The Byrds

Released: November 10, 1969

Songwriter: Bob Dylan

Producer: Terry Melcher

You better leave now, take what you need, you think will last
But if there's something you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun
Crying like a fire in the sun
Look out for the saints are coming through
And it's all over now
It's all over now
It's all over now, baby blue

The highway is for gamblers, you better use your sense
Take what you have gathered from coincidence
The empty-handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
The sky, too, is folding under you
And it's all over now
It's all over now
It's all over now, baby blue

All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
All your reindeer armies, they are going home
Your lover who just walked out the door
Has taken all your blankets from the floor
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it's all over now
It's all over now
It's all over now, baby blue

The Byrds /ˈbɜrdz/ were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole consistent member, until the group disbanded in 1973. Initially, they pioneered the musical genre of folk rock, melding the influence of the Beatles and other British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music. As the 1960s progressed, the band was also influential in originating psychedelic rock, raga rock, and country rock.

The band’s signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn’s jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar has continued to be influential on popular music up to the present day. Among the band’s most enduring songs are their cover versions of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and Pete Seeger’s “Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)”, along with the self-penned originals, “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better”, “Eight Miles High”, “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”, “Ballad of Easy Rider” and “Chestnut Mare”.

The original five-piece line-up of the Byrds consisted of Jim McGuinn (lead guitar, vocals), Gene Clark (tambourine, vocals), David Crosby (rhythm guitar, vocals), Chris Hillman (bass guitar, vocals), and Michael Clarke (drums). However, this version of the band was relatively short-lived. The Byrds' final album was released in March 1973, with the reunited group disbanding soon afterwards. Several former members of the band went on to successful careers of their own, either as solo artists or as members of such groups as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Desert Rose Band.

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Ballad of Easy Rider

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Ballad of Easy Rider (1969)

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It’s All Over Now, Baby BlueThe Byrds

The Byrds

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