Album: Harvest (1972)

License This Song 

• Did I see you down in a young girl's town
  With your mother in so much pain?
  I was almost there at the top of the stairs
  With her screamin' in the rain
  
  Did she wake you up to tell you that
  It was only a change of plan?
  Dream up, dream up, let me fill your cup
  With the promise of a man
  
  Did I see you walking with the boys?
  Though it was not hand in hand
  And was some black face in a lonely place
  When you could understand?
  
  Did she wake you up to tell you that
  It was only a change of plan?
  Dream up, dream up, let me fill your cup
  With the promise of a man
  
  Will I see you give more than I can take?
  Will I only harvest some?
  As the days fly past will we lose our grasp
  Or fuse it in the sun?
  
  Did she wake you up to tell you that
  It was only a change of plan?
  Dream up, dream up, let me fill your cup
  With the promise of a man
  
  Dream up, dream up, let me fill your cup
  With the promise of a man Writer/s: Neil Young
  Publisher: Hipgnosis Songs Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 4

• Bruno Yh from Lima, PeruI'm not a big Neil Young fan, in fact i don't like so much the Harvest album, but for some years now, this song has become my favorite. I think it encapsulates a feeling, a moment, a time, a state of mind. Neil Young is right to think it's the best song on Harvest.
  
  P.S. The problem with the Harvest album, in my opinion, is that this song, Heart of Gold, and Out of the Weekend share the same sound, but the rest of the album sounds like something else entirely. If the whole album sounded like those three songs, it would be fantastic.
• Sallyf from IllinoisIf you watch the movie "A Taste of Honey" you will understand the lyrics.
• Laurie Lynn from Midwest UsaWell I could be entirely wrong but I think the song is about young girls gone astray whether with boys mom doesn’t approve of, selling oneself, or even what a good man approves of when searching for a partner. It’s kinda sad really about a young woman’s struggle to meet expectations.
• Fred from Sandiegonice SongDidn't know what the lyrics mean. I l play it on the guitar for years.

More Songfacts:

Ms. JacksonOutKast

The "Ms. Jackson" in the OutKast song is Erykah Badu's mother. Andre 3000 had a child with Badu, and felt she was portraying him as a lousy dad.

HeroinThe Velvet Underground

When the Velvet Underground song "Heroin" got screechy, Maureen Tucker stopped drumming, figuring it would bust the take, but her bandmates kept going. You can hear it at the 5:20 mark.

LightsEllie Goulding

Ellie Goulding's hit song "Lights" is about her fear of the dark, which forces the singer to sleep with the lights on.

Zoot Suit RiotCherry Poppin' Daddies

"Zoot Suit Riot" isn't just a Cherry Poppin' Daddies song - the Zoot Suit Riots were real riots in Los Angeles that took place in 1943 and inspired the song's lyrics.

Pork and BeansWeezer

The video for Weezer's "Pork and Beans" features YouTube stars Chris Crocker, The Chocolate Rain Guy, The "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" Banana, and the Star Wars kid.

Hips Don't LieShakira

"Hips Don't Lie" is Shakira's in-studio mantra for her crew: If her hips are moving, the song is working. If not, best to try something else.

Editor's Picks

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.

90s MetalFact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian OrchestraSongwriter Interviews

Writing great prog metal isn't easy, especially when it's for 60 musicians.