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
Fairfax County
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He came and stole my heart
Oh, how I count the hours
Since we were torn apart
On the road to Fairfax County
I spied a highwayman
He wanted all my money
I gave him all my money
And sweet he smiled at me
His beauty eye took pity
Beneath the black oak tree
We kissed but for an hour
The sun was newly warm
The clouds were as the flowers
That bloom but for a morn
He gave back all my money
And bowed most gallantly
He promised for to meet me
That night beneath the tree
We'd flee to some far island
And there we would be wed
And freely we would live there
With no price upon his head
That night I went to meet him
With my inheritance
He kissed me 'neath the half moon
And joyful we did dance
Oh, love betrays all secrets
It whispers in the breeze
The Sheriff, he did follow
With all his deputies
Like hounds rushing to slaughter
The fox whose luck is run
And he stood erect and cursed them
God damn you every one
They seized him in a fury
And heeding not my pleas
They hung him from the oak tree
Where he made love to me
Ohh, once I loved an outlaw
He came and stole my heart
Oh, how I count the hours
Since we were torn apart
"Fairfax County" is a song by Joan Baez in which she narrates the story of a woman who fell in love with an outlaw, who stole her heart, and how their love affair led to his tragic end. The song begins with Baez describing her love for the outlaw and how their separation has left her counting the hours. On the road to Fairfax County, she meets a "highwayman" who demands all her money, but instead of taking advantage of her, he returns the money and promises to meet her later that night.
That evening, the couple reunites, and the highwayman pledges to take her to a faraway island where they can live freely without the consequences of his past actions. However, the lovers' reunion is short-lived, as the Sheriff and his deputies find them and capture the outlaw. The song ends tragically as the outlaw is hanged, and Baez mourns his death.
Through the story of the song, Baez explores themes of forbidden love, betrayal, and the tragic consequences that can arise from loving someone who exists outside the law.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, once I loved an outlaw
The singer expresses how they had loved an outlaw in the past.
He came and stole my heart
The singer's heart was taken by the outlaw they loved.
Oh, how I count the hours
The singer expresses how time seems to drag on since they last saw the outlaw they loved.
Since we were torn apart
The artist and the outlaw they loved were separated.
On the road to Fairfax County
The artist is describing the location where the following events occurred.
I spied a highwayman
The singer saw a robber on the road.
He wanted all my money
The robber demanded that the singer give them all their money.
My heart beat like a drum
The artist's heart was beating fast and hard due to fear.
I gave him all my money
The artist gave the robber all the money they had.
And sweet he smiled at me
The robber smiled at the artist in a charming way.
His beauty eye took pity
The singer noticed that the robber had kind eyes.
Beneath the black oak tree
The artist and the robber had a conversation or interaction under the black oak tree.
We kissed but for an hour
The singer and the robber kissed for a period of time.
The sun was newly warm
The weather was starting to get warmer.
The clouds were as the flowers
The clouds in the sky were like flowers that only bloom for a short period of time.
That bloom but for a morn
The flowers referred to in the previous line only bloom for a short while, indicating that the artist's time with the robber was brief.
He gave back all my money
The robber returned all the money that the artist had given them.
And bowed most gallantly
The robber bowed in a polite and respectful manner.
He promised for to meet me
The robber agreed to meet the singer again.
That night beneath the tree
The robber and speaker arranged to meet later that night under the black oak tree.
We'd flee to some far island
The artist and robber planned to run away to a remote island together.
And there we would be wed
The artist and robber would get married on the island.
And freely we would live there
The couple would live together freely and happily on the remote island.
With no price upon his head
The robber would no longer be wanted by the law and there would be no reward for his capture.
That night I went to meet him
The singer went to meet the robber that night as planned.
With my inheritance
The singer brought their inheritance with them.
He kissed me 'neath the half moon
The robber kissed the singer under the light of the half moon.
And joyful we did dance
The couple danced together happily.
Oh, love betrays all secrets
The artist expresses that love can reveal things that people try to keep hidden.
It whispers in the breeze
Love can be felt or heard in the wind.
The Sheriff, he did follow
The sheriff pursued the robber and speaker.
With all his deputies
The sheriff had his deputies with him in the pursuit.
Like hounds rushing to slaughter
The sheriff and his deputies were closing in on the couple like dogs chasing after prey.
The fox whose luck is run
The robber was like a fox whose luck had run out and was now cornered.
And he stood erect and cursed them
The robber stood tall and cursed at his captors.
God damn you every one
The robber cursed at his captors for capturing him.
They seized him in a fury
The sheriff's deputies caught and captured the robber in a violent manner.
And heeding not my pleas
The sheriff and his deputies did not listen to the singer's pleas to spare the robber.
They hung him from the oak tree
The robber was executed by hanging from the black oak tree where he and the singer had kissed earlier.
Where he made love to me
The artist remembers being with the robber under the black oak tree.
Contributed by Leah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paul Heffron
This is the kind of song that exemplifies her best work and vocal style including the guitar work that supports it all.
Mata Pöze
I agree with you, she gives her best with these so folky songs and shows how good she was at guitar playing. I love this song so much!
hunhoniful
Chanson et interprétatrice sublimes!!
👉❤️(H🇭🇺)
Mata Pöze
On of her most beautiful folk ballad she sang, so touching, moving and her guitar playing is so perfect, very nice job, nobody can suffer the comparison... She is unique in this folk music since the late 50's! Thanks for posting...
Mata Pöze
As I already wrote, she gives her best in this so "folky" song. her guitar playing is so good and her voice shows so much emotion what she hardly did younger. I do love this song! Thank you for posting!
ramon larraza
the mostbeautiful voice ever created
hunhoniful
Ebből az angol énekelt szövegből sajnos nagyon keveset értek, de ez a dal enélkül is hátborzongatóan szép, tiszta, őszinte, elragadó!
Ez az a kor, amikor még csodaszép ZENÉK töltötték ki napjainkat! ❤️❤️(🇭🇺H)