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.
The 33rd of August
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Left me standing with my penny in my hand
There's a big crowd at the station where the blind man sings his song
But he can see what they can't understand.
(CHORUS)
Its the thirty-third of August and I'm finally touching down
Eight days from Sunday finds me Saturday bound.
Once I stumbled through the darkness, tumbled to my knees
A thousand voices screaming in my brain
Woke up in a squad car, busted down for vagrancy
Outside my cell as sure as hell, it looked like rain.
But now I've got my dangerous feelings under lock and chain
Guess I killed my violent nature with a smile
Though the demons danced and sang their song within my fevered brain
Not all my God-like thoughts, Lord, were defiled
The opening lines of Joan Baez's song 'The 33rd of August' paint a picture of a desolate and abandoned feeling, as the band has packed up and left the singer with nothing but a penny in her hand. The next lines describe a scene of a big crowd at the station where a blind man is singing his song, suggesting that the singer is not alone in her lamentation. The chorus emphasizes the feeling of being stuck, as the singer is finally "touching down" on the 33rd of August, eight days from Sunday, and finds herself "Saturday bound". This feeling of being in between days and not having anywhere to go is reiterated throughout the song.
The second verse of the song portrays a sense of violence and chaos, as the singer recounts stumbling through darkness and hearing a thousand voices screaming in her brain. She wakes up in a squad car, having been arrested for vagrancy, and the weather is gloomy and seemingly hopeless. However, the final lines of the verse suggest that the singer has found some sort of inner peace, as she has locked away her "dangerous feelings" and killed her "violent nature with a smile". Although the demons still sing within her fevered brain, not all of her thoughts are defiled, and the listener is left to wonder what these god-like thoughts may be.
Line by Line Meaning
Today, there's no salvation, the band's packed up and gone
I feel hopeless as the band that was supposed to uplift me has left me
Left me standing with my penny in my hand
I am left with nothing but a penny in my hand
There's a big crowd at the station where the blind man sings his song
Despite my situation, there are still people going about their day-to-day lives
But he can see what they can't understand.
The blind man sees things that others cannot comprehend
(CHORUS)
The singer reflects on a day in August when she is finally coming to terms with her current situation
Its the thirty-third of August and I'm finally touching down
The singer has reached a turning point and has landed in a moment of realization
Eight days from Sunday finds me Saturday bound.
The singer feels trapped in a cycle of unproductivity and yearns for change
Once I stumbled through the darkness, tumbled to my knees
The singer recalls a time of personal struggle
A thousand voices screaming in my brain
The voices in the singer's head were overwhelming
Woke up in a squad car, busted down for vagrancy
The singer experienced a low point in their life and was arrested
Outside my cell as sure as hell, it looked like rain.
The singer felt hopeless and saw no relief from their current situation
But now I've got my dangerous feelings under lock and chain
The singer has worked to conquer their negative emotions
Guess I killed my violent nature with a smile
The singer has learned to deal with their internal struggles in a healthier way
Though the demons danced and sang their song within my fevered brain
Despite her progress, the singer is still faced with personal demons
Not all my God-like thoughts, Lord, were defiled
Despite her struggles, the singer maintains her faith and sense of self-worth
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NEWBURY, Mickey Newbury
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Trudi Goodman
Thanks this is a beautiful version!
Anne Flaherty
this is one of the songs that lead me into my career
Alan Batterman
Excellent. Thanks for posting!
Saskia Cornell
Beautiful - haven't heard this song for quite some time. Saskia
Alwey Wong
Mickey and Joan would at times be entertaining at the same show. They would debate current events back stage.
Nancy Fox
My favorite version from Blessed Are...
Alan Batterman
This is it, Pam.
a khan
written by mickey newbury-also wrote angeline
Gary Huff
He also wrote "San Francisco Mabel Joy" another song I love that sweet Joan recorded.
Mr.404
You uploaded this on sep 2.
It`s 33rd Of August.