Joan Baez, born on January 9th, 1941, is an American folk singer and a song… Read Full Bio ↴Joan Baez, born on January 9th, 1941, is an American folk singer and a songwriter who is of mixed Mexican and Scottish descent. Baez rose to prominence in the early '60s with her stunning renditions of traditional balladry.

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

Mama You Been On My Mind
Joan Baez Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Maybe it's the color of the sun cut flat
An' coverin' the crossroads I'm standing at
Or maybe it's the weather or something like that
But mama, you are just on my mind.

I don't mean trouble, please don't put me down or get upset
I am not pleadin' or sayin', I can't forget
I do not walk the floor bowed down an' bent, but yet

Mama, you are just on my mind.

Even though my mind is hazy an' my thoughts they might be narrow
Where you been don't bother me nor bring me down in sorrow
It don't even matter to me where you're wakin' up tomorrow
But mama, you're just on my mind

When you wake up in the mornin', baby, look inside your mirror
You know I won't be next to you, you know I won't be near
I'd just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear
As someone who has had you on his mind

Maybe it's the color of the sun cut flat
An' coverin' the crossroads I'm standing at
Or maybe it's the weather or something like that

But mama, you are just on my mind
Mama, you are just on my mind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Joan Baez & Bob Dylan's song Mama You Been On My Mind, are essentially a message Dylan is conveying through the lyrics of a song to a former love. He admits in the song that he does not know exactly why he is thinking about her, it could be the color of the sun, the weather, or something entirely different. However, despite the circumstances of their separation, Dylan wants the listener to know that he is not pleading for forgiveness, nor is he begging for a second chance at a relationship. He acknowledges that he remembers their time together and that the memories of their past are still fresh in his mind. He is not concerned about where she is now, but he tells her that she's on his mind, regardless.

Dylan's delivery of the lyrics is poignant, and his use of poetic and vivid language paints the picture of a man who is both reminiscent and regretful. The song appears to show Dylan coming to terms with the end of a relationship and acknowledging that though their time together has passed, he still holds a deep affection for the person. He speaks to the universal experience of loss, regret, and memory in a way that listeners can identify with.

Line by Line Meaning

Maybe it's the color of the sun cut flat
I can't pinpoint why you're on my mind, but it could be something as simple as the color of the sun

An' coverin' the crossroads I'm standing at
I'm at a crossroads in my life and it seems like you're always on my mind when I'm making decisions

Or maybe it's the weather or something like that
There's something intangible that's making me think of you, maybe it's the weather or some other random thing

But mama, you are just on my mind.
No matter what the reason is, you occupy a lot of space in my mind

I don't mean trouble, please don't put me down or get upset
I hope you don't think I'm causing any problems by thinking of you, please don't be upset with me

I am not pleadin' or sayin', I can't forget
I'm not begging you to come back to me or saying I can't move on, but you still linger in my thoughts

I do not walk the floor bowed down an' bent, but yet
I may not show it outwardly, but I'm still affected by your presence in my mind

Mama, you are just on my mind.
No matter how hard I try to distract myself or move on, you remain in my thoughts

Even though my mind is hazy an' my thoughts they might be narrow
Even though my thoughts may be unclear or limited, you still manage to dominate them

Where you been don't bother me nor bring me down in sorrow
It's not that I care where you are or what you're doing, it's just that I can't seem to shake you from my thoughts

It don't even matter to me where you're wakin' up tomorrow
Your physical location doesn't affect me, but mentally you're still present

But mama, you're just on my mind
No matter the reason or circumstance, you take up a significant amount of space in my thoughts

When you wake up in the mornin', baby, look inside your mirror
I'm not physically with you, but I wonder if you ever think about me like I do about you

You know I won't be next to you, you know I won't be near
I'm aware that we're not together, but I can't seem to stop thinking about you

I'd just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear
I wonder if you truly understand yourself and if you see our relationship from the same perspective

As someone who has had you on his mind
As someone who can't seem to stop thinking about you, I just want to understand how you see yourself in our relationship

Mama, you are just on my mind.
No matter what I do, you persist in my thoughts and emotions

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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