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. Over fifty years after she first began singing publicly in 1958, Joan Baez continues to tour, demonstrate in favor of human rights and nonviolence, and release albums for a world of devoted fans.
1959
The Partisan
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were cautioned to surrender
This I could not do
Into the hills I vanished
No one ever asks me
Who I am or where I'm going
But those of you who know
I have changed my name so often
I have lost my wife and children
But I have many friends
And some of them are with me
An old woman gave us shelter
Kept us hidden in a garrett
And then the soldiers came
She died without a whisper
There were three of us this morning
And I'm the only one this evening
Still I must go on
Frontiers are my prison
Oh the winds, the winds are blowing
through the graves the winds are blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then we'll come from the shadow
The Partisan by Joan Baez is a beautiful song that tells the story of a freedom fighter who goes into hiding in the hills after they are asked to surrender. They are haunted and relentlessly pursued by enemies but being a symbol of freedom they continue to evade their adversaries. The singer in this song has a new identity and has left their family behind. But they have made friends who are with them in the fight for freedom. This is a song about resilience and the fight for freedom. It is a story that reminds us that freedom is not always free and those who fight for it often pay a heavy price.
This song is a reminder that the fight for freedom is never easy. Death is often looming over freedom fighters, and it's often a fight between life and death. The song also shows how one can make sacrifices for the sake of freedom. It shows the importance of courage, resilience, and determination in the face of adversity. Furthermore, the touching lyrics of this song remind us of how war and conflict can take away everything, leaving people with nothing but their spirit and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
They poured across the borders
The enemy crossed the country's borders
We were cautioned to surrender
We were told to give up and let the enemy win
This I could not do
I couldn't bring myself to give up
Into the hills I vanished
I fled to the hills to hide from the enemy
No one ever asks me
No one questions my identity
Who I am or where I'm going
No one knows who I am or where I'm headed
But those of you who know
Those who are familiar with my situation
You cover up my footprints
You help me hide my tracks from the enemy
I have changed my name so often
I've switched identities frequently to avoid detection
I have lost my wife and children
My loved ones are no longer with me due to the war
But I have many friends
I have allies who support me
And some of them are with me
Some of my friends are fighting with me
An old woman gave us shelter
A kind lady provided us with a hiding spot
Kept us hidden in a garrett
We were kept hidden in a small attic
And then the soldiers came
The enemy soldiers discovered our hiding place
She died without a whisper
The old woman died quietly
There were three of us this morning
There were three of us hiding in the attic earlier
And I'm the only one this evening
Now it's just down to me
Still I must go on
I have to keep fighting
Frontiers are my prison
Borders are keeping me trapped
Oh the winds, the winds are blowing
The winds are blowing hard
through the graves the winds are blowing
The winds are blowing through the graves of those who died in the war
Freedom soon will come
I believe that we will win and regain our freedom
Then we'll come from the shadow
When the war is over, we'll come out of hiding and celebrate our victory
Lyrics © RAOUL BRETON EDITIONS, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANNA MARLY, HY ZARET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin Ovenden
Beautifully sung Greek in the final stanza. In 1973, while the country was under the Junta.
A terrific gesture of international solidarity by an American performer to a Parisian audience.
L. Campos
Really. A gesture that she repeated many, so many times, in so many ways for more than half a century, sometimes risking her life and freedom . Joan Baez is a beautiful and brave soul indeed, a bodhisattva.
Mauricio Pinto
Valiente y precioso
Gabriel Vañek
The woman in 2:27 was Melina Mercouri, to whom JB version of this song is dedicated, as she says in her Come from the shadows album. ❤️
Mélina Charlet
For the people who keep comparing her version with Cohen's one: the whole thing is much more complex. Those are two different interpretations and visions. With a protest song you have two ways of transmit your message. You can sing it privileging the universality of the song by making it impersonal: this vision is impactful if you want to creat a powerful movement around the song, an enthusiasm for your cause and a feeling of unity. That's why national anthems are most of the time performed this way. And this is also Joan's choice for "The Partisan". Cohen chose the other possibility: individualizing the song to turn it into an individual experience. You're not impactful because you creat enthusiasm and unity but because you transmit emotions to your audience. You're telling a particular story. It's also powerful. But those two visions have different goals and different outcomes.
paul jacquart
Mélina Charlet pourquoi utiliser vous le prénom de cette dame et le nom de monsieur Cohen,,
L interprétation de cette composition n a que de la valeur musicale interprétée par Léonard Cohen
Owen Reese
This feels like a high-riding epic, a wartime tragedy that celebrates a rebellious spirit. Cohen performed it as if he himself was the soldier, recounting the events. Both interesting perspectives.
Ari cifu
BELLÍSIMO TEMA. Lo escuché por primera vez en la década del 70, cuando era niña todavía.
Aún cuando no sabía de qué se trataba, la voz prístina de Joan Baez, me llegó al alma. Hoy supe que hay otras versiones, Cohen entre otros. Aunque también es hermosa voz, y suena más triste y lastimera acorde a la letra ; me quedo con la fuerza de Joan. 💖
Jean-Allain Madec
Une grande chanteuse, vraiment quelqu'un de très très bien, elle a défendu la liberté, la vraie liberté, une grande dame de la chanson.....
Heretik
Et elle la défend toujours ;)