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.
In My Time of Need
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you take away the pain of a hurtful deed
Cause when we need it most there's no rain at all
And the dust just settles right there on the feed
Will you say to me a little rain's gonna come
When the sky can't offer none to me
Cause I will come for you
And I'll let your smile just off and carry me
Cause when the calm comes down
I take the truck into town
And buy whatever we can't seem to grow
I work these hands to bleed cause I got my mouths to feed
And I got 15 dollars hid above the stove
Will you say to me a little rain's gonna come
When the sky can't offer none to me
Cause I will come for you
When my days are through
And I'll let your smile just off and carry me
Cause it ain't like it was on back in those days
When everyone would offer up a hand
These old bones are worn
I've grown tired some
And I know my time is surely gonna come
Will you comfort me in my time of need
Can you take away the pain of hurtful deeds
Cause I will comfort you when my days are through
And I'll let your smile just off and carry me
Lord we married young and stayed where we came from
And gave those children everything we had
Will you stay with me in my time of need
Though it seems we had such little time for us
Will you say to me a little rain's gonna come
When the sky can't offer none to me
Cause I will come for you
When my days are through
And I'll let your smile just off and carry me
The lyrics to Joan Baez's song In My Time of Need highlights the need for comfort during trying times. The singer asks a loved one to comfort them in their time of need as they struggle with the pain of a hurtful deed. The lyrics suggest that there are times when one may be in desperate need of help, and there seems to be none, and the dust settles right where it shouldn't be. In such times, one may feel alone and deserted.
The singer asks their loved one to tell them that a little rain is going to come when the sky is unable to offer any. They pledge to come for their loved one in the same way when their days are over and let their smile carry them. Despite struggling to make ends meet, the singer works hard to provide for their family, hoping to build a comfortable life for them. Despite the challenges, they need someone to comfort them in their time of need.
The song is about the comfort that comes from having someone to lean on in difficult times. It addresses the need for compassion and empathy towards oneself and others. It is an emotional track that encourages us to be there for each other in hardships, and give out a hand of support when needed.
Line by Line Meaning
Will you comfort me in my time of need
Will you be there for me when I am struggling and need support?
Can you take away the pain of a hurtful deed
Can you ease the emotional pain caused by a past mistake?
Cause when we need it most there's no rain at all
During our moments of greatest need, we often feel like we aren't getting any help at all.
And the dust just settles right there on the feed
When things don't work out for us, it often feels like everything just becomes stagnant and unchanging.
Will you say to me a little rain's gonna come
Will you offer me words of encouragement, letting me know that things will get better?
When the sky can't offer none to me
When it seems like there's no hope or help coming from the outside world.
Cause I will come for you
I will always be there for you when you need me.
When my days are through
Even when I am at the end of my life, I will still be there for you in spirit.
And I'll let your smile just off and carry me
The memory of your smile will bring me comfort and happiness.
Cause when the calm comes down
When things settle down and become peaceful.
I take the truck into town
I go to town to buy things that we can't grow ourselves.
And buy whatever we can't seem to grow
I buy things that we don't have the resources to produce ourselves.
I work these hands to bleed cause I got my mouths to feed
I work hard to provide for my family, even if it means sacrificing my own well-being.
And I got 15 dollars hid above the stove
I have a small amount of money stashed away in case of emergencies.
Cause it ain't like it was on back in those days
Things are different now than they were in the past.
When everyone would offer up a hand
People used to be more willing to help each other out in times of need.
These old bones are worn
I am exhausted from a lifetime of hard work.
I've grown tired some
I am feeling weary and in need of rest.
And I know my time is surely gonna come
I am aware that my own mortality is coming.
Lord we married young and stayed where we came from
We got married at a young age and never left our hometown.
And gave those children everything we had
We devoted all of our resources and energy into raising our children.
Though it seems we had such little time for us
We didn't have much time or energy left to focus on ourselves and our own needs.
Will you stay with me in my time of need
Will you stick by my side and offer support when I am struggling?
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RYAN ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Katharine C Y Baez
My Dearloved JoanC.Baez, here in the Foyer of homeless Women in Paris , You sing Your Songs and I took my Guitar and I do accompagny You,
And my Smile Carries You and My Voice joins Yours~ Jours et Nuits You will stay Forever with us,
I will stand By Your Side and we rejoice Us with Your
Wonderful heart Soul and Love
And Yes a little Rain is gonna come and a Rainbow will lead us two and All of and with Us further On the Road
Deine Frau Katharine Y Baez Katharina Scharlowski KAtharine C. Y Baez InAOLoves
Az desert gray
I feel Joan Baez carried a burden for us of the 60s. She went through so much and shared to us so we wouldn't have to experience the pain she suffered.
Mark Denton
makes me shiver! Saw Joan at Plymouth last year. Still as amazing as ever.
Tom Flynn
Thanks for posting this. It's one of my favorites from the latter part of her career.
Claudie Hebrard
La star Joan bisous 🇨🇵💌🌺🌷🌹
Katharina Scharlowski
~ thank you for being with us, your so precious Joan~
Danke Katharina
Katharine C Y Baez
My Joan , My Joan Chandos Baez I even am able to persuade my Soul to stay with You for Another Lifetime, being in fact destined to God, but i'll go with you The way twogether to gather the Earths revelation from its Burden of Hate and Jealousy, Envy and WoMen and creatureslaughter, from and inspired be falsely comprehended Religions and doctrines which brought to fighting against Each Other, brought into the world from sources unaware of or denying GODs Kindness is Love and Compassion and Barmherzigkeit und Pardon und Grace from Each One to the Other as One Two or Three or Four... or a greater group. Joan I want to live a Life of Love in Peaceful state of relations on this Earth between Races and People and Creation too with you, Yours, Katharine C. Y Baez And learn to live it, to give pardon I am Able To, to receive Pardon i Cain't live without; I know the Hurt is to be healed , Loves Love(')s the Answer, i see , know, fell and thank you for comforting me an come for lifting me up again , You did not only comfort me you accorded Chance to me to make it right, thank you, hey, i'll try i"ll try i'll try just grace i'll try just a little bit harder, Und ich werde ALLES DArein legen DICH Joan, DICH NICHT ZU VERLIEREN, Denn wirmoegen die gleiche Stasse gehen und verschiedeneWege sehen, doch wenn es heisst Die Huche Zu beziehen, Seien um und in uns Geadanken die uns zueinander fuehren und Ziehen, bis dahin sei alles verziehen,moegest Du , moegen wir in Schoeheit und Grazie und Liebe einziehen,Bienvenue,You Joan C. BAEZ My First Venue and destined and Forever Venue to fulfill me and Love to be Joan Baez,Danke Deine Katharine A C.Y Baez, K.Scharlowski
Kevin DeCloedt
Ryan Adams wrote this song. Great tune.
theeleven42
@Robert Steiner He wrote some other songs on this album but Ryan Adams wrote "In my time of need"
Robert Steiner
Greg Brown wrote this song
SCOTT RATHBUN
yes i knew that, but this one is better than his i think, but he wrote it which really matters, but did he write it or a spirit?
some great songs come from above, you are just a conduit for it, i know i'm one of them, but it fucks your head up