In "Silver Dagger", the female narrator turns away a potential suitor, as her mother has warned her to avoid the advances of men in an attempt to spare her daughter the heartbreak that she herself has endured. The 1960 recording by Joan Baez features only a fragment of the full ballad. "Katy Dear" uses the same melody but different lyrics, telling a similar story from a male perspective.
Silver Dagger
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's sleeping here right by my side
And in her right hand a silver dagger
She says that I can't be your bride
"All men are false", says my mother
"They'll tell you wicked, lovin' lies
The very next evening, they'll court another
My daddy is a handsome devil
He's got a chain five miles long
And on every link a heart does dangle
Of another maid he's loved and wronged
Go court another tender maiden
And hope that she will be your wife
For I've been warned, and I've decided
To sleep alone all of my life
The song "Silver Dagger" by Joan Baez is a folk ballad that tells the story of a young woman who is warned by her mother not to fall in love because all men are false and will leave her heartbroken. The mother holds a silver dagger, a symbol of protection, and warns the young woman that she cannot be her bride. The young woman's father, on the other hand, is described as a handsome devil who has loved and wronged many maidens, and wears a chain with a heart on every link.
The song portrays a conflict between love and fear, warning and desire. The mother's warning against love is portrayed as a protective gesture; the silver dagger symbolizes the mother's desire to protect her daughter's heart from being broken. Her father's actions, however, suggest that love can be fleeting and false, and that the risk of heartbreak is real. The young woman is caught between her desire for love and the fear of heartbreak.
The story told in "Silver Dagger" is not unique to the time and place where the song originated. The theme of a woman being warned against love by her mother is a common one in folk ballads, and the silver dagger as a symbol of protection appears in other songs as well. Baez's version of the song, however, has become one of the most famous and widely recognized interpretations of the traditional ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't sing love songs, you'll wake my mother
Please don't express your affection in front of my mother
She's sleeping here right by my side
She is sleeping next to me
And in her right hand a silver dagger
She holds a silver dagger, signifying the danger of romantic relationships
She says that I can't be your bride
My mother forbids me from marrying you
"All men are false", says my mother
My mother believes that all men are deceitful
"They'll tell you wicked, lovin' lies
They will deceive you with sweet and insincere words
The very next evening, they'll court another
They will pursue another woman the next evening
Leave you alone to pine and sigh"
They will leave you alone, sad and longing for their affection
My daddy is a handsome devil
My father is an attractive man, but not trustworthy
He's got a chain five miles long
He has a long history of relationships
And on every link a heart does dangle
Each link of the chain represents a woman who he has brokenhearted
Of another maid he's loved and wronged
He has mistreated women he has claimed to love
Go court another tender maiden
Find another woman to pursue
And hope that she will be your wife
And hope that she will actually marry you
For I've been warned, and I've decided
I have already been warned and have made up my mind
To sleep alone all of my life
To remain single for the rest of my life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOAN C. BAEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@naomi5815
Don't sing love songs, you'll wake my mother
She's sleeping here right by my side
And in her right hand a silver dagger,
She says that I can't be your bride.
All men are false, says my mother,
They'll tell you wicked, lovin' lies.
The very next evening, they'll court another,
Leave you alone to pine and sigh.
My daddy is a handsome devil
He's got a chain five miles long,
And on every link a heart does dangle
Of another maid he's loved and wronged.
Go court another tender maiden,
And hope that she will be your wife,
For I've been warned, and I've decided
To sleep alone all of my life.
@connork7301
Lyrics just incase your like me :]
Don't sing love songs, you'll wake my mother
She's sleeping here right by my side
And in her right hand a silver dagger
She says that I can't be your bride
"All men are false", says my mother
"They'll tell you wicked, lovin' lies
The very next evening, they'll court another
Leave you alone to pine and sigh"
My daddy is a handsome devil
He's got a chain five miles long
And on every link a heart does dangle
Of another maid he's loved and wronged
Go court another tender maiden
And hope that she will be your wife
For I've been warned, and I've decided
To sleep alone all of my life
@joshuaizly5502
I searched silver dagger to find a DIY to defend myself against werewolves but I regret nothing this song is awesome
@filippoz8093
Well, I hope you survived the werewolf attack anyway! 😆
@hurion
Lol i think this is my favorite comment ever
@KM-jp6hm
😂😂😂😂
@trudim8933
Me to!
@tangerineskinner1733
This is such a beautiful and captivating song. The opening is perfect, the imagery is hypnotic.
@thearchbishopofcanterbury7951
One of the very first songs she ever recorded, and has she ever sung better than this? The expression, the intonation, sustained notes just fading away... Perfection!
@rossriver75
Yes. I don’t think she herself could have duplicated this recording afterwords.
@ltulysew
Without doubt one of the greatest songs ever recorded.
@richardportman8912
I like it too.