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 Dangling Conversation
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of a now late afternoon,
As the sun shines through the curtained lace
And shadows wash the room.
And we sit and drink our coffee
Couched in our indifference,
Like shells upon the shore
You can hear the ocean roar
And the superficial sighs,
The borders of our alliance.
And you read your Emily Dickinson,
And I my Robert Frost,
And we note our place with bookmarkers
That measure what we've lost.
Like a poem poorly written
We are verses out of rhythm,
Couplets out of rhyme,
In syncopated time
And the dangled conversation
And the superficial sighs,
Are the borders of our alliance.
Yes, we speak of things that matter,
With words that must be said,
"Can analysis be worthwhile?"
"Is the theater really dead?"
And how the room is softly faded
And I only kiss your shadow,
I cannot feel your hand,
You're a stranger now unto me
Lost in the dangling conversation.
And the superficial sighs,
In the borders of our alliance.
The Dangling Conversation by Joan Baez is a poetic commentary on the demise of a relationship due to apathy and lack of effort. The opening lines describe the scenescape - a still life watercolor of an afternoon in which the sun is shining through the curtains, creating shadows in the room. The couple is sitting and drinking coffee but couching their conversation in an air of indifference, like shells on a shore. The ocean roaring in the background represents the missed opportunities to connect.
The second verse highlights the mismatched nature of the couple's communication. While one reads Emily Dickinson, the other reads Robert Frost; their bookmarks noting what they've lost. They are disjointed in their thoughts and unable to establish a rhythm. The "dangled conversation" and "superficial sighs" become the only defining feature of their alliance.
The final verse exemplifies the couple's lack of connection. There is a subtle longing hinted at through the observation of the soft fading of the room and the kiss of a shadow, but the lack of physical sensation highlights the emotional distance between the couple. They speak of things that matter but the words feel hollow and detached. The "dangling conversation" and "superficial sighs" have become the "borders of their alliance" and they are lost to each other.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a still life water color,
The scene, like a watercolor painting, is still and peaceful
Of a now late afternoon,
The time of day is late afternoon
As the sun shines through the curtained lace
The sun is shining through the curtains, casting shadows on the room
And shadows wash the room.
The shadows create a calming atmosphere as they cover the room
And we sit and drink our coffee
The couple is sitting and enjoying their coffee
Couched in our indifference,
Despite being together, they are emotionally distant
Like shells upon the shore
Their emotional distance is comparable to the distance between the shells on a beach
You can hear the ocean roar
Despite their emotional distance, they can still feel the power of their surroundings
In the dangling conversation
Their conversations lack substance and purpose
And the superficial sighs,
They breathe superficial sighs, indicating a lack of genuine emotion
The borders of our alliance.
Their relationship is limited and constrained by their emotional distance
And you read your Emily Dickinson,
The woman is reading the works of Emily Dickinson
And I my Robert Frost,
The man is reading the works of Robert Frost
And we note our place with bookmarkers
They use bookmarks to mark their progress in their respective books
That measure what we've lost.
The bookmarks represent their lost connection
Like a poem poorly written
Their relationship is like a poorly written poem
We are verses out of rhythm,
Their lack of connection is like verses out of rhythm in a song
Couplets out of rhyme,
Their lack of connection is like rhyming couplets that do not actually rhyme
In syncopated time
Their relationship is out of sync and lacks harmony
And the dangled conversation
They continue their conversations with no real end goal
And the superficial sighs,
They continue to sigh superficially, devoid of true emotion
Are the borders of our alliance.
Their lack of connection is what defines their relationship
Yes, we speak of things that matter,
Occasionally, they attempt to speak about important issues
With words that must be said,
They discuss these issues with the understanding that they are important
"Can analysis be worthwhile?"
One of the important issues they discuss is whether analysis is really valuable
"Is the theater really dead?"
Another important issue they discuss is whether theater is still relevant
And how the room is softly faded
As the day fades, the room around them fades as well
And I only kiss your shadow,
The man cannot connect emotionally with the woman, only her shadow
I cannot feel your hand,
The man cannot feel the woman's touch
You're a stranger now unto me
The man feels completely disconnected from the woman
Lost in the dangling conversation.
Their meaningless conversations have caused them to lose their connection
And the superficial sighs,
They continue to sigh superficially, indicating their disconnection
In the borders of our alliance.
Their emotional distance defines their relationship and limits their connection
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Simon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bobx2x2
It's a still life water color,
Of a now late afternoon,
As the sun shines through the curtained lae
And shadows wash the room.
And we sit and drink our coffee
Couched in our indifference,
Like shells upon the shore
You can hear the ocean roar
In the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs,
The borders of our lives.
And you read your Emily Dickinson,
And I my Robert Frost,
And we note our place with bookmarkers
That measure what we've lost.
Like a poem poorly written
We are verses out of rhythm,
Couplets out of rhyme,
In syncopated time
And the dangled conversation
And the superficial sighs,
Are the borders of our lives.
Yes, we speak of things that matter,
With words that must be said,
"Can analysis be worthwhile?"
"Is the theater really dead?"
And how the room is softly faded
And I only kiss your shadow,
I cannot feel your hand,
You're a stranger now unto me
Lost in the dangling conversation.
And the superficial sighs,
In the borders of our lives.
@frankienayman3641
It's a still life watercolor
Of a now-late afternoon
As the sun shines through the curtained lace
And shadows wash the room
And we sit and drink our coffee
Couched in our indifference, like shells upon the shore
You can hear the ocean roar
In the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs
The borders of our lives
And you read your Emily Dickinson
And I my Robert Frost
And we note our place with book markers
That measure what we've lost
Like a poem poorly written
We are verses out of rhythm
Couplets out of rhyme
In syncopated time
And the dangled conversation
And the superficial sighs
Are the borders of our lives
Yes, we speak of things that matter
With words that must be said
"Can analysis be worthwhile?"
"Is the church really dead?"
And how the room is softly faded
And I only kiss your shadow, I cannot feel your hand
You're a stranger now unto me
Lost in the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs
In the borders of our lives
@josefeschweiler3631
Beautiful song and her voice sounds great on this recording.
@juliocesarpereira4325
Just bought an old scratched vinyl of Joan Baez's Greatest Hits and this is my favorite track. Thanks for posting.
@BTanton100
Beautiful.I have this on an old LP.I haven't listened to it in years.Thank you for reminding me of a magical time as a young bride over 30 years ago
@whogivesaflyinfock
her voice is so earthy and hearty and oh so wonderful! and i love simon and garfunkel. Baez gives a wonderful rendition.
@MrBillyoz
whogivesaflyinfock h
@BlackasVelvet
Love this song, beautiful and very true lyrics, as it happens so often in life
@bobx2x2
It's a still life water color,
Of a now late afternoon,
As the sun shines through the curtained lae
And shadows wash the room.
And we sit and drink our coffee
Couched in our indifference,
Like shells upon the shore
You can hear the ocean roar
In the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs,
The borders of our lives.
And you read your Emily Dickinson,
And I my Robert Frost,
And we note our place with bookmarkers
That measure what we've lost.
Like a poem poorly written
We are verses out of rhythm,
Couplets out of rhyme,
In syncopated time
And the dangled conversation
And the superficial sighs,
Are the borders of our lives.
Yes, we speak of things that matter,
With words that must be said,
"Can analysis be worthwhile?"
"Is the theater really dead?"
And how the room is softly faded
And I only kiss your shadow,
I cannot feel your hand,
You're a stranger now unto me
Lost in the dangling conversation.
And the superficial sighs,
In the borders of our lives.
@rshnrvrrbrt
this was the first Baez album I ever bought (SF in '67)... "Joan", still one of my very favorites.
@jeannot01
Joan, You have an angelic voice. I've loved you since I was a child.
@shayclarke
this girl has a lovely voice!!