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
Plaisir D'amour
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The pain of love endures the whole life long
Your eyes kissed mine, I saw the love in them shine
You brought me heaven right there when your eyes kissed mine
My love loves me, a world of wonder I see
A rainbow shines through my window; my love loves me
And now he's gone like a dream that fades in the dawn
But the words stay locked in my heartstrings; my love loves me
Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'on moment
Chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie
J'ai toute quitte pour l'ingrate Sylvie
Elle me quit et me prend un autre amour
Tant qur cette eau coutera doucement
Vera a ruisseau qui bord la prairie
Je t'amerai, me repetait Sylvie
Mais l'eau coute encore elle a change portant
In these lyrics of Plaisir D'amour, Joan Baez explores the fleeting nature of love and the lasting pain that it can bring. She sings that the joys of love are short-lived, whereas the pain of love endures forever. The first two lines of the verse convey the essence of the song in its entirety. The poem suggests that there is a thin line between pleasure and pain when it comes to love. When love is at its peak, it feels like heaven; however, it can change swiftly bringing misery to the lovers. In the second verse, the singer expresses her overwhelming love for her partner, who is an object of her wonder. Their passion seems to bring colors to her life, drawing vivid imagery of a rainbow shining through her window. However, the ending of their love is inevitable, and it hurts like a dream that slowly fades away in the sunrise. Despite the circumstances, the words of love stay locked in her heartstrings.
Line by Line Meaning
The joys of love are but a moment long
Love's happiness fades quickly
The pain of love endures the whole life long
The sadness of love lasts forever
Your eyes kissed mine, I saw the love in them shine
When you kissed me, I saw your love in your eyes
You brought me heaven right there when your eyes kissed mine
Your love made me feel like I was in heaven
My love loves me, a world of wonder I see
My love for you is so great, I see a world of wonder
A rainbow shines through my window; my love loves me
Your love makes everything in life beautiful
And now he's gone like a dream that fades in the dawn
You left me like a dream that fades in the morning
But the words stay locked in my heartstrings; my love loves me
My love for you remains locked in my heart
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, TERRY RENDALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@susan3579
Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'on moment
Chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie
The joys of love are but a moment long
The pain of love endures the whole life long
Your eyes kissed mine,
I saw the love in them shine
You brought me heaven right then,
when your eyes kissed mine
My love loves me and all the wonders I see
A rainbow shines in my window,
my love loves me
And now he's gone,
like a dream that fades into dawn
But the words stay locked in my heartstrings,
my love loves me
Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'on moment
Chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie
@SeymourSunshine
This song takes me back to the days of my youth in the early 70s. I had the most wonderful girlfriend who was learning to play the guitar and this was one of her favourite songs. I can remember it so well: she was sitting at her desk silhouetted by the window behind her and she sang it to me.
Ahhh! They were such happy days. Thank you for posting this; you've made an ageing man very happy.
@literaine6550
I learned to play this in my second or third year of piano, I didn't know so many loved this beautiful song like I did. She sings like an angel, I am in tears.
@artdanks4846
I never heard Joan sing this before! It's so beautiful! I used to sing this as a classical singer, but this version is so very beautiful! I've always loved Joan Baez' voice, but never heard her sing like this! Thank you for posting!!
@mofitz8
The most hauntingly beautiful song ever. Sublime.
@bealisa3898
I agree...
@BarbaraHenderson1
I remember when a dear friend sang this to an elderly couple who were celebrating their wedding anniversary. We were at a restaurant in Venice (Italy). That was over 30 years ago and I still treasure the memory...
@jeanpierrezutter587
Magnifique interprétation !!
@nadiahope1175
Oh, what a beautiful song...the words speak of love that's so pure and beautiful! ...we've lost so much in this generation!
@michelleregis6181
This was my mom's favorite song she used to sing it in French.......she passed away last month, I miss her so much
@myrthariche6087
Michelle Regis