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. On July 28, 2019, following dates across Europe, Baez performed her final concert at Madrid's Teatro Real. In January 2021, Baez received a 2020 Kennedy Center Honor.
Stewball
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the mane on his fore top was fine as silk thread
I rode him in England, I rode him in Spain
And I never did lose, boys, I always did gain
So come all you gamblers, wherever you are
And don't bet your money on that little gray mare
Most likely she'll stumble, most likely she'll fall
As they were a-riding, 'bout halfway round
That grey mare - she stumbled, and fell on the ground
And way out yonder, ahead of them all
Came a-prancing and a-dancing, my noble Stewball
Stewball was a race horse, and by the day he was mine
He never drank water, he always drank wine
The song Stewball by Joan Baez tells the story of a champion racehorse named Stewball, ridden by a confident gambler who never lost a bet. The horse is described as a majestic animal, with a grand posture and a smooth mane. The gambler takes pride in having ridden him in different countries, never facing a defeat. He calls out to fellow gamblers, warning them against betting on a little gray mare that is likely to stumble and fall. Instead, he encourages them to put their money on Stewball, the noble horse that always wins.
During a race, the little gray mare does stumble and fall, while Stewball, who was prancing and dancing ahead of everyone, wins the race without any competition. This further cements his position as a legendary champion racehorse. The last line of the song is quite intriguing as it says, "Stewball was a racehorse, and by the day he was mine. He never drank water, he always drank wine." This line is open to interpretation, but it perhaps suggests that Stewball was a rare and exotic breed of horse that was treated with luxury and extravagance by its wealthy owner.
Line by Line Meaning
Stewball was a good horse, he wore his head high
Stewball was an exceptional horse with a proud demeanor
And the mane on his fore top was fine as silk thread
His mane was fine and delicate, akin to silk threads
I rode him in England, I rode him in Spain
I rode him across the world, from England to Spain
And I never did lose, boys, I always did gain
I never lost the races I participated in with Stewball, always emerging victorious.
So come all you gamblers, wherever you are
All gamblers, listen up!
And don't bet your money on that little grey mare
Don't bet on that little grey mare, she's likely to fail
Most likely she'll stumble, most likely she'll fall
The grey mare is more likely to trip and fall
But never you'll lose, boys, on my noble Stewball
But you'll never lose a bet on my noble Stewball.
As they were a-riding, 'bout halfway round
While they were riding the racecourse, halfway through the race.
That grey mare - she stumbled, and fell on the ground
The grey mare stumbled and fell on the ground.
And way out yonder, ahead of them all
And a little further away from them, ahead of all the other horses.
Came a-prancing and a-dancing, my noble Stewball
Came my noble Stewball, prancing and dancing.
Stewball was a race horse, and by the day he was mine
Stewball was a race horse, and he was mine from the day I got him.
He never drank water, he always drank wine
Stewball never drank water, he always drank wine. (This line may be satire, or an exaggeration to emphasize Stewball's uniqueness
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ralph C. Rinzler, Robert A. Yellin, John Herald
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brinley
Stewball was a good horse, he wore his head high
And the mane on his fore top was fine as silk thread
I rode him in England, I rode him in Spain
And I never did lose, boys, I always did gain
So come all you gamblers, wherever you are
And don't bet your money on that little gray mare
Most likely she'll stumble, most likely she'll fall
But never you'll lose, boys, on my noble Stewball
As they were a-riding, 'bout halfway round
That grey mare - she stumbled, and fell on the ground
And way out yonder, ahead of them all
Came a-prancing and a-dancing, my noble Stewball
Stewball was a race horse, and by the day he was mine
He never drank water, he always drank wine
mustapha koukeb
Comment changer les paroles d'une chanson? le sens et roles sont trahie malgre une tres belle interpretation huges auffray toujours vivant chanteur deuis plus de 50 ans je crois les vraie paroles Il s'appelait Stewball.
C'était un cheval blanc.
Il était mon idole
Et moi, j'avais dix ans.
Notre pauvre père
Pour acheter ce pur sang
closevolume_off
Avait mis dans l'affaire
Jusqu'à son dernier franc.
Il avait dans la tête
D'en faire un grand champion
Pour liquider nos dettes
Et payer la maison
Et croyait à sa chance.
Il engagea Stewball
Par un beau dimanche
Au grand prix de St-Paul.
Je sais, dit mon père
Que Stewball va gagner.
Mais, après la rivière
Stewball est tombé.
Quand le vétérinaire
D'un seul coup, l'acheva
J'ai vu pleurer mon père
Pour la première fois.
Il s'appelait Stewball.
C'était un cheval blanc.
Il était mon idole
Et moi, j'avais dix ans
Claudie Hebrard
Très belle version , très belle voix ♥️🟦⬜🟥🍀👍
Tim McKeown
Such a beautiful voice.
Anthony Hutchings
Amazing voice
Brinley
Stewball was a good horse, he wore his head high
And the mane on his fore top was fine as silk thread
I rode him in England, I rode him in Spain
And I never did lose, boys, I always did gain
So come all you gamblers, wherever you are
And don't bet your money on that little gray mare
Most likely she'll stumble, most likely she'll fall
But never you'll lose, boys, on my noble Stewball
As they were a-riding, 'bout halfway round
That grey mare - she stumbled, and fell on the ground
And way out yonder, ahead of them all
Came a-prancing and a-dancing, my noble Stewball
Stewball was a race horse, and by the day he was mine
He never drank water, he always drank wine
Deodato Souza
I believe yours is the former version she recorded.
theukuleledirectory dot com
Thanks for those, is that the traditional version?
Robert Willert
Extremely sad song. Makes me cry whenever Joan Baez sings this.
KATHRYN KLEINEICK
Probably the first song I heard by Joan many years ago...
Mike McMillan
My mom used to sing this all the time. Didn't know where it came from until now. Damn Ms. BAez can sing.
Donald Zahnke
Peter paul and mary recored tis somg