Very different arrangement from what I was used to by the Byrds. It took a double shot to realize that I totally love it, Blue Grass spin and all.
    Salud (respect) to Carole King, maker of music

  6. A.... ....

    ❤️❤️❤️

  7. i.... ....

    I don't mind the folky banjo, and I love her singing. But I think my 60's sympathies lie with the psychedelic version.  

    Wasn't psychedelia born of a collision between folk and electronic? Come to think of it, why don't psychedelic bands use banjo? Jerry Garcia used pedal steel in 'The Wheel', and you'd hardly guess it was ever only a country-western instrument.

    i.... ....

    *The* *Byrds* use Country and Bluegrass instrumentation quite a bit , especially from 'Notorious Byrd Brothers' and onward . Red Rhodes plays pedal steel on 'Notorious...' ; and , Clarence White plays a bluegrass 'flat-picking' on the same album (and other Byrds albums , 1967 and onward ). That was prior to the innovative 'String-Bender' Telecaster which Gene Parsons designed and built for White .
    Check out the Flying Burrito Brothers 'Gilded Palace of Sin' ; "Sneaky" Pete plays a pedal steel through a Leslie speaker .

  8. T.... S....

    Check out Dusty's version!

  9. P.... D....

    People saying Carol King wrote the song. Nope. Geoffin wrote the lyrics, which is about 90% of the greatness of the song.

    P.... D....

    you know nada bout songwriting... fou

  10. P.... R....

    Check out the Monkees version

  11. P.... R....

    Check out the peter Tork version

  12. B.... C....

    Carole's husband from '59 to '69 , Gerry Goffin wrote the lyrics , she the music as was often the case .A great team .

    B.... C....

    Thank you!

  13. C.... D....

    Monkees version is great

  14. S.... o....

    Credit where credit is due, she is a very talented lady. If I heard her version on the radio ,I would have not recognized it. The Byrds version is burnt into our minds and that is not a bad thing.

  15. g.... d....

    so who cares which one is the best version

  16. Y.... Z....

    Sparkling and intricate. I too was a Byrds fan, exclusively. However, I play this song on my guitar and sing. I think Carole's version is more interesting. It will give me some more depth to my interpretation. But back to the Byrds now. The Inimitable Byrds.

  17. D.... L....

    Peter Tork did a much, much better cover of this song.

  18. B.... A....

    I am listening to a day of Brill Building Songs on WXPN on line. They played the Byrds version and I could not understand why. I did not think Roger McGuinn was an alumnus. Looked it up and found out Carole King wrote it. Simply amazing. Without a doubt the most prolific songwriter of all time

  19. F.... M....

    As most of the folks here, including me, prefer The Byrds' version. I also didn't know it was written by Carole King. Great writing, but, thankfully, sung so much better by the Byrds. The arrangement is way better, as well as the instruments in The Byrds' rendition of this. They just give it so much more melody and, as someone said, theirs is way catchier. Right fr the start, their instruments suck you in. Carole King.....Thank you for writing this. And for having the good sense to let it go. That's the confidence of a true artict!

    F.... M....

    thats because McGuinn is the best interpreter of songs, ever....Dylan, Carole King etc. he was able to make the songs work as they were "intended" to be heard in my opinion...

    F.... M....

    The Lemon Pipers' version is even better than the Byrds' version, IMO.

    F.... M....

    ever listened to the Lemon pipers version

    F.... M....

    Just posted a comment saying the Byrds arrangement is way better hahaha, I am going to delete it! I had not read yours....

  20. A.... J....

    First time I've heard this all the way through - I had no idea it was written by Goffin and King. And I agree with SunshineInWoods, The Byrds' version is much catchier and better arranged, but boy, I do love that banjo on the original.

  21. N.... H....

    Byrds way better than this

  22. F.... T....

    WOW! Carole King wrote this! I prefer the Byrds version, but thank you, Carole.

  23. A.... T....

    Now my favourite version is Peter Tork's.

    A.... T....

    I absolutely agree.

  24. t.... ....

    everyone,s forgotten, that this is how it was written by...yup the writer, & is how it was originally to be heard, if someone picks it up from the table to perform, its done to they,re style, thats to be said for all original songs,. there,s only one Carole & yup she,s King....

  25. T.... T....

    sorry it's terrible.

    T.... T....

    well the fact that she did it about 12 years after she wrote and I think it's a big difference in 1980 and she done it more folk style of the day like the byrds did it might have been pretty damn cool

  26. t.... ....

    its too much,...go carol go......

  27. R.... A....

    wow, always thought this penned by the byrds - adds all the more to Carole's legend, bravo.

  28. M.... H....

    Excellent banjo work!!! The instrument of choice in heaven!

    M.... H....

    +Michael Hackbarth

    Amen to that!

  29. C.... ....

    King is a giant

  30. M.... B....

    There was no shortage of rubbish about then - but yes probably more jewels

  31. t.... ....

    I had no idea they wrote this song.The Byrds did it and it was in the movie Easy Rider.

    t.... ....

    @SunshineInWoods yes I do agree. I actually take it back -- they are both very different, both amazing and something today's music is missing

    t.... ....

    +tippimail1 Yeah, all the songs on Easy Rider were cool. I like this song, on Easy Rider. Much springier version.

    t.... ....

    The Byrds own this! Sorry, the banjo is the only good thing about this version.

    t.... ....

    I see the improvement, but my main problem is still how the vocals are much less catchy than The Byrds' version.

    t.... ....

    i prefer The Monkees version with Peter Tork singing most of all.