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
Angeline
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yesterday´s news was old news, the skies are all grey
Winter´s in labor and soon will give birth to the spring
And sprinkle the meadows with flowers for my Angeline
Heartache and sorrow and sadness unendingly find
Wings on a memory and with them she flies to my mind
She stretched her arms for a moment, then went back to sleep
She opened her eyes, Lord, the minute my feet touched the floor
The cold hard-wood creaked with each step that I made to the door
Then I turned to her gently and said, "Hon, just look, it is spring"
Knowing outside the window, the winter looked for Angeline
But yesterday´s newspaper forecast no rain for today,
But yesterday´s news is old news the skies are all grey
The lyrics to Joan Baez's song "Angeline" tell a story of heartache and longing for a lost love. Baez uses the metaphor of the changing seasons to express the hope for a new beginning, but also the pain of the past. The opening lines set the scene of a day that should be full of hope and new beginnings, but the weather doesn't match the newspaper forecast. This shift from expectations to reality can be seen as a mirror for the singer's emotions.
Baez then goes on to express the depth of the singer's sadness and longing for her lost love, Angeline. Memories of their time together, represented as wings that carry her into the singer's thoughts, fill her mind. As she wakes up, the reality of the situation hits hard, and she is reminded that Angeline is not there. The final stanza describes the singer leaving the room and looking at the changed season outside, hoping that Angeline will return.
Overall, Baez's lyrics capture the complicated emotions of heartache and hope that accompany the process of moving on from a lost love. She uses simple and concise language to paint a vivid picture of the singer's emotions, and the metaphor of the changing seasons is effective in expressing the transformation that the singer is going through as she faces her pain and hopes for a new beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday's newspapers forecasts no rain for today
The news from yesterday is not relevant today and the skies are cloudy.
Winter's in labor and soon will give birth to the spring
Spring is about to arrive after the hardships of Winter.
And sprinkle the meadows with flowers for my Angeline
Spring will bring new growth and renewal, which will remind the singer of Angeline.
Heartache and sorrow and sadness unendingly find
The singer is constantly struggling with negative emotions.
Wings on a memory and with them she flies to my mind
Memories of Angeline bring comfort to the singer.
She stretched her arms for a moment, then went back to sleep
Angeline appears in the singer's dreams for a brief moment before fading away.
While morning stood watching me ever so silently weak
The morning brings a sense of vulnerability and weakness to the singer.
She opened her eyes, Lord, the minute my feet touched the floor
The singer's thoughts of Angeline are immediately awakened when they wake up.
The cold hard-wood creaked with each step that I made to the door
The surroundings are quiet and create a sense of loneliness and melancholy.
Then I turned to her gently and said, "Hon, just look, it is spring"
Despite the sadness, the singer tries to find hope in the arrival of spring.
Knowing outside the window, the winter looked for Angeline
Winter represents the singer's feelings of loss and sadness, which they are trying to overcome.
But yesterday's newspaper forecast no rain for today,
Despite the negative emotions, the singer hopes for a new beginning.
But yesterday's news is old news the skies are all grey
The past is gone and the present is filled with uncertainty and melancholy.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment
Written by: NEWBURY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ABritInThePhilippines
One of her very best songs...
@alanbrown1043
her voice carries one to another place truly bleesed
@shaungarratt9941
@@alanbrown1043 very true, beautiful
@joannediehl9964
Dylan's song, but a lovely performance.
@donaldgeorge3717
Truly one of her best.
@dougr.2398
Yes...... at her last performance in Memphis, Tennessee, I was the attendee who shouted out (uncontrollably) YES! at the opening two or three notes of this song
@McFraneth
That voice is clear water in a desert.
@shellywelden7961
Love this comment 💜
@astroemerald3175
Beautiful comment abs so true .
@susannepotens5895
Thanks for this very well choosed comment