"Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" is a 1968 song by the English rock band The Moody Blues

The Moody Blues

The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....

. It was written by the band's flautist Ray Thomas

Ray Thomas

Ray Thomas is an English musician, best known as the flautist and as a singer and composer in the rock band, The Moody Blues.-Career:...

, although he does not play the flute in this particular song. First released in June 1968 on the B-side of "Voices in the Sky

Voices in the Sky

"Voices in the Sky" is a hit 1968 single by the progressive rock band The Moody Blues, and it was written by their lead guitarist Justin Hayward. It was released as a single in June 1968, with "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" on the B-side...

," "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" is one of Ray Thomas's signature child-themed songs, much like his first composition "Another Morning

Another Morning (The Moody Blues song)

"Another Morning" is a 1967 song by the symphonic rock band The Moody Blues. It was written by the band's flautist Ray Thomas, and was first released on the 1967 album Days of Future Passed...

."

"Dr Livingstone, I Presume" was primarily written about Dr. David Livingstone

David Livingstone

David Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...

. The lyrics in the opening verse describe the accomplishments of Dr. Livingstone, who was a Scottish missionary and explorer in central Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. In a similar manner, the lyrics in later verses describe the accomplishments of Captain Robert Falcon Scott

Robert Falcon Scott

Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...

, and Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...

.

"Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" was later released on the Moody Blues' 1968 album In Search of the Lost Chord

In Search of the Lost Chord

-2006 SACD Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:In Search of the Lost Chord was remastered into SACD in March 2006 and repackaged into a 2 CD Deluxe Edition.Extra tracks on the Deluxe Edition are:#"Departure" – 0:55...

, where it was the third track.

Personnel

• Justin Hayward
  Justin Hayward
  Justin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
  
  : electric guitar, backing vocals
• John Lodge: bass guitar, backing vocals
• Mike Pinder
  Mike Pinder
  Michael Thomas "Mike" Pinder is an English rock musician, and is a founding member or the British rock group, the Moody Blues. He left the group following the recording of the band's album, Octave, in 1978...
  
  : mellotron, backing vocals
• Ray Thomas
  Ray Thomas
  Ray Thomas is an English musician, best known as the flautist and as a singer and composer in the rock band, The Moody Blues.-Career:...
  
  : vocals
• Graeme Edge
  Graeme Edge
  Graeme Charles Edge is best known as the drummer and a songwriter for the Moody Blues, but has also led his own outfit, the Graeme Edge Band.-Biography:...
  
  : drums, percussion