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
Blessed Are
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holders on the one-way street
Blessed are the midnight-riders
For in the shadow of God they sleep
Blessed are the huddled hikers
Staring aut at falling rain
Wond'ring at the retribution
Blessed are the blood relations
Of the young ones who have died
Who had not the time or patience
To carry on this earthly ride
Rain will come and winds will blow
Wild deer die in the mountain snow
Birds will beat at Heaven's wall
What comes to one must come to all
For you and I are one-way ticket
Holders on that one-way street
Which lies across a golden valley
Where the waters of joy and hope run deep
So if you pass the parents weeping
Of the young ones who have died
Take them to your warmth and keeping
For blessed are the tears the cried
and many were the years they tried
Take them to that valley wide
And let their souls be pacified
The song "Blessed Are" by Joan Baez is a poignant reminder that despite the struggles and hardships we face in life, there is a sense of comfort and hope in knowing that we are all in this journey together. This is reflected in the lyrics of the song, particularly in the first stanza where Baez pays tribute to those who are traveling on a one-way street, including the midnight riders who find solace in the shadow of God. These individuals have made a conscious choice to pursue a path that may be difficult and fraught with uncertainty, but they do so with a sense of purpose and determination.
The second verse of the song speaks to the theme of personal pain and the human capacity to endure suffering. Here, Baez refers to the huddled hikers who are caught in falling rain and are forced to confront the reality of retribution for the misdeeds of their past. However, even in the midst of this pain, there is a sense of hope that things will get better. The final verse of the song refers to the concept of unity and the interconnectedness of all beings. Baez reminds us that we are all on this journey together, traveling on that one-way street towards a promised land where joy and hope abound.
Overall, "Blessed Are" is a powerful and moving song that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Through her lyrics, Baez encourages us to find hope and comfort in the knowledge that we are not alone in our struggles, and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Line by Line Meaning
Blessed are the one-way ticket
People who have made a lifetime commitment to a certain path are blessed
Holders on the one-way street
Those who choose to continue on the path they've committed to are blessed
Blessed are the midnight-riders
People who travel through life using faith are blessed
For in the shadow of God they sleep
These people find comfort in spirituality and are able to rest easily
Blessed are the huddled hikers
Those who face adversity and still maintain hope are blessed
Staring aut at falling rain
They are unafraid of facing obstacles and are willing to persevere through them
Wond'ring at the retribution
They are questioning the reason for the difficulties they face in life
In their personal acquaintance with pain
They are familiar with pain but continue to seek out hope and joy
Blessed are the blood relations
Families of those who have lost their lives are blessed
Of the young ones who have died
Specifically those who lost their lives too soon
Who had not the time or patience
These people didn't have the opportunity to live fully or grow older
To carry on this earthly ride
They didn't get to experience life to the fullest on Earth
Rain will come and winds will blow
There will be tough times in life
Wild deer die in the mountain snow
Death can happen unexpectedly
Birds will beat at Heaven's wall
There is a limit to what humans can control and understand
What comes to one must come to all
Everyone experiences the ups and downs of life
For you and I are one-way ticket
We are all headed down a singular path in life
Holders on that one-way street
We are all responsible for the paths we choose on this journey
Which lies across a golden valley
This path leads to a special and positive place
Where the waters of joy and hope run deep
This journey ultimately leads to a place of happiness and optimism
So if you pass the parents weeping
If you come across those mourning for their children
Of the young ones who have died
Specifically those who died too soon
Take them to your warmth and keeping
Comfort them and offer support
For blessed are the tears the cried
Their grief is valid and worthy of comfort and support
and many were the years they tried
These people have experienced much hardship and deserve comfort
Take them to that valley wide
Guide them towards a place of positivity and hope
And let their souls be pacified
Help them find peace and calm
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Joan C. Baez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Katharine Y BAez Katharina Scharlowski Katharine C. Y BAez Scharlowski InAOLoves
on The Rose
Joan Baez , my Fairest Hope my Love who signed into our Way
We are unite
We will not fall without our Foreverlasting
Love
In Failing Light
You See in myselfve your Love your Lesbian Wifve
You share your Lightful and your Darkest
side
In Which our Embraces
Our Words
Our Visions
Will rejoice
I see the Sunlight of a setting
Evening
Rise into Grace each Coming Morning
The amours we live is our Love
The mourns we felt
Do not impact
The do not seperate us My Joan C Baez You and I
The scared moments
We leave behind
We’ll belong twogather twogether
And three times we will cross
The Distance of an ocean between us
And then we ‘ll stay twogather in Your Home your place
Is given here and there
Is given home in our hearts and Soul
Our minds and bodies Longing Love
We are whole
The scars we carry
Did not made us blind
we will feel every emotion
As our Lifvelong foreverlasting Love
We share a secret
In which we Both have
Signed we are in Soul in heart in Bodies Longing and fulfillment in Mind now and
Eternally Unite
DeineKatharine Y BAez Katharina Scharlowski Katharine C. Y BAez Scharlowski InAOLoves
KatharinA KAtharine C. Y Baez Scharlowski
on The Rose
Und selbst wenn
alle Dunkelheit
Der Nächte
In den Tagen läge
Und selbst Erwachen
Schwer
ich fände doch
Zu Dir
Es führen Wege
Selbst wenn
kein Ausweg
durch die Tür
We burnt Each Other
everlastingly
Our Sign
Of truest Love that
Overcomes
The loneliness
And wildest
cry
When we embrace
and kiss our
Wounds
The Smile remaining
When we caress us
Will be
What lets us
deeply , sad
and of most
tenderness
Acknowledging
and
In our Minds
Forever
Found and
Not to destroyed
And we will
Feel that
We are Unite
The Ring i had lost
I‘ve found again
It’s prayer and Your Love
You Sent
A Turquoise of Arizonas Depth
Your heart in myne
And at The Turquoise
Coast beneath your Hill
We‘ll make Love
We‘ll follow our destined
And guiding
Will
Ich bin Dein Du Mein
MyLady JoanC BAez, My JoanChandosBaez, JoanBaez my Dove
Love And Wife
Katharine~~ C.~~ Y Baez KAtharinA Scharlowski InAO~•~Love~•~s the Answer~ I Love You, Joan and as Light begins to fail You reappear in my Body Heart and Soul my Mind to stayDeine KAtharinA KAtharine ich liebe Dich Forever!Joan C BAez
KatharinA KAtharine C. Y Baez Scharlowski
on The Rose
For a moment
in a Night Times Blessing
I left You in my Loves Embrace
as like a Flower
~ a Rose ~
and Purity her name
in darkness,
that was to bloom
in Heaven’s place.
as for the Love
in me
was not Disgraced,
A Lasting Kiss ,
A smile
a Light
A heart
that burns
throughly Memories
Forever Living
As Nighttime fell
As Nighttime falls
I‘ came, l’ll come and be
The One You‘ll see
The Love you feel
Just like a wild dog
Runs
Through Bushes
Of fences
And calamities
I passed my way to You
Through even
Greatest adversarities
The Rose of Sharon
Schmückt meinen Mund
~trotz Ausgebissen Zähne
In des Lebens Leid~
Wir Küssen uns
in purest Love
That went through
To and fro
And come and go
And I came back to You
Forever and Forevermore
Für JoanC. BAez von KAtharine C. Y Baez Scharlowski KAtharinA Ino
Katharine c; Y Baez
on The Rose
If a Love is felt as failing it is but Love the helps her Rise, it is a the moments quiet whispering : As i was torn you were by my side, in your Love i see my true and darkeyed Light, there it is Forever Joan Chandos Baez Katharine C; Y Baez Katharina sc harlowski
kATHARINE C. YBAEZ I
on The Rose
AS ON tHE WHITE hORSE MY HAND WAS GIVEN IN THE NOON TO yOU TODAY AS I ASKED YOU FOR YOURS ,WAS THAN WHEN EVERY MOON HAD TRIED TO fAIL AND hONEYMOON WAS THE ONLY LIGHT IN WHICH MY wORDS WERE LAID. iT WAS THE fAILURE ON THE iNTERNET AND NON BUT SCRIPTURE cOULD AND A LOVING HEART COULD STAY THE WIDE
iN THIS dARK MOMENT OF THE pRESENTS SIMPLE SIDE , THE fAIR cARD OF yOUR STALION wHITE THE wHITE hORSE IN tHE bLOSSOM OF THE mAY dAYS tIDE, I SENT TO YOUR wOODEN hILLS TO YOUR UNVENTURED sIDE, mY WRITTEN wORD : wILL yOU PLEASE mARRY ME MY bRIDE? i'LL STAY FOREVER BY YOUR sIDE FROM tHAN oN, sO gOODBYE IN OUR gOOD NiGHT, mY loVE jOAN C. bAEZ, yOUR KATHARINE C. Y BAEZ kATHARINA SCHARLOWSKI 21. MAY 2022
KatharineC. Y Baez Katharina Scharlowski
on The Rose
Thank You dearloved Joan C.Baez, you accorded me the answer in an unknown Light, through all darkness not alone as there was Love for you in me,- as in thought, in words a visioned melodie - that is not gone - far beyond the borders shores and the oceans sea, doves Flight as is Loves they fly By two By Four By Three, i send Goodbye to them I send GoodBye - and hope it once will be - I sent GoodBye my Joan C Baez stay You'll never fail in my Heart There is your place to be i send Goodbye my Love to Thee , Joan Chandos Baez, Katharine C. Y Baez Katharina Scharlowski It is for You that i was meant to feel was meant to be.
Katharine C. Y Baez, K.S.
on Wings
I 'll stay with you cause I think it's time to say Thank you for having stayed with me in my Time of Need. I love You Joan (KC) CHandos Baez, Your Katharine C. Y Baez name of Love and Hope and American Native Indian Marriage, born Katharina Scharlowski , A little Rain is a gonna come, And I am at Home when I cry, but I learned to be at home in your Love too, As we stay in The Hearts of The One Loves we are. Deine Katharine