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
Prison Trilogy
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Billy Rose was a low rider, Billy Rose was a night fighter
Billy Rose knew trouble like the sound of his own name
Busted on a drunken charge
Driving someone else's car
The local midnight sheriff's claim to fame
Billy fought the sergeant for some milk that he demanded
Knowing they'd remain the boss
Knowing he would pay the cost
They saw he was severely reprimanded
In the blackest cell on "A" Block
He hanged himself at dawn
With a note stuck to the bunk head
Don't mess with me, just take me home
Come and lay, help us lay
Young Billy down
Luna was a Mexican the law called an alien
For coming across the border with a baby and a wife
Though the clothes upon his back were wet
Still he thought that he could get
Some money and things to start a life
It hadn't been too very long when it seemed like everything went wrong
They didn't even have the time to find themselves a home
This foreigner, a brown-skin male
Thrown into a Texas jail
It left the wife and baby quite alone
He eased the pain inside him
With a needle in his arm
But the dope just crucified him
He died to no one's great alarm
Come and lay, help us lay
Young Luna down
And we're gonna raze, raze the prisons
To the ground
Kilowatt was an aging con of 65 who stood a chance to stay alive
And leave the joint and walk the streets again
As the time he was to leave drew near
He suffered all the joy and fear
Of leaving 35 years in the pen
And on the day of his release he was approached by the police
Who took him to the warden walking slowly by his side
The warden said "You won't remain here
But it seems a state retainer
Claims another 10 years of your life."
He stepped out in the Texas sunlight
The cops all stood around
Old Kilowatt ran 50 yards
Then threw himself down on the ground
They might as well just have laid
The old man down
And we're gonna raze, raze the prisons
To the ground
Help us raze, raze the prisons
To the ground
© 1971, 1972 Chandos Music (ASCAP)
Joan Baez's "Prison Trilogy" tells the stories of three different prisoners who were incarcerated for different reasons. Each verse describes the harsh conditions prisoners are subjected to, but also the personal struggles of the prisoners themselves. The first verse tells the story of Billy Rose, who was arrested for driving someone else's car while drunk. He ends up in an Arizona jail where he is severely punished for standing up for himself by demanding milk. After being punished, he hangs himself in his cell with a note that reads "Don't mess with me, just take me home." The second verse tells the story of Luna, a Mexican immigrant who was arrested in Texas for being an alien. Luna and his family are trying to start a new life, but they are struggling to make ends meet. Luna turns to drugs to cope with his situation, dying of an overdose in jail. The third verse is about Kilowatt, a 65-year-old man who had been in prison for 35 years. As he is about to be released, the police inform him that he has to serve another 10 years. Unable to bear it, he collapses in the Texas sun.
Line by Line Meaning
Billy Rose was a low rider, Billy Rose was a night fighter
Billy Rose was a tough man who liked to live life on the edge
Billy Rose knew trouble like the sound of his own name
He was intimately familiar with trouble, it seemed to follow him everywhere he went
Busted on a drunken charge
He was arrested for driving under the influence
Driving someone else's car
He was caught driving a car that wasn't his
The local midnight sheriff's claim to fame
The sheriff was known for catching people who broke the law late at night
In an Arizona jail there are some who tell the tale how
There are stories about a man named Billy Rose in Arizona jail
Billy fought the sergeant for some milk that he demanded
Billy got into a fight with a sergeant over milk he wanted
Knowing they'd remain the boss
He knew the sergeant would still be in charge
Knowing he would pay the cost
Billy knew he would face consequences for his actions
They saw he was severely reprimanded
As a result, he was disciplined severely
In the blackest cell on "A" Block
Billy was put into a dark, isolated cell on the A block
He hanged himself at dawn
He committed suicide by hanging himself early in the morning
With a note stuck to the bunk head
He left a note attached to the bed
Don't mess with me, just take me home
The note expressed his desire to die rather than remain in jail
Come and lay, help us lay
The singer is calling for people to help lay the deceased to rest
Young Billy down
Specifically Billy Rose, who passed away in jail
Luna was a Mexican the law called an alien
Luna was a Mexican immigrant who was not legally permitted in the United States
For coming across the border with a baby and a wife
He entered the country with his family, likely seeking a better life
Though the clothes upon his back were wet
Even though he was likely struggling and underprepared for the journey
Still he thought that he could get
Even though he had very little, he hoped he could succeed
Some money and things to start a life
He wanted to obtain the resources he needed to build a new life
It hadn't been too very long when it seemed like everything went wrong
Their situation soured very quickly
They didn't even have the time to find themselves a home
They were unable to establish a leg up
This foreigner, a brown-skin male
Luna was a male with a darker complexion, which made him an outsider in certain neighborhoods
Thrown into a Texas jail
He ended up in a Texan jail due to unidentified actions
It left the wife and baby quite alone
Luna's wife and child were left without him or his support
He eased the pain inside him
Luna turned to drugs to alleviate his emotional suffering
With a needle in his arm
He used needles to inject drugs
But the dope just crucified him
The drugs ended up doing him more harm than good
He died to no one's great alarm
His death went unnoticed by many
Young Luna down
The deceased man Luna is the one who needs to be laid to rest
Kilowatt was an aging con of 65 who stood a chance to stay alive
Kilowatt was a 65-year-old convict who had a chance to be released from jail
And leave the joint and walk the streets again
He would finally be free to leave prison and resume his normal life
As the time he was to leave drew near
As his release date approached
He suffered all the joy and fear
He felt a mixture of emotions as he anticipated his release
Of leaving 35 years in the pen
After more than three decades of being locked up, leaving was overwhelming and frightening
And on the day of his release he was approached by the police
As he was being released, Kilowatt was stopped by the police
Who took him to the warden walking slowly by his side
He was taken to the warden while walking alongside the police
The warden said "You won't remain here
The warden informed Kilowatt that he would be leaving
But it seems a state retainer
However, there was an issue
Claims another 10 years of your life."
The state had the ability to hold him for another decade
He stepped out in the Texas sunlight
Despite this setback, he did eventually leave jail
The cops all stood around
Police officers were present when he was released
Old Kilowatt ran 50 yards
Kilowatt, now an old man, ran a short distance
Then threw himself down on the ground
And then he collapsed
And we're gonna raze, raze the prisons
The singer is calling for the end of the prison system altogether
To the ground
They want to completely destroy the prisons so that they are unusable and no longer have a place in society
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOAN C. BAEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-rl7id7zw3x
0:05Billy Rose was a low rider, Billy Rose was a night fighter
0:10Billy Rose knew trouble like the sound of his own name
0:16Busted on a drunken charge
Driving someone else's car
0:21The local midnight sheriff's claim to fame
0:26In an Arizona jail there are some who tell the tale
0:30how Billy fought the sergeant for some milk that he demanded
0:37Knowing they'd remain the boss
Knowing he would pay the cost
0:42They saw he was severely reprimanded
0:49In the blackest cell on "A" Block
0:54He hanged himself at dawn
0:59With a note stuck to the bunk head
1:04Don't mess with me, just take me home
1:08Come and lay, help us lay
1:13Young Billy down
1:19Luna was a Mexican the law called an alien
1:23For coming across the border with a baby and a wife
1:29Though the clothes upon his back were wet
1:32Still he thought that he could get
Some money and things to start a life
1:39It hadn't been too very long when it seemed like everything went wrong
1:44They didn't even have the time to find themselves a home
1:50This foreigner, a brown-skin male
Thrown into a Texas jail
1:55It left the wife and baby quite alone
2:02He eased the pain inside him
2:07With a needle in his arm
2:12But the dope just crucified him
2:17He died to no one's great alarm
2:22Come and lay, help us lay
2:26Young Luna down
2:31And we're gonna raze, raze the prisons
2:36To the ground
2:42Kilowatt was an aging con of 65 who stood a chance to stay alive
2:47And leave the joint and walk the streets again
2:52As the time he was to leave drew near
2:55He suffered all the joy and fear
2:57Of leaving 35 years in the pen
3:04And on the day of his release he was approached by the police
3:09Who took him to the warden walking slowly by his side
3:15The warden said "You won't remain here
3:18But it seems a state retainer
3:20Claims another 10 years of your life."
3:27He stepped out in the Texas sunlight
3:32The cops all stood around
3:37Old Kilowatt ran 50 yards
3:42Then threw himself down on the ground
3:46They might as well just have laid
3:51The old man down
3:56And we're gonna raze, raze the prisons
4:01To the ground
4:05Help us raze, raze the prisons
4:10To the ground
@tugadmundo
I cried when I was a teenager, when listening to this song ,I' m 62 now and I still feel tears comming to my eyes listening to it now.
@asraafolayan2733
i'm a couple years younger, but i feel you.
ever since my teenage years this music and these words have been there. and i wouldn't want it any other way. <3
@shahr910
Antonio Leitao same thing here, today I was finally able to find this song I used to listen in my late teens, I am 59!
@danielibnz
@Antonio Leitao Same feeling over here and I'm not ashamed to keep those "candid, genuine, naive" sentiments... also, curiously, in these times of virus, confinement, corruption, I'm bound to stand up for fight... I'm 67 now ...;-)
@ellenfarinagilmartin5907
I’m 62 also, same!
@jakdent2566
I am still crying now. Every . Time.
@Silverblade61
Goosebumps .... JOAN MY BEST SINGER !!!!
@janavrbova8622
Great song, voice and lyrics. 💖💖💖🎼☮️☮️☮️
@motherofpearlmusic2015
Joan Baez's voice is the most beautiful female voice I have ever heard.
@martinanguiano8547
You should see her in concert. Clearly a bucket lister!!!!! It was an Epic experience ~ Debbie