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
El Rossinyol
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Encomana'm a la mare, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Encomane'm a la mare, rossinyol,
I a mon pare no pas gaire, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
A un pastor me n'ha dada, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Que em fa guardar la ramada, rossinyol,
He perduda l'esquellada, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Jo t'he de donar per paga, rossinyol,
Un pet'o i una abraçada, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Rossinyol, que vas a França, rossinyol,
Encomana'm a la mare, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
The lyrics of Joan Baez's "El Rossinyol" (The Nightingale) narrate the story of a young woman who addresses a nightingale and asks it to carry a message to her mother. She requests that the nightingale bring her back a beautiful forest with its wings, and also entreats it to tell her father that she needs a similar forest. The singer explains that she is in trouble, bound to a man she does not love and that she needs to keep watch over the herd of sheep, but in the process she lost her bell. The song ends with the offer that the woman concedes to make the nightingale, a kiss and a hug to thank it for carrying her message.
The narrative in this song is rich in symbolic meaning. The nightingale served as a symbol of freedom and the messenger of love, and so the song speaks powerfully of lost love, longing, and an overwhelming desire for liberation. The desire for the forest can be seen as the desire for a place where the singer can be free, and happy. The loss of the bell, on the other hand, symbolizes the loss of a voice and a means of expression.
Line by Line Meaning
Rossinyol, que vas a França, rossinyol,
Thrush, who goes to France, thrush,
Encomana'm a la mare, rossinyol,
Recommend me to my mother, thrush,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
From a beautiful forest, thrush, from a flight.
I a mon pare no pas gaire, rossinyol,
And not much to my father, thrush,
Perquè m'ha mal maridada, rossinyol,
Because I'm badly married, thrush,
A un pastor me n'ha dada, rossinyol,
To a shepherd who has given me, thrush,
Que em fa guardar la ramada, rossinyol,
Who makes me watch the flock, thrush,
He perduda l'esquellada, rossinyol,
I have lost my freedom, thrush,
Jo t'he de donar per paga, rossinyol,
I have to give you as payment, thrush,
Un pet'o i una abraçada, rossinyol,
A kiss and a hug, thrush,
Rossinyol, que vas a França, rossinyol,
Thrush, who goes to France, thrush,
Encomana'm a la mare, rossinyol,
Recommend me to my mother, thrush,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
From a beautiful forest, thrush, from a flight.
Contributed by Arianna N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@soadschabibhany
A quien quiere acompañar la letra:
Rossinyol, que vas a frança, rossinyol,
Encomana'm a la mare, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Encomane'm a la mare, rossinyol,
I a mon pare no pas gaire, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Perquè m'ha mal maridada, rossinyol,
A un pastor me n'ha dada, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Que em fa guardar la ramada, rossinyol,
He perduda l'esquellada, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Jo t'he de donar per paga, rossinyol,
Un pet'o i una abraçada, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Rossinyol, que vas a frança, rossinyol,
Encomana'm a la mare, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
@Insapientis
Rossinyol, que vas a frança, rossinyol,
Encomana'm a la mare, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Encomane'm a la mare, rossinyol,
I a mon pare no pas gaire, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Perquè m'ha mal maridada, rossinyol,
A un pastor me n'ha dada, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Que em fa guardar la ramada, rossinyol,
He perduda l'esquellada, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Jo t'he de donar per paga, rossinyol,
Un pet'o i una abraçada, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
Rossinyol, que vas a frança, rossinyol,
Encomana'm a la mare, rossinyol,
D'un bell boscatge, rossinyol, d'un vol.
@susannapescini5886
Sentire la voce meravigliosa di Joan Baez dà un sorso di pace e di armonia in questo mondo così violento.
@raultsax
Cada cop que la sento m'emociono. Gran Joan Baez!!!!
@meltzerboy
I thought I had heard everything that Joan Baez recorded, but this is my first hearing of this beautiful song. Joan Baez' performance is lovely, as always. Thanks for sharing.
@shaudinmelgar-foraster7050
It's a traditional Catalan song. Happy that you liked it.
@johnmcd7
It's on her album 'Gracias a la Vida'.
@oliviaguevara1475
meltzerboy Joan Baez's my mom
@thatbitch1111
This song is very personal to me. Not perfectly, but it described my situation at the time. My mother had died. I am glad you appreciated it.
@janwieers8750
Una grande Baez
@jamesmonahan1870
BEAUTIFUL VOICE❤
@arnauarnau2777
Tres beau ,merveilleuse.❤️