A Heartfelt Line Or Two
Joan Baez Lyrics

Though the songwriters of the industry
Even though most of the songs I sing are written by others in the music industry

Write most of the songs I do
Many of the songs I sing are written by other songwriters

And it's clear that no one will ever
It’s obvious that no one will be able to sing these songs quite like I can

Sing them quite the way I do
Perform these songs with the unique style that I bring to them

I think tonight I'll sit down and write
Tonight, I plan to write something new

A heartfelt line or two
A couple of sincere lyrics

And if they turn out good enough
And if they’re good enough

I owe every word to you
It’s because of the people I meet on the road that I’m inspired to write new music

To the kid I thought was a little too young
I think about a young person I met and underestimated

To know what sadness was
I didn’t think they knew what it meant to feel sad

Who took me out when I was down
They were the one who helped me when I was feeling low

And set out to find the cause
They looked for the reason why I felt that way

Of why the lady had the blues
They were trying to figure out why I was feeling sad

And seemed on the verge of tears
They could tell I was close to crying

I tell you that kid must have been around
That young person seemed wise beyond their years

For a hundred and fifty years
It felt like they had lived a much longer life than their age would suggest

And to the tough guy blonde with the front tooth gone
I also remember a tough-looking blonde man with a missing tooth

And ships all over his chest
He had tattoos of ships all over his chest

Who approached me out on the promenade
This man came up to me while I was walking on the promenade

Of the beach heading into the west
The beach was facing the sunset

His friends lay around on the muscleman lawn
His friends were lounging on the lawn with muscles rippling

Like a drunken pirate band
They looked like they were having a great time, but also like they were rough around the edges

But he turned into a gentleman
Despite his tough exterior, he acted like a gentleman to me

Called me a lady and kissed my hand
He showed me respect by calling me a lady and even kissed my hand

To the man and the woman who threw me a glance
There was a couple who looked at me briefly

As they picnicked by the sea
They were having a picnic by the ocean

And returned their gaze to the kid and the food
But then they looked back at the young child and the food they were eating

So as not to bother me
They didn't want to disturb me

They got up to leave and the woman looked on
Eventually, they got up to go and the woman looked at me again

As the man leaned down to say
The man leaned down to speak to me

You've always meant so much to us
He said that I had been meaningful to them for a long time

Don't want to bother you and have a nice day
They didn't want to bother me and wished me a nice day

And to the band of gypsies I call friends
There’s a group of gypsies who I consider my friends

Who speak so carefully
They’re very thoughtful in the way they talk

To their friend with a life unlike their own
They have a friend who has a very different life experience than they do

In its strange complexities
Their friend's life is full of unusual challenges and situations

Who have the patience of the saints
These friends have incredible patience and understanding

When I've been down for a spell
They've been there for me when I’ve been feeling low

I wish it were a whole lot easier
It would be nice if things were easier

To find the words to wish them well
I wish it was easier to express how much I want them to be happy