Joan Baez, born on January 9th, 1941, is an American folk singer and a song… Read Full Bio ↴Joan Baez, born on January 9th, 1941, is an American folk singer and a songwriter who is of mixed Mexican and Scottish descent. Baez rose to prominence in the early '60s with her stunning renditions of traditional balladry.

In the late '60s and early '70s, Baez came into her songwriting own, penning many songs (most notably "Diamonds & Rust," a nostalgic piece about her ill-fated romance with Bob Dylan, and "Sweet Sir Galahad," a song about sister Mimi Fariña's ( of Richard & Mimi Fariña fame) second marriage, and continued to meld her songcraft with topical issues. She was outspoken in her disapproval of the Vietnam war and later the CIA-backed coups in many Latin American countries.

She was also instrumental in the Civil Rights movement, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King on many occassions and being jailed for her beliefs. In 1963, her performance of "We Shall Overcome" at the Lincoln Memorial just prior to Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream..." speech helped confirm the song as the Civil Rights anthem.

In December 1972, she traveled to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and was caught in that country's "Christmas Campaign," in which the U.S. bombed the city more times than any other during the entire war. While pregnant with her only son, Gabriel, she performed a handful of songs in the middle of the night on day one of the 1969 Woodstock festival. She is considered the "Queen of Folk" for being at the forefront of the 1960s folk revival and inspiring generations of female folksingers that followed. Over fifty years after she first began singing publicly in 1958, Joan Baez continues to tour, demonstrate in favor of human rights and nonviolence, and release albums for a world of devoted fans.

1959

All The Pretty Little Horses
Joan Baez Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry
Go to sleep ye little baby
When you wake, you shall have
All the pretty little horses

Way down yonder in the meadow
Lies a poor little lamb ye
Bees and butterflies pickin' out its eyes

Poor little thing's cryin' mammy

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry
Go to sleep ye little baby

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Joan Baez's song "All The Pretty Little Horses" depict a somewhat chilling lullaby, a paradoxical tune to soothe children to sleep. The first paragraph is a common stanza in lullabies, reassuring the baby that everything will be alright and promising them a bright tomorrow. However, the second paragraph reveals a dark and cruel reality with the depiction of a poor little lamb who was attacked by bees and butterflies, plucking its eyes out, causing it great pain, and crying out for its mother. A sharp contrast from the first stanza. The stanza could be interpreted as a representation of the harsh nature of the world and how we must accept and move on from it.

The choice of words and the subtle tone alteration between the two stanzas aid in reinforcing the message that the world can be a terrible, scary place, but we must fall asleep and trust that everything will be better when we wake up. The lyrics could also be interpreted as an allusion to loss and pain, with the lamb standing in for the loss of a loved one and the butterflies and bees as the burden of grief that we must learn to bear with time. Overall, the lyrics of the song cut through the veneer of innocence and resonance of children's lullabies, bringing to light the complexities of the real world.

Line by Line Meaning

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry
Be still, don't shed a tear

Go to sleep ye little baby
Close your eyes and drift off gently

When you wake, you shall have
On waking up, you will receive

All the pretty little horses
A vision of all the gorgeous horses

Way down yonder in the meadow
Far away, down in the grassy field

Lies a poor little lamb ye
There is a helpless little lamb lying there

Bees and butterflies pickin' out its eyes
Insects are nibbling on its eyes

Poor little thing's cryin' mammy
The little animal is in agony and calling for its mother

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry
Be still, don't shed a tear

Go to sleep ye little baby
Close your eyes and drift off gently

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KENNY LOGGINS, DAVID PACK, DAVID ROBERT PACK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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