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
Come All Ye Fair and Tender Maidens
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take warning how you court young men
They're like a star of a summer's morning
First they appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some loving story
They'll swear to you their love is true
Straightway they'll go and court another
And that's the love that they had for you.
If I'd a known before I courted
That love it was such a killin' thing
I'd lock my heart in a box of golden
And fastened it up with a silver chain.
O do you remember our days of courtin'
When your head lay upon my breast
You could make me believe with the falling of your eyes
That the sun rose in the west.
I wish I was a little sparrow
And I had wings and I could fly
I'd fly away to my own true lover
And when he speaks I won't deny.
But I am not no little sparrow
I have no wings neither can I fly
I'll sit right down in my grief and sorrow
And let my troubles pass me by.
Come all ye fair and tender maidens
Take warning how you court young men
They're like a star of a summer's morning
First they appear and then they're gone.
Joan Baez's song "Come All Ye Fair and Tender Maidens" serves as a warning to young maidens about the fickle nature of men when it comes to love. In the first stanza, Baez compares young men to stars of a summer's morning, bright and dazzling at first but quickly fading away. The second stanza is a lament of a girl who fell for a man's sweet talk and now realizes that love can be a killing thing. She expresses a desire to lock her heart away but alas, it is too late.
The third stanza is a sweet, nostalgic reminiscence of the days of courtship. The girl wishes she could turn back time and relive those moments when her lover's head lay on her breast and his eyes made her believe that the sun rose in the west. The fourth stanza is a plea by the girl to be reunited with her lover. She wishes she were a sparrow so that she could fly to her true love's side and not deny his advances.
However, the reality of the situation hits the girl hard in the last stanza. She is not a bird and cannot fly. She sits in her grief and sorrow, watching her troubles pass her by. The final verse repeats the warning to other maidens to be cautious when courting men, for they are like stars that appear and disappear quickly.
Line by Line Meaning
Come all ye fair and tender maidens
Listen up, all of you young women who are pure and innocent.
Take warning how you court young men
Be aware of how you flirt with and show interest in young men.
They're like a star of a summer's morning
They shine and are attractive when they first appear.
First they appear and then they're gone.
But their attraction and interest in you will disappear just as quickly.
They'll tell to you some loving story
They will share tales of love with you.
They'll swear to you their love is true
They will make promises of true love and honest intentions.
Straightway they'll go and court another
However, they will quickly turn around and start flirting with someone else.
And that's the love that they had for you.
This proves that their love for you was not real, but only a temporary attraction.
If I'd a known before I courted
If I had only known before I started expressing my feelings.
That love it was such a killin' thing
That the feeling of love could be this heart-wrenching.
I'd lock my heart in a box of golden
Then I would have protected myself by putting my heart in a safe place.
And fastened it up with a silver chain.
And wrapped it with a strong and unbreakable chain.
O do you remember our days of courtin'
Do you remember when we were flirting and expressing feelings for each other?
When your head lay upon my breast
When you were resting your head on my chest.
You could make me believe with the falling of your eyes
You had a way of convincing me of anything with just one look.
That the sun rose in the west.
You could make me believe in impossible things or that the impossible could happen.
I wish I was a little sparrow
I wish I was a small bird.
And I had wings and I could fly
I wish I had wings to fly away with.
I'd fly away to my own true lover
I'd fly away to the one I truly love.
And when he speaks I won't deny.
And I would not refuse or deny his love.
But I am not no little sparrow
But I am not a small bird.
I have no wings neither can I fly
I can't fly away, it is not that easy.
I'll sit right down in my grief and sorrow
I will settle here in sadness and distress.
And let my troubles pass me by.
And allow my problems and pain to just fade away by themselves.
Come all ye fair and tender maidens
Listen up, all of you young women who are pure and innocent.
Take warning how you court young men
Be aware of how you flirt with and show interest in young men.
They're like a star of a summer's morning
They shine and are attractive when they first appear.
First they appear and then they're gone.
But their attraction and interest in you will disappear just as quickly.
Contributed by Asher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Michael Furlong
Come all ye fair and tender maidens
Take warning how you court young men
They're like a star of a summer's morning
First they appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some loving story
They'll swear to you their love is true
Straightway they'll go and court another
And that's the love that they had for you.
If I'd a known before I courted
That love it was such a killin' thing
I'd lock my heart in a box of golden
And fastened it up with a silver chain.
O do you remember our days of courtin'
When your head lay upon my breast
You could make me believe with the falling of your eyes
That the sun rose in the west.
I wish I was a little sparrow
And I had wings and I could fly
I'd fly away to my own true lover
And when he speaks I won't deny.
But I am not no little sparrow
I have no wings neither can I fly
I'll sit right down in my grief and sorrow
And let my troubles pass me by.
Come all ye fair and tender maidens
Take warning how you court young men
They're like a star of a summer's morning
First they appear and then they're gone.
Michael Furlong
something similar..
Come all ye maidens young and fair
And you that are blooming in your prime
Always beware and keep your garden fair
Let no man steal away your thyme
For thyme it is a precious thing
And thyme brings all things to my mind
Thyme with all its flavours, along with all its joys
Thyme, brings all things to my mind
Once I had a bunch of thyme
I thought it never would decay
Then came a lusty sailor
Who chanced to pass my way
And stole my bunch of thyme away
For thyme it is a precious thing
And thyme brings all things to my mind
Thyme with all its flavours, along with all its joys
Thyme, brings all things to my mind
The sailor gave to me a rose
A rose that never would decay
He gave it to me to keep me reminded
Of when he stole my thyme away
For thyme it is a precious thing
And thyme brings all things to my mind
Thyme with all its flavours, along with all its joys
Thyme, brings all things to my mind
Come all ye maidens young and fair
And you that are blooming in your prime
Always beware and keep your garden fair
Let no man steal away your thyme
Cody Yale
wow. amazing.
Cooper Simmons
Love
Thomascow Mc Mullan
Thank You Friend, Nice video, hoping life is kind too , now & always --BTU--- Love ya dearly! Cheers OXOX
JDibden
Pity you cant go to jail for your foul language ChuckYoCouch.