The 1968 unusual international hit (charted in multiple countries) by Donovan. The introductory monolouge was revolutionary, so much that in Donovan’s native UK it reached only no. 23 in the charts, and in the US it was released as a B-side to the anti-war song (“To Susan on the West Coast Waiting”...
[Intro: Donovan (Spoken)]
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 her neighbor
Across a short strait of sea miles
The great Egyptian age is but a remnant
Of the Atlantean culture
The antediluvian kings colonized the world
All the Gods who play in the mythological dramas
In all legends from all lands were from fair 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!
[Chorus 1]
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
[Instrumental Bridge]
[Chorus 2]
Way down below the ocean
Where I wanna be, she may be
Way down below the ocean
(She may, she may, she may, she may)
(She may, she may, she may)
Where I wanna be, she may be
(She may, she may, she may)
[Chorus 3]
My antediluvian baby
(Way down below the ocean)
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Where I wanna be, she may be)
I wanna see you some day
My antediluvian baby
(Way down below the ocean)
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Where I wanna be, she may be)
My antediluvian baby
[Chorus 4]
(Way down below the ocean)
(Where I wanna be, she may be)
My antediluvian baby, I love you, girl
(Way down below the ocean)
I wanna see you some day
(Where I wanna be, she may be)
My antediluvian baby, oh yeah
(Way down below the ocean)
I wanna see you some day, ah
(Where I wanna be, she may be)
My antediluvian baby
[Chorus 5]
(Way down below the ocean)
(Where I wanna be, she may be)
My antediluvian baby, oh, I wanna see you
(Way down below the ocean)
(Where I wanna be, she may be)
My antediluvian baby, you gotta tell me where she gone
(Way down below the ocean)
I want to see you some day
(Where I wanna be, she may be)
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up
[Outro]
Oh yeah, oh glug glug, down, down, yeah
(Way down below the ocean)
(Where I wanna be, she may be)
My antediluvian baby
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...
Atlantis was written by Donovan.
Atlantis was produced by Mickie Most.
‘…of or belonging to the time before the biblical Flood’