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

Coventry Carol (English Tradit
Joan Baez Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lully lulla, thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully lullay.

O sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day
This poor Youngling for whom we do sing,
By, by, lully lullay.

Herod the King, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young children to slay.

Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For Thy parting neither say nor sing,
By, by, lully lullay.

Lully lulla, thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.

Overall Meaning

The Coventry Carol is an English Christmas carol that mournfully tells the story of the massacre of the young children of Bethlehem by King Herod, who was trying to eliminate Jesus Christ, who was prophesized to be the new King of the Jews. The song starts with the mother, singing "Lully lulla," trying to soothe her little child into sleep as she realizes that Herod's soldiers will be coming to kill him. The "sisters" in the song may be a reference to the mothers of Bethlehem who are lamenting for their children.

The next line starts with "how may we do," which implies that the sisters want to know what they can do to save their children. However, the answer is already clear - there's nothing they can do. Herod has charged his men to slay all the young children of Bethlehem, and the sisters can only sing a lullaby to their children as a way of comforting them in their final moments. The third verse further emphasizes this helplessness and sorrow, finishing with the refrain "by, by, lully lullay," which has become associated with the sound of a lullaby.

Line by Line Meaning

Lully lulla, thou little tiny Child,
Oh, my little one, helpless and small

By, by, lully lullay.
Sleep tight, sleep well, all through the night

O sisters too, how may we do,
Dear sisters, what can we possibly do?

For to preserve this day
To keep this day alive and remembered

This poor Youngling for whom we do sing,
For this poor child, on whose behalf we are singing

By, by, lully lullay.
Sleep tight, sleep well, all through the night

Herod the King, in his raging,
Herod the King, in his furious anger

Charged he hath this day;
Ordered on this day

His men of might, in his own sight,
His powerful soldiers, right within his view

All young children to slay.
To slaughter all the young children

Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee,
How sad I am, poor little one, for your sake