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
Ellas Danzan Solas
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Por que hay tristeza en sus miradas?
Hay soldados tambien
Ignoran su dolor
Porque desprecian el amor
Danzan con los muertos
Los que ya no estan
No dejan de danzar
Danzan con sus padres
Sus nios tambien
Y con sus esposos
En soledad, en soledad
Yo las vi, en silencio gritar
No hay otra manera de protestar
Si dijeran algo mas
Solo un poco mas
Otra mujer seria torturada
Con seguridad
Danzan con los muertos
Los que ya no estan
Amores invisibles
No dejan de danzar
Danzan con sus padres
Sus nios tambien
Y con sus esposos
En soledad, en soledad
Un dia danzaremos
Sobre sus tumbas, libres
Un dia cantaremos
Al danzar
Un dia danzaremos
Sobre sus tumbas, libres
Un dia cantaremos
Al danzar
Ellas danzan con los desaparecidos
Danzan con los muertos
Danzan con amores invisibles
Con silenciosa anustia
Danzan con sus padres
Con sus hijos
Con sus esposos
Ellas danzan solas
Danzan solas
Hey Mr Pinochet
Su siembra huele mal
Y ese dinero que recibe
Pronto se terminara
No podra comprar mas armas
Ni a sus verdugos pagar
Imagine a su madre
Danzando siempre en soledad
Danzan con los muertos
Los que ya no estan
Amores invisibles
No dejan de danzar
Danzan con sus padres
Sus nios tambien
Y con sus esposos
En soledad, en soledad
The lyrics to Joan Baez's "Ellas Danzan Solas" (They Dance Alone) are about women who are left to dance alone in the aftermath of political violence and oppression. These women are dancing with the memory of their loved ones who have been disappeared, tortured, or killed. The opening lines of the song ask why they are dancing alone with sadness in their eyes. The lyrics point out that even soldiers ignore their pain and suffering because they despise love. The women continue to dance with the memory of their loved ones who are no longer there. The mention of "amores invisibles" (invisible loves) is a reference to the loved ones that they have lost, who are not physically present but whose memory continues to live on.
The women's dance is a silent form of protest against the atrocities committed by the dictatorship that is being criticized in the song. The lyrics suggest that if these women were to say more, they would only be punished further. They are dancing with the dead, who represent the loss of a generation of young people who fought for justice and whose sacrifice has not been forgotten. The song ends on a note of hope as Baez sings about a future day when people will be free to dance on the graves of the oppressors.
Overall, "Ellas Danzan Solas" is a powerful song that captures the pain, sorrow, and hope of a generation of people who have suffered under political violence and oppression. The dance of these women is a metaphor for their resilience and determination to honor the legacy of their loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
Por que estan aqui, danzando solas?
Why are they here, dancing alone?
Por que hay tristeza en sus miradas?
Why is there sadness in their gazes?
Hay soldados tambien
There are soldiers too
Ignoran su dolor
Ignoring their pain
Porque desprecian el amor
Because they despise love
Danzan con los muertos
Dancing with the dead
Los que ya no estan
Those who are no longer here
Amores invisibles
Invisible loves
No dejan de danzar
They keep dancing
Danzan con sus padres
Dancing with their parents
Sus nios tambien
With their children too
Y con sus esposos
And with their spouses
En soledad, en soledad
In solitude, in solitude
Yo las vi, en silencio gritar
I saw them silently screaming
No hay otra manera de protestar
There is no other way to protest
Si dijeran algo mas
If they said something more
Solo un poco mas
Just a little more
Otra mujer seria torturada
Another woman would be tortured
Con seguridad
For sure
Un dia danzaremos
One day we will dance
Sobre sus tumbas, libres
Over their graves, free
Al danzar
While dancing
Ellas danzan con los desaparecidos
They dance with the disappeared
Con silenciosa anustia
With silent anguish
Ellas danzan solas
They dance alone
Hey Mr Pinochet
Hey Mr Pinochet
Su siembra huele mal
Your harvest smells bad
Y ese dinero que recibe
And that money you receive
Pronto se terminara
Will soon run out
No podra comprar mas armas
You won't be able to buy more weapons
Ni a sus verdugos pagar
Nor pay your executioners
Imagine a su madre
Imagine your mother
Danzando siempre en soledad
Forever dancing alone
Los que ya no estan
Those who are no longer here
Amores invisibles
Invisible loves
No dejan de danzar
They keep dancing
Danzan con sus padres
Dancing with their parents
Sus nios tambien
With their children too
Y con sus esposos
And with their spouses
En soledad, en soledad
In solitude, in solitude
Contributed by Riley C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Unión Trabajadores de la Educación
Hermosa
Juan Cerda
Hasta la eternidad compañeras y compañeros detenidos desaparecidos
Jkonkin Locuciones
Hey mr Pinochet
Su siembra huele mal!!!!!!