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.
Te Recuerdo Amanda
Joan Baez Lyrics
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La calle mojada
Corriendo a la fabrica
Donde trabajaba Manuel
La sonrisa ancha la lluvia en el pelo
No importaba nada
Ibas a encontrarte
Son cinco minutos la
Vida es eterna en cinco minutos
Suena la sirena de vuelta al trabajo
Y tu caminando lo iluminas todo
Los cinco minutos
Te hacen florecer
La sonrisa ancha la lluvia en el pelo
No importaba nada
Ibas a encontrarte
Con él, con él, con él, con él, con él
Que partió a la sierra
Que nunca hizo daño que partió a la sierra
Y en cinco minutos
Quedó destrozado
Suena la sirena
De vuelta al trabajo
Muchos no volvieron
Tampoco Manuel
Te Recuerdo Amanda is a song by Joan Baez about a woman who fondly recalls a five-minute moment in her past when she was in love with a man named Manuel. It is a heartbreaking and nostalgic song that conveys the hardships of life and the fleeting nature of love. The song's lyrics describe how Amanda used to run to the factory where Manuel worked, eager to meet him and spend time with him. The rain and the smile on her face were inconsequential because she was going to see the love of her life.
The song's central theme revolves around the notion of time and how quickly it passes. The lyrics suggest that five minutes can feel like an eternity when we are happy, but it can also be devastatingly short in the face of tragedy. The line "the life is eternal in five minutes" can be seen as the song's thesis statement; it proclaims that life is unpredictable, and moments of happiness and pain will come and go, and we need to cherish and celebrate each of them. The song also highlights the inhuman nature of the industry and how it crushes the spirits of the workers who are forced to toil for meager wages. The sirens that signal the end of the break time and the return to the assembly line serve as both a metaphor and a symbol of the workers' oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
Te recuerdo Amanda
This is Joan Baez remembering Amanda.
La calle mojada
The wet street makes the environment cold and unfriendly.
Corriendo a la fabrica
Amanda rushes to the factory to meet Manuel
Donde trabajaba Manuel
Manuel, Amanda's love interest, worked there.
La sonrisa ancha la lluvia en el pelo
Amanda had a smile on her face despite the rain and wind.
No importaba nada
Nothing else was important to Amanda.
Ibas a encontrarte
She was going to meet with Manuel.
Con él, con él, con él, con él, con él
She was so excited to meet him that she repeated his name.
Son cinco minutos la
The meeting time was only five minutes.
Vida es eterna en cinco minutos
Time stands still when you are with the one you love.
Suena la sirena de vuelta al trabajo
The factory whistle sounds signaling the end of their break period.
Y tu caminando lo iluminas todo
Amanda brightened everything just by walking.
Los cinco minutos
This brief meeting period.
Te hacen florecer
Amanda felt alive and happy during these few minutes with Manuel.
Que partió a la sierra
Manuel left to go to the mountains.
Que nunca hizo daño que partió a la sierra
Manuel was gentle, kind and never harmed anyone.
Y en cinco minutos
Their time together was so brief.
Quedó destrozado
Manuel was destroyed or killed in a tragic event.
Muchos no volvieron
Many people did not return from the mountains.
Tampoco Manuel
Manuel did not return either.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Victor Jara
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@m.a.s.3732
Amanda y Manuel eran los padres de Víctor Jara. Una preciosa canción que él compuso a la memoria de sus padres.
@EduardoGarcia-qe8st
Joan Baez es una joya que no hemos sabido aprovechar y que está vigente aún. Estas voces son las que deberían tener difusión.
@agustinriosjimenez2721
👏👏🏽👏🏼👍🏼👍👍🏽👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🤗🥰
@nelsonbusta9200
Muy hermosa versión de una canción que llega erizar los pelos de un gran cantante Chileno Víctor Jara a quien le segaron su vida ese mismo año 73 solo por pensar distinto y en la lucha de un país sin diferencias con dignidad e igualdad. Se agradece que hayan subido este gran tema.
@marioangel
Amó profundamente esta canción, Joan Báez la interpretó, para mi, de un modo único que me hace vibrar.
@rauldiaz4927
tal vez por que Víctor Jara recién estaba asesinado y el mundo entero conocía el atroz, cobarde y salvaje crimen de pinochet.
@mariobaltazarolmedo9846
Joan Báez te amo, Víctor te ama también, mis respetos
@araceliromero8988
Yo tenía 12 años cuando por primera vez escuché ésta canción con Joan Báez, se me hizo triste y a la vez de protesta.
Hoy 22 de mayo del 2022 me vengo enterando que la compuso un chileno llamado Víctor Jara en honor a sus padres y que fue asesinado en el régimen de Pinochet.
En 5 minutos fueron destrozados tus sueños y los de él 😔.
@ManuRocco1
Se me eriza la piel...que preciosa canción del único VICTOR JARA y que linda interpretación de la gran JOAN BAEZ!
@linfridylosguerreroslaser4489
EL MEJOR TEMA DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS CONOCIDOS. GRACIAS VICTOR JARA POR ESTA OBRA FORJADA POR LOS MISMO DIOSES.