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. On July 28, 2019, following dates across Europe, Baez performed her final concert at Madrid's Teatro Real. In January 2021, Baez received a 2020 Kennedy Center Honor.
Cucurrucucu Paloma
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nomas se le iba en puro llorar,
Dicen que no comia,
Nomas se le iba en puro tomar,
Juran que el mismo cielo
Se estremecia al oir su llanto;
Como sufrio por ella,
Que hasta en su muerte la fue llamando
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay,... cantaba,
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay,... gemia,
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay,... cantaba,
De pasion mortal... moria
Que una paloma triste
Muy de manana le va a cantar,
A la casita sola,Con sus puertitas de par en par,
Juran que esa paloma
No es otra cosa mas que su alma,
Que todavia la espera
A que regrese la desdichada
Cucurrucucu... paloma,
Cucurrucucu... no llores,
Las piedras jamas, paloma
!Que van a saber de amores!
Cucurrucucu... cucurrucucu...
Cucurrucucu... paloma, ya no llores
The song "Cucurrucucú Paloma" by Joan Baez tells the story of a man who is heartbroken and devastated over the loss of his love. The lyrics describe how he spends his nights crying and drinking, unable to eat or find solace. It is said that even the heavens were moved by his grief, as they trembled at the sound of his weeping. The man's love was so deep that he continued to call out for her even in death, as he slowly succumbed to the mortal passion of his longing.
As the lyrics continue, the focus shifts to a sad and lonely dove who comes to sing outside the man's empty house each morning. It is believed that this dove is the man's own soul, still waiting for his lost love to return. The final verses of the song urge the dove to stop crying, reminding her that the stones would never understand the depth of true love.
The song is a beautiful and poignant tribute to the power of love and the pain that comes with loving deeply. It speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and loss, while also celebrating the enduring nature of the human soul.
Line by Line Meaning
Dicen que por las noches
Nomas se le iba en puro llorar,
They say that at night, all he did was cry
Dicen que no comia,
Nomas se le iba en puro tomar,
They say he didn't eat, just drank
Juran que el mismo cielo
Se estremecia al oir su llanto;
They swear that the sky itself trembled when it heard his cry
Como sufrio por ella,
Que hasta en su muerte la fue llamando
How he suffered for her, even calling out for her in his death
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay,... cantaba,
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay,... gemia,
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay,... cantaba,
De pasion mortal... moria
He sang, he moaned, he sang again, dying from mortal passion
Que una paloma triste
Muy de manana le va a cantar,
A la casita sola,
Con sus puertitas de par en par,
That a sad dove sings to him early in the morning, at his lonely little house with its doors wide open
Juran que esa paloma
No es otra cosa mas que su alma,
Que todavia la espera
A que regrese la desdichada
They swear that the dove is nothing more than his soul, still waiting for the unlucky one to return
Cucurrucucu... paloma,
Cucurrucucu... no llores,
Las piedras jamas, paloma
!Que van a saber de amores!
Cucurrucucu... cucurrucucu...
Cucurrucucu... paloma, ya no llores
Coo coo, dove, coo coo, don't cry. Stones will never know about love, dove. Coo coo, coo coo, dove, don't cry anymore.
Contributed by Audrey M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@gianni422
Ho avuto la fortuna di vederla una volta a Padova,la sua voce è unica
@mattsmalmberg7017
Great! Joan Baez! Cucurrucucu Paloma!
@anajalomo2707
I LOVE JOAN BAEZ. ALWAYS HAVE. AFTER HEARING THIS VERSION, I LOVE HER EVEN MORE.
@carolankrom811
I love her rendition. I think it’s one of the best songs she’s recorded
@luislm4295
Esa voz arropa el alma con mucho sentimiento amexico
@omarportolesrocamora2930
MARAVILLOSA
@martinezlirarafael7067
lA INTERPRETACION DE LAS CANCIONES MEXICANAS SON SU FUERTE.
@samilribeirosaheli4020
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🌹🐪
@jenvalue2931
Joan Baez does a fabulista rendición of this famous song!
@adenilsonleal495
Que linda voz!
Que linda essa interpretação!
O México tem mts cantores talentosos.
Daqui do Brasil vos saúdo e abraço, irmãos mexicanos.