JOAN BAEZ: LOVE IS JUST A FOUR LETTER WORD. [14]

Joan Baez
Baez performing in 2003
Background information
Birth name	Joan Chandos Báez
Born	January 9, 1941 (age 71)
Origin	Staten Island, New York City, New York, United States
Genres	Folk, folk rock, country
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, activist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, ukulele
Years active	1958–present
Labels	Vanguard (1960–1971) A&M (1972–1977) Portrait/CBS (1977–1981) Gold Castle (1987–1991) Virgin (1991–1993) Guardian (1995–2002) Koch (2003–present)
Associated acts	Jackson Browne, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Judy Collins, Donovan, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Mimi Fariña, the Grateful Dead, Janis Ian, the Indigo Girls, Odetta, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Rocker T, Dar Williams

Joan Chandos Baez ( /ˈbaɪ.ɛz/) (born January 9, 1941 as Joan Chandos Báez) is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice.

Baez has a distinctive vocal style, with a strong vibrato.^[1] Her recordings include many topical songs and material dealing with social issues.

Baez began her career performing in coffeehouses in Boston and Cambridge, and rose to fame as an unbilled performer at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. She began her recording career in 1960, and achieved immediate success. Her first three albums, Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vol. 2, and Joan Baez in Concert all achieved gold record status, and stayed on the charts for two years.^[2]

Baez has had a popular hit song with "Diamonds & Rust" and hit covers of Phil Ochs's "There but for Fortune" and The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". Other songs associated with Baez include "Farewell, Angelina", "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word", "Joe Hill", "Sweet Sir Galahad" and "We Shall Overcome". She performed three of the songs at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, helped to bring the songs of Bob Dylan to national prominence, and has displayed a lifelong commitment to political and social activism in the fields of nonviolence, civil rights, human rights and the environment.^[3]

Baez has performed publicly for over 53 years, releasing over 30 albums. Fluent in Spanish as well as in English, she has also recorded songs in at least six other languages. She is regarded as a folk singer, although her music has diversified since the 1960s, encompassing everything from folk rock and pop to country and gospel music. Although a songwriter herself, Baez is generally regarded as an interpreter of other people's work, having recorded songs by The Allman Brothers Band, The Beatles, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Violeta Parra, Woody Guthrie, The Rolling Stones, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Leonard Cohen, and many others. In recent years, she has found success interpreting songs of modern songwriters such as Ryan Adams, Josh Ritter, Steve Earle and Natalie Merchant.

1. A Heartfelt Line Or Two

Though the songwriters of the industry
Write most of the songs I do
And it's clear that no one will ever
Sing them quite the way I do
I think tonight I'll sit down and write
A heartfelt line or two
And if they turn out good enough
I owe every word to you

To the kid I thought was a little too young
To know what sadness was
Who took me out when I was down
And set out to find the cause
Of why the lady had the blues
And seemed on the verge of tears
I tell you that kid must have been around
For a hundred and fifty years

And to the tough guy blonde with the front tooth gone
And ships all over his chest
Who approached me out on the promenade
Of the beach heading into the west
His friends lay around on the muscleman lawn
Like a drunken pirate band
But he turned into a gentleman
Called me a lady and kissed my hand

Though the songwriters of the industry
Write most of the songs I do
And it's clear that no one will ever
Sing them quite the way I do
I think tonight I'll sit down and write

A heartfelt line or two
And if they turn out good enough
I owe every word to you

To the man and the woman who threw me a glance
As they picnicked by the sea
And returned their gaze to the kid and the food
So as not to bother me
They got up to leave and the woman looked on
As the man leaned down to say
"You've always meant so much to us
Don't want to bother you and have a nice day"

And to the band of gypsies I call friends
Who speak so carefully
To their friend with a life unlike their own
In its strange complexities
Who have the patience of the saints
When I've been down for a spell
I wish it were a whole lot easier
To find the words to wish them well

Though the songwriters of the industry
Write most of the songs I do
And it's clear that no one will ever
Sing them quite the way I do
I think tonight I'll sit down and write
A heartfelt line or two
And if they turn out good enough
I owe every word to you

VIDEO

2. Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer

I never dreamed you'd leave in summer
I thought you would go then come back home
I thought the cold would leave by summer
But my quiet nights will be spent alone

You said there would be warm love in spring-time
That was when you started to be cold
I never dreamed you'd leave in summer

But now I find myself all alone

You said then you'd be the life in autumn
Said you'd be the one to show the way
I never dreamed you'd leave in sum-mer
But now I find my love has gone away

Why didn't you stay

VIDEO


3. Love Minus Zero - No Limit

My love she speaks like silence
Without ideals or violence
She doesn't have to say she's faithful
Yet she's true like fire like ice
People carry roses
Make promises by the hour
My love she laughs like the flowers
Valentines can't buy her

In the dime stores and bus stations
People talk of situations
Read books, read deep quotations
Draw conclusions on the wall
Some speak of the future
My love, she speaks softly
She knows there's no success like failure
And that failure's no success at all

The cloak and dagger dangles

Madams light the candles
In ceremonies of the horsemen
Even the pawn must hold a grudge
Statues made of matchsticks
Crumble into one another
My love winks she does not bother
She knows too much to argue or to judge

The bridge at midnight trembles
The country doctor rambles
Bankers' nieces seek perfection
Expecting all the gifts that wise men bring
The wind howls like a hammer
The night wind blows cold n' rainy
My love, she's like some raven
At my window with a broken wing


VIDEO

4. Best Of Friends


We may not always be the best of lovers
But if you leave it to me I think I can see
We'll always be the best of friends

And one day when I am old and on the porch
With knitting around my knees you hear me say
Excuse me please, but aren't you the one
And wasn't it fun way back when

Or maybe in a year you'll reappear
And if that should come true
I'd throw my arms around you and watch you smile
Just for awhile once again

We may not always be the best of lovers
But if you leave it to me I think I can see
We'll always be the best of friends

La la la
The best of friends
La la la
The best of friends
La la la

VIDEO

5. Diamonds And Rust


Well, I'll be damned
Here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon is full
And you happened to call
And here I sit
Hand on the telephone
Hearing a voice I'd known
A couple of light years ago
Heading straight for a fall

As I remember your eyes
Were bluer than robin's eggs
My poetry was lousy you said
Where are you calling from?
A booth in the Midwest
Ten years ago I bought you some cufflinks
You brought me something
We both know what memories can bring
They bring diamonds and rust

Well, you burst on the scene, already a legend
The unwashed phenomenon
The original vagabond
You strayed into my arms
And there you stayed
Temporarily lost at sea

The Madonna was yours for free
Yes, the girl on the half-shell
Could keep you unharmed

Now I see you standing with brown leaves falling around
And snow in your hair
Now you're smiling out the window of that crummy hotel
Over Washington Square
Our breath comes out white clouds
Mingles and hangs in the air
Speaking strictly for me
We both could have died then and there

Now you're telling me you're not nostalgic
Then give me another word for it
You who are so good with words
And at keeping things vague
'Cause I need some of that vagueness now
It's all come back too clearly
Yes, I once loved you dearly
And if you're offering me diamonds and rust
I've already paid

VIDEO

6. Speaking Of Dreams

Speaking of dreams
Here we are in the glistening streets of Gay Paree
Playing the Gipsy Kings
After the rain and taking tea at the Ritz in boots and jeans
With a teenage girl who said that it would be her grandest dream
And speaking of dreams, I really must say
I couldn't have dreamed you up
Nor the way you burst into my life, rattled my cage
And woke my sleeping demons up

You were not yet born
When my career began in '59
We're a sign of the times
Who cares if you are a breath of spring and I am vintage wine
We come from two different worlds
Like every other couple on the Rue de Rivoli
You spent your youth in the rainforests of distant Camaroon
Your father was a Navy captain, I am the Queen of Hearts
And the daughter of the moon


Speaking of dreams
You took me to see the paintings of Paul Gaughin
Speaking of dreams
We stood in the midst of waterfalls, flaming trees
Golden dogs and shining Tahitian ladies
But it was you, not Paul Gaughin
Who stopped my heart and then
Started my life over again

And if you feel as I do
That we've erased the lines between reality
And all our painted dreams
Then take me down to where the Gipsies sing
The songs their mothers knew
Tie bright ribbons in my hair
Lean on the wind and watch me while I dance for you

And carry me off to the rainforests of distant Camaroon
Tell me that you've always know that
I am the Queen of Hearts
And the daughter of the moon

VIDEO


7. Forever Young


May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
And may you stay forever young

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
And may you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
And may you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young

VIDEO

8. Fountain Of Sorrow




Well I was looking through some photographs I found inside a drawer
I was taken by a photograph of you
There were one or two I know that you would have liked a little more
But they didn't show your spirit quite as true

You were turning 'round to see who was behind you
And I took your childish laughter by surprise
And at the moment that my camera happened to find you
There was just a trace of sorrow in your eyes

Now the things that I remember seem so distant and so small
Though it hasn't really been that long a time
What I was seeing wasn't really happening at all
Although for a while, our path did seem to climb

When you see through love's illusions, there lies the danger
And your perfect lover just looks like a perfect fool
So you go running off in search of a perfect stranger
While the loneliness seems to spring from your life
Like a fountain from a pool

Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light

You've known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight
You've had to hide sometimes, but now you're all right
And it's good to see your smiling face tonight

Now for you and me it may not be that hard to reach our dreams
But that magic feeling never seems to last
And while the future's there for anyone to change
Still you know it's seems
It would be easier sometimes to change the past

I'm just one or two years and a couple of changes behind you
In my lessons at love's pain and heartache school
Where if you feel too free and you need something to remind you
There's this loneliness springing up from your life
Like a fountain from a pool

Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light
You've known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight
You've had to hide sometimes but now you're all right
And it's good to see your smiling face tonight

VIDEO

9. Wings Of Fantasy

Come all of ye fair and silver ladies
Who rise with the dawn
Dreaming of lovers
Sing to the swans
The count gave me a jet black saddle to ride upon
Showed me the view
Showed me the horses
And he showed me you

And you were young as morning sunlight
You lit up another cigarette
And silent, silent, clear and silent were your eyes
I never will forget
And I rode off on the wings of fantasy

Wandering through the corridors
In an ancient violet evening gown
Drunk on champagne
Had to see you again
Found you in the stable, would you saddle me a thoroughbred
And where will you be
When the moon's in the trees
Oh, come to me please

And there I stood a modern Madame Bovary
In a party dress
And silent, silent, yes, your silent eyes said yes
The lady in distress

And the night came down on the wings of fantasy

Well, I had been over a dozen times or more
To the red sand on Normandy's shore
Seen the Abby of Mont. St. Michel
Diamonds of Deauville
Ah, but I've never kissed you before
And you gave your heart to me

Yes, I am a fair and silver lady
I dance in the snow
And follow the stallions
Where the north winds blow
While I was lamenting over my lost youth
You came along
Dreaming of lovers
And an evening song

And, if I am a rose of summer
You are a breath of spring
A garden of delights
And when I feel lonely in days of winter you will ride
To the castle light
And we will fly on the wings of fantasy
On the wings of fantasy
Far as the eye can see
Off the shores of Normandy
On the wings of fantasy


ALT VIDEO

10. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"

Virgil Kane is the name
And I served on the Danville train
'Till Stoneman's cavalry came
And tore up the tracks again

In the winter of '65
We were hungry, just barely alive
By May the 10th, Richmond had fell
It's a time I remember, oh so well

The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
"Virgil, quick, come see,
There goes Robert E. Lee!"

Now, I don't mind chopping wood
And I don't care if the money's no good
You take what you need
And you leave the rest
But they should never
Have taken the very best

The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Like my father before me
I will work the land
And like my brother above me
Who took a rebel stand

He was just 18, proud and brave
But a Yankee laid him in his grave
I swear by the mud below my feet
You can't raise a Kane back up
When he's in defeat

The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

VIDEO


11. Farewell Angelina

Farewell Angelina
The bells of the crown
Are being stolen by bandits
I must follow the sound
The triangle tingles
And the trumpet play slow
Farewell Angelina
The sky is on fire
And I must go.

There's no need for anger
There's no need for blame
There's nothing to prove
Ev'rything's still the same
Just a table standing empty
By the edge of the sea
Farewell Angelina
The sky is trembling
And I must leave.

The jacks and queens
Have forsaked the courtyard
Fifty-two gypsies
Now file past the guards
In the space where the deuce
And the ace once ran wild
Farewell Angelina
The sky is folding
I'll see you in a while.

See the cross-eyed pirates sitting

Perched in the sun
Shooting tin cans
With a sawed-off shotgun
And the neighbors they clap
And they cheer with each blast
Farewell Angelina
The sky's changing color
And I must leave fast.

King Kong, little elves
On the rooftoops they dance
Valentino-type tangos
While the make-up man's hands
Shut the eyes of the dead
Not to embarrass anyone
Farewell Angelina
The sky is embarrassed
And I must be gone.

The machine guns are roaring
The puppets heave rocks
The fiends nail time bombs
To the hands of the clocks
Call me any name you like
I will never deny it
Farewell Angelina
The sky is erupting
I must go where it's quiet.

VIDEO

12. LOVE IS JUST A FOUR LETTER WORD.


Seems like only yesterday
I left my mind behind
Down in the Gypsy Cafe
With a friend of a friend of mine
She sat with a baby heavy on her knee
Yet spoke of life most free from slavery
With eyes that showed no trace of misery
A phrase in connection first with she occurred
That love is just a four-letter word

Outside a rattling store-front window
Cats meowed to the break of day
Me, I kept my mouth shut
To you I had no words to say
My experience was limited and underfed
You were talking while I hid
To the one who was the father of your kid
You probably didn't think I did, but I heard
You say that love is just a four-letter word

I said goodbye unnoticed
Pushed towards things in my own games
Drifting in and out of lifetimes
Unmentionable by name
Searching for my double, looking for
Complete evaporation to the core
Though I tried and failed at finding any door
I must have thought that there was nothing more
Absurd than that love is just a four-letter word

Though I never knew just what you meant
When you were speaking to your man
I can only think in terms of me
And now I understand
After waking enough times to think I see
The Holy Kiss that's supposed to last eternity
Blow up in smoke, it's destiny
Falls on strangers, travels free
Yes, I know now, traps are only set by me
And I do not really need to be
Assured that love is just a four-letter word

Strange it is to be beside you
Many years and tables turned
You'd probably not believe me
If I told you all I've learned
And it is very, very weird indeed
To hear words like forever plead
Those ships run through my mind, I cannot cheat
It's like looking in the teacher's face complete
I can say nothing to you but repeat what I heard
That love is just a four-letter word


VIDEO

13. WE SHALL OVERCOME


WE SHALL OVERCOME Words and Music by Zilphia Hart., Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan
and Pete Seeger

(La melodia sembra sia stata tratta da un canto di pescatori siciliani del 17'
secolo, trasportata in Germania dove è diventata un inno protestante, e da qui
alle congregazioni “bianche�? protestanti degli Stati Uniti del sud. E' stata
pubblicata per la prima volta come Inno negro in una versione modificata, nei
primi anni dello scorso secolo. Usata, nella forma attuale, negli anni ‘40 come
inno “sindacale�? dai lavoratori degli Alimentari e del Tabacco del
Sud-Carolina, e successivamente dai lavoratori delle scuole popolari del
Tennessee. E' usata tradizionalmente per chiudere tutti i congressi
integrazionisti).

We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

We'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,

We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,

We shall all be free,
We shall all be free,
We shall all be free, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,

We are not afraid,
We are not afraid,
We are not afraid, TODAY

Oh, deep in my heart,

We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome, some day.

Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

VIDEO


14. AMAZING GRACE

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now i’m found,
Was blind, but now i see.

’t was grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fear relieved.
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour i first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
We have already come.
‘t was grace that brought us safe thus far,
Grace will lead us home.

When we’ve been there ten thousands years,
Bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing god’s praise
Than when we first begun.

VIDEO