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
Catch the Wind
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of uncertainty
I want to be
In the warm hold of your loving mind.
To feel you all around me
And to take your hand
Along the sand,
When sundown pales the sky
I want to hide a while
Behind your smile,
And everywhere I'd look, your eyes I'd find.
For me to love you now
Would be the sweetest thing,
'T would make me sing,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
Diddy di dee dee diddy diddy,
Diddy diddy diddy dee dee dee.
When rain has hung the leaves with tears
I want you near to kill my fears,
To help me to leave all my blues behind.
For standin' in your heart
Is where I want to be
And long to be,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
Joan Baez & Mimi Farina's song "Catch The Wind" is a beautiful love song that talks about the desire to be loved and held by someone special. The first verse talks about being uncertain and longing for the comfort of the person's love. The writer uses imagery of being in the warm hold of the person's mind and feeling them around them. However, despite this longing, the writer recognizes that capturing this person's heart may be impossible, as trying to catch the wind.
In the second verse, the writer talks about wanting to hide behind the person's smile during times of sadness, and how they long to look into the person's eyes. The writer acknowledges that loving this person would be the sweetest thing, but once again, they realize that it may be impossible, like trying to catch the wind.
Finally, the writer talks about the desire to be close to the person during times of sadness and fear, and how being in their heart is where they want to be. However, the writer once again recognizes that capturing this person's heart may be impossible, like trying to catch the wind.
Overall, "Catch The Wind" is a beautiful and poignant love song that speaks to the desire for unconditional love and the sadness and uncertainty that comes with it. It reminds us that sometimes, no matter how much we want something, it may be out of reach, just like trying to catch the wind.
Line by Line Meaning
In the chilly hours and minutes
Of uncertainty
I want to be
In the warm hold of your loving mind.
During difficult and unsure times, I desire to be in the safety and comfort of your caring thoughts and emotions.
To feel you all around me
And to take your hand
Along the sand,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
I yearn to experience your presence and touch, but it seems impossible and futile like trying to capture something intangible like the wind.
When sundown pales the sky
I want to hide a while
Behind your smile,
And everywhere I'd look, your eyes I'd find.
As the day ends and darkness approaches, I seek shelter and solace in your reassuring smile, and see comfort in your gaze wherever I turn.
For me to love you now
Would be the sweetest thing,
'T would make me sing,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
Loving you presently would be the ultimate joy, and while attempting to do so, it's like pursuing something impossible to attain like trying to catch hold of the wind.
When rain has hung the leaves with tears
I want you near to kill my fears,
To help me to leave all my blues behind.
During melancholic and gloomy times, I need your comforting presence to help me ease my fears and pain, and leave behind all sadness.
For standin' in your heart
Is where I want to be
And long to be,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
Being in your heart is where I want to stay and belong, but it seems as impossible as catching the wind.
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
Despite the futility of my attempts, I'll endeavor to do what seems impossible and chase after the wind.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Donovan Leitch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rodinalmondbloom8562
In the chilly hours and minutes of uncertainty
I want to be in the warm heart of your loving mind
To feel you all around me
And to take your hand along the sand
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind
When sundown pales the sky
I want to hide a while behind your smile
And everywhere I'd look, your eyes I'd find
For me to love you now, would be the sweetest thing
T'would make me sing
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind
When rain has hung the leaves with tears
I want you near, to kill my fears
To help me to leave all my blues behind
Standing in your heart is where I want to be
And I long to be
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind
@dinamcdermott4911
Thank you Donovan for writing a folk masterpiece. And Joan and Mimi's voices are extraordinary. So beautiful.
@BudiSulistyo-zm4sx
This beautiful song made the world so pretty....
@brendamckane4154
What a lovely sound From The Biaz sisters xx
@HermanLabuschagne
What an utterly timeless song! If anyone could have caught the wind, it would have been Joan and Mimi with a song like this one.
@jamesunsworth6865
This beautiful,timeless, piece of folk music sung by Joan and Mimi Baez, surely must go down as one of the greatest. I am transported back to the heady days of the 60s when we had such fervour, believe, in a beautiful world, and done all in our power to bring it about!!!
Jimmy (UK)
@erika7674
Thank you so much for uploading this beautiful rendition of Donovan's song. I want this at my funeral! The voices and harmonies of Joan and her sister Mimi are so lovely and for me, the song had extra poignancy when I learnt that Mimi died young. The song is about a lover's yearning for the unattainable, but for me, it expresses all the nostalgic sense of loss and disappointment that comes with growing older and looking back to a youth that is gone forever. Please keep it on YouTube!
@Steve-yx1xj
There's lots of versions of this song out there, I also want it at my funeral but the original 'single' version (1965 I think) has never been bettered.
@harrylivesey35
had judith durham version at my wifes funeral april 2021
@jconearth6686
i recall Richard Farina's passing - her husband - and now Mimi but we still have Joan a Diva, who's voice, though weaker, still inspires me with it's beauty and magic of a soprano
@richardfinlayson1524
Yeah ,very sad, must have been so hard for Mimi. We lost a genius there, brilliant songwriter.