This, That, and the Other

For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday, Jim Adams has given us “above,” “below,” and “between” for our theme. My choice for this week comes from way down below the ocean. It’s “Atlantis” by Donovan.

“Atlantis” was written and recorded by Scottish singer/songwriter Donovan Leitch. Released as a single in 1968, it became a worldwide hit. The song was not deemed likely to be a hit in the U.S. because of its length and the fact that the first third of the song is spoken prose and was, therefore, not “radio-friendly,” which is why it was demoted to B-side status to “To Susan on the West Coast, Waiting.” However, the song was quite successful, reaching number 7 on the Billboard charts, and it became an anthem of the hippie movement. Interestingly, the only sung line in the song are Way down below the ocean where I wanna be she may be.

The song begins as a long narrative poem in which Donovan tells of the legendary island of Atlantis. Exotic and mythological images were on the minds of many hippies in the ’60s, and Atlantis was the symbol of the conterculture moment with the hope that, if true love is found, Atlantis will be reached.

Here are the lyrics to “Atlantis.”

The continent of Atlantis was an island
Which lay before the great flood
In the area we now call the Atlantic Ocean.
So great an area of land,
That from her western shores
Those beautiful sailors journeyed
To the South and the North Americas with ease,
In their ships with painted sails.
To the East Africa was a neighbour, 
Across a short strait of sea miles. 
The great Egyptian age is 

But a remnant of The Atlantian culture.
The antediluvian kings colonised the world
All the Gods who play in the mythological dramas
In all legends from all lands were from far Atlantis.

Knowing her fate,
Atlantis sent out ships to all corners of the Earth.
On board were the Twelve: 

The poet, the physician, The farmer, the scientist,
The magician and the other so-called Gods of our legends.
Though Gods they were –
And as the elders of our time choose to remain blind 
Let us rejoice 
And let us sing 
And dance and ring in the new Hail Atlantis!

Way down below the ocean where I wanna be she may be,
Way down below the ocean where I wanna be she may be,
Way down below the ocean where I wanna be she may be.
Way down below the ocean where I wanna be she may be,
Way down below the ocean where I wanna be she may be.
My antediluvian baby, oh yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah,
I wanna see you some day
My antediluvian baby, oh yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah,
My antediluvian baby, 
My antediluvian baby, I love you, girl,
Girl, I wanna see you some day. 
My antediluvian baby, oh yeah
I wanna see you some day, oh My antediluvian baby.
My antediluvian baby, I wanna see you
My antediluvian baby, gotta tell me where she gone
I wanna see you some day Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up,
oh yeah Oh club club, down down, yeah
My antediluvian baby, oh yeah yeah yeah yeah