Epistle To Derroll
Donovan

Come all ye starry starfish
Living in the deep blue sea
Crawl to me i have proposition to make thee
Would you walk the north sea floor
To Belgium from England
Bring me word of a banjo man
With a tattoo on his hand.

The spokesman of the starfish
Spoke as spokesman should
If'n you met our fee then
Certainly we would,
If you cast a looking-glass
Upon the scallopped sand
You'll have word o' this banjo man
With a tattoo on his hand.

Come ye starry starfish
I know your ways are caped
Maybe it's because your astrologically shaped,
Converse with the herring shoals
As I know you can
Bring me word o' the banjo man
With a tattoo on his hand.

The eldest of the starfish
Spoke, after a sigh,
Youthfull as you are young man
You have a 'Wisdom Eye';
Surely you must know a looking-glass
Is made from sand?
These youngfish are fooling you
About this banjo man.



Come then aged starfish
Riddle me no more,
For news I am weary
And my heart is sore;
All on the silent seashore,
Help me if you can,
Tell to me if you know
Of this banjo man.

All through the seven oceans
I am a star, most famed,
Many 'leggys' have I lost
And many have I gained,
Strange to say quite recently
I've been to FlemiSH Land
And if you are courteous
I'll tell you all I can.

You have my full attention
I answered him with glee,
His brother stars were twinkling
In the sky above the sea
So I sat there with rapt
Attention, on the sand,
Very anxious for to hear
Of the banjo man.

I have seen this tattooed hand
Through a ship port-hole,
Steaming on the watery main
Through the waves so cold,
Heard his tinkling banjo and
His voice so grand
But you must come to Belgium
To shake his tattooed hand.

Gladly would I come oh
Gladly would I go,
Had I not my work to do
And my face to show,
I rejoice to know he's well
But I must go inland,
Thank you for the words you brought
Of the banjo man.

I walked along the evening sand
As charcoal clouds did shift
Revealing the moon shining
On the pebble drift
Contemplating every other word
The starfish said
Whistly winds they filled my dreams
In my dreaming bed.


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Lyrics by Donovan

  8 Little Fishes   A Funny Man   A Sunny Day   A Well Known Has-been   Age Of Treason   Age Of Treason - Previously Unreleased   Appearances   As I Recall It   Astral Angel   Atlantis   Atlantis [*]   Atlantis [Album Version]   Aye My Love   Ballad Of A Crystal Man   Ballad Of A Crystal Man (Version I)   Ballad Of Geraldine   Barabajagal   Barabajagal (Love Is Hot) [with The Jeff Beck Grou...   Barabajagal [*]   Be Mine   Belated Forgiveness Plea   Bert's Blues   Bert's Blues   Black Widow   Bleak City Woman   Boy For Every Girl   Brave New World   Breezes Of Patchulie   Breezes of Patchulie [*]   Brother Sun, Sister Moon   Bye, Bye Girl   Can Ye Dance   Candy Man   Car Car   Car Car (Riding In My Car)   Catch The Wind   Catch The Wind (Album Version Without Strings)   Catch The Wind (single version)   Catch The Wind (Version Iii)   Catch the Wind [*]   Catch the Wind [Album Version Without Strings]   Celeste   Celia Of The Seals   Celtic Rock   Changes   Children Of The World   Circus Of Sour   Clara Clairvoyant   Codine   Colours   Colours (Version Iii)   Colours [*]   Colours [Album Version Without Harmonica]   Colours [Mono Version]   Colours [Multimedia Track]   Colours [Original Single Version With Harmonica on...   Colours [Original Single Version]   Cosmic Wheels   Coulter's Candy   Coulter's Candy   Cryin' Shame   Cryin' Shame   Cryin’ Shame   Curry Land   cuttin' out   Cuttin' Out   Dare To Be Different   Dark-Eyed Blue Jean Angel   Deep Peace   Dignity Of Man   Divine Daze Of Deathless Delight   Do You Hear Me Now   do you hear me now?   Dona, Dona   Donna Donna   donna, donna   Donovan   Earth Sign Man   Eldorado   epistle for derroll   Epistle To Dippy   Epistle to Dippy [*]   Epistle to Dippy [Alternative Arrangement][#][*]   Everlasting Sea   Every Man Has His Chain   Every Man Has His Chain [*]   Ferris Wheel   Fishes In Love   Forever Your Love   Get Thy Bearings   Give It All Up   Gold Watch Blues   Goldwatch Blues   Goo Goo Barabajagal   Guinevere   Hampstead Incident   Hamstead Incident   Happiness Runs   Henry Martin   Hey Gyp   Hey Gyp (dig The Slowness)   Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness) [*]   Hi It's Been A Long Time   Hi It's Been A Long Time   High Your Love   Homesickness   House Of Jansch   How Silly   Hurdy Gurdy Man   I Like You   I Like You - Single Version   I Love My Shirt   I Love You Baby   In An Old Fashioned Picture Book   In An Old-Fashioned Picture Book   Isle Of Islay   Jabberwocky   Jennifer Juniper   Jennifer Juniper (Versione Italiana)   Jersey Thursday   Joe Bean's Theme   Johnny Tuff   Josie   Kalifornia Kiddies   keep on truckin'   La Moora   Lady Of The Flowers   Lady Of The Lamp   Lady Of The Stars   Laleña   Lalena   Lalena [*]   Lay Down Lassie   Lay of the last tinker   Lazy Daze   Legend Of A Girl Child Linda   Liberation Rag   Life Goes On   Life Is A Merry-Go-Round   Little Ben   little boy in corduroy   Living for the Love Light   Living On Love   Local Boy Chops Wood   Local Boy Chops Wood (A Death In The Sixties)   London Town   Lord Of The Dance   Lord Of The Reedy River   Lord of the Reedy River [#]   Lost Time   Love Is Only Feeling   Love Will Find A Way   Love Will Find a Way [#]   Lovely Day   Mad john's escape   Mandolin Man and His Secret   Maria Magenta   Marjorie Margerine   Maya's Dance   Maya's Dance   Mellow Yellow   Mr Wind   Mr. Wind   Museum   Museum (Alternate Version)   Museum [#]   New Year's   New Years Resovolution   Nirvana   Oh Deed I Do   Oh Gosh   One English Summer   Only The Blues   Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth   Pamela Jo   Pebble And The Man   People Used To   Peregrine   Please Don't Bend   Please Don't Bend   Poke At The Pope   Poor Cow   Poor Cow [*]   Poor Cow [From Poor Cow]   Preachin Love   Preachin' Love   Queen Mab   Ramblin' boy   Ramblin' Boy   Remember The Alamo   Riki Tiki Tavi   Riki Tiki Tavi (Alternate Version)   Riki Tiki Tavi [*]   Riki Tiki Tavi [#]   Rock And Roll Souljer   Rock N' Roll With Me   Roots Of Oak   Sadness   Sailing Homeward   Saint Valentine's Angel   Saint Valentine's Angel   Salvation Stomp   Sand And Foam   Season of Farewell   Season Of The Witch   She Moved Through The Fair   Sing My Song   Skip-A-Long Sam   Sleep   Slow Down World   Someone Singing   Someone's Singing   Song For John   Song of the naturalist's wife   Starfish-On-The-Toast   Summer Day Reflection Song   sun   Sunny Goodge Street   Sunny South Kensington   Sunshine Superman   Sunshine Superman (extended version)   Sunshine Superman (Version I)   Sunshine Superman (Version Iii)   Super Lungs   Superlungs   Superlungs (My Super Girl)   Superlungs My Supergirl   Superlungs/My Supergirl   Tangarine Puppet   tangerine puppet   Tangier   Teas   Teen Angel   Teen Angel [*]   The Actor   The Alamo   The Ballad of a Crystal Man   The Ballad of a Crystal Man [*]   The Ballad of a Crystal Man [Alternate Take]   The Ballad of Geraldine   The Clear-browed One   The Dignity Of Man   The Divine Daze Of Deathless Delight   The Enchanted Gypsy   The Entertaining Of A Shy Girl   The Evernow   The Fat Angel   The Garden   The Hills Of Tuscany   The Hurdy Gurdy Man   The Intergalactic Laxative   The International Man   The Land Of Doesn t Have To Be (early version)   The land of doesn't have to be   The Land Of Doesn't Have To Be   The Light   The Little Tin Soldier   The Little White Road   The Lord Of The Dance   The Love Song   The Lullaby Of Spring   The Magpie   The Mandolin Man And His Secret   The Mountain   The Music Makers   The Obervation   The Observation   The Owl And The Pussycat   The Pee Song   The Quest   The River Song   The Road   The Seller Of Stars   The Song Of Wandering Aengus   The Star   The Summer Day Reflection Song   The Sun Is A Very Magic Fellow   The Tinker And The Crab   The Trip   The Unicorn   The Universal Soldier   The Voyage Of The Moon   The Walrus And The Carpenter   The War Drags On   The Way   There Is A Mountain   There Is a Mountain [*]   There Is An Ocean   There was a time   Things To Wear   Three King Fishers   Three Kingfishers   Tinker Tune   To Sing For You   To Susan On the West Coast   To Susan On The West Coast Waiting   To Susan on the West Coast Waiting [*]   To Try For The Sun   To Try For The Sun (Live)   Trudi   Try And Catch The Wind   Turquoise   Turquoise [*]   Under The Greenwood Tree   Universal Soldier   Universal Soldier [*]   Universe Am I   Voyage Into The Golden Screen   Walking   Wear Our Love Like Heaven   Wear You're Love Like Heaven   Wear Your Love Like Heaven   West Indian Lady   What A Beautiful Creature You Are   What The Soul Desires   Where Is She   Where Is She?   Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do   Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do (Original Single B...   Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do?   Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do? [Single B Side][*...   Widow With Shawl (A Portrait)   Wild Witch Lady   Writer In The Sun   Wynken, Blynken And Nod   Yellow Star   you're gonna need somebody on your bond   You're Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond   Young But Growing   Young Girl Blues   Your Broken Heart   Your Love Like Heaven

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