Rexroth's Daughter
Joan Baez Lyrics

Coldest night of the winter
It was a very cold night in winter

Working up my farewell
Preparing to say goodbye

In the middle of everything
Amidst all the chaos

Under no particular spell
Not under any specific influence

Dreaming of the mountains
Imagining being in the mountains

Where the children learn the stars
Where young ones are taught about the stars

Clouds roll in from Nebraska
Clouds from Nebraska are coming

Dark chords on a big guitar
Playing heavy, deeply resonating notes on a large guitar

My restlessness is long gone
My anxiety and unease have dissipated

Standing like an old jack pine
Standing, strong and steady like an old Jack Pine tree

I'm looking for Rexroth's daughter
Searching for someone with the name Rexroth's Daughter

She's a friend of a friend of mine
She is an acquaintance of someone I know

Can't believe your hands and mouth
Shocked at what the hands and mouth did

Did all that to me
Performed those actions on me

And they are so daily naked
And they are frequently and openly exposed

For all the world to see
For everyone to notice

That thunderstorm in Michigan
A memorable thunderstorm that took place in Michigan

I never will forget
Will always remember

We shook right with the thunder
Trembled in unison with the sound of the thunder

& with the pounding rain got wet
Got soaked in the heavy rain

Where did you turn when you turned from me
Where did you go when you left me

With your arms across your chest
With your arms crossed over your chest

Ya, I'm looking for Rexroth's daughter
Yes, I am still looking for Rexroth's daughter

Saw her in the great northwest
Spotted her in the northwestern part of the country

Would she have said it was the wrong time
If I had found her at a different time, would she have rejected me?

If I had found her then
If I had come across her at that moment

I don't ask very much
Not expecting much

A field across the road and a few good friends
Just wanting a quiet place with a nearby field and some close friends

She used to come & see me
She used to visit me

She was always there & gone
She would visit briefly and then leave

Even the very longest love
Even the most enduring love

Do'nt last very long
Won't last forever

She'd stood there in my doorway
She had once stood in my doorway

Smoothing out her dress
Straightening her dress

Saying 'life is a thump-ripe melon-
Saying that life is full of surprises

-so sweet and such a mess'
So unpredictable and chaotic

I wanted to get to know you
I wanted to become better acquainted with you

But you said you were shy
But you claimed to be too reserved

I would have followed you anywhere
Would have gone along with you anywhere

But hello rolled into goodbye
But before long, greetings turned into farewells

I just stood there watching
I simply observed

As you walked along the fence
As you made your way along the fence

Beware of them that look at you
Be cautious of those who look at you

As an experience
As something to be tried or experimented with

You're back out on the highway
You're back on the road

With your poems of city heat
With your writings about urban life

Here on my own side street
Here on my own street

Well, the murderer who lived next door
The person who lived next door and was a killer

Seemed such a normal guy--
Seemed like an average person

You try to swallow what they shove at us
You try to accept what they push onto us

You run out of tears to cry
You stop being able to shed tears

I heard a man speak quietly
I overheard a man talking softly

I listened for a while
I heard him out for a bit

He spoke from his heart to my woe
He spoke earnestly and empathetically about my troubles

& then he bowed & smiled
And then he bowed and smiled

What is real but compassion
What is more genuine than compassion

As we move from birth to death
As we go through the journey of life

Ya, I'm looking for Rexroth's daughter
Yes, I am still searching for Rexroth's daughter

& I'm running out of breath
And I am getting tired

Spring will come back I know it will
I know that Spring will return

& it'll do its best
And it will try its hardest

So useful, so endangered
So needed and so threatened

Like a lion or a breast
Like the strength of a lion or the fragility of a breast

I think about my children
I think about my offspring

When I look at any child's face
Whenever I see a child's face

Pray that we will find a way
Wishing that we can find a solution

To get with all this amazing grace
To come to an understanding in the midst of all this wonderfulness

It's so cold out there tonight
It is extremely chilly outside tonight

Stormy I can hardly see
The storm is making it difficult to see

I'm looking for Rexroth's daughter
Still searching for Rexroth's daughter

& I guess I always will be.
& I think I always will be.