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
De Colores
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De colores,
De colores se visten los campos en la primavera.
De colores,
De colores son los pajaritos que vienen de afuera.
De colores,
De colores es el arco iris que vemos lucir.
Why por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores
Canta el gallo,
Canta el gallo con el quiri, quiri, quiri, quiri, qui,
La gallina,
La gallina con el cara, cara, cara, cara, cara,
Los polluelos,
Los polluelos con el pÃo, pÃo, pÃo, pÃo, pi.
Why por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores
Me gustan a mÃ. (Repeat)
Joan Baez's "De Colores" is a song about the vibrant and colorful world of nature; the fields and the spring season, the rainbow, the birds from outside, the rooster, the chickens, and the chicks. The song conveys a message of appreciation and love for the beauty of nature, and the significance of embracing diversity. The first verse of the song touches upon the various colors of the flowers that bloom in the fields during the spring. The second verse describes the different colors of the birds that come from outside, while the third mentions the variety of colors of an arch in the sky after the rain. The refrain emphasizes that the singer loves the great loves of many colors, which is meant to be interpreted as a reference to people from different cultures and races.
The rest of the lyrics follow a pattern of naming a farm animal followed by its sound, and each verse ends with the same refrain. This creates a sense of rhythm to the song and reinforces the theme of celebration of diversity. The song is often associated with Latin American culture, especially with the Mexican and Puerto Rican communities, where it has become a folk standard. Joan Baez recorded the song in 1974, helped popularize the song, and it has since been covered by various artists.
Line by Line Meaning
De colores,
Colors are everywhere
De colores se visten los campos en la primavera.
Fields burst with colorful flowers each spring
De colores son los pajaritos que vienen de afuera.
Brightly-colored birds from afar grace our skies
De colores es el arco iris que vemos lucir.
The colorful rainbow shines before our eyes
Why por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores
Because of this, I adore the diverse, multicolored world
Me gustan a mÃ. (Repeat)
It's what I like the most!
Canta el gallo,
The rooster crows
Canta el gallo con el quiri, quiri, quiri, quiri, qui,
He sings with a hearty quiri, quiri, quiri, quiri, qui,
La gallina,
The hen
La gallina con el cara, cara, cara, cara, cara,
She clucks with the familiar cara, cara, cara, cara, cara,
Los polluelos,
The chicks
Los polluelos con el pÃo, pÃo, pÃo, pÃo, pi.
They chirp with a cheerful pÃo, pÃo, pÃo, pÃo, pi.
Lyrics © RAOUL BRETON EDITIONS, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Traditional, Jose Hernandez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sapphurn
My mom sang this song to me all the time. Although she is now in ashes, this song still makes me tear up today.
@eddiell1664
I’m sorry to hear that 😢
@josefinaperez6760
De. Colores
@colaheart_7442
This was my great abuela’s favorite song, at her funeral we all tried to sing it despite very few of us being fluent in Spanish. It didn’t matter though, abuela always said that as soon as you were part of the family (it didn’t matter if you were adopted of married in, she loved everyone the same and loved her family), you were Puerto Rican. She died at the age of 97, two days away from being 98. I’ll miss you abuela, but you’ll always be unforgettable for everything you did for everyone
@nillyk5671
You should all teach your children Spanish in her honor. My grandma also loved this song .
@evelynandina7930
Fr that was my grandmas fav song
@c1098
❤❤❤ Hermoso
@joseluismontero520
Magnifica.❤😊
@Scorpio12348
I just sang this song for my grandmother’s mass today! May she Rest In Peace.
@noerico7149
Brianna