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.
Three Horses
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A stallion white
Prances the hills
In the morning light
His bridle is painted
With thunder and gold
Orchids and dragons
Pale knights of old
And now the children run
To see the stallion on the hill
Bringing bags of apples
And of clover they have filled
And the white horse
Tells his stories
Of the days
Now passed and gone
And the children stand
A-wondering
Believing
Every song
How brightly glows the past
When the sun is high
Comes a mare so red
A-trampling the graves
Of the living and dead
Her mantle is heavy
With mirrors and glass
All is reflected
When the red mare does pass
She´s the horse of the here and now
And now there is confusion
´mongst the children on the hill
They cling to one another
And no longer can be still
While the red mare´s
Voice is trembling
With a rare and
Mighty call
The children
Start remembering
The bearers
And the the pall
And though their
Many-colored sweaters
Are reflecting
In the glass
And though the sun
Shines down upon them
They are frightened
In the grass
How stark is the here and now
When the night does fall
Comes a stallion black
So proud and tall
He never looks back
He wears him no emaralds
Silver or gold
Not even a covering
To keep him from cold
He´s the horse of the years to come
And I will get me down
Before this steed upon my knees
And sing to him the sorrows
Of a thousand centuries
And the children
Now will scatter
As their mothers
Call them home
For the sadness
Of the evening horse
No child
Has ever known
And I will
Hang about him
A bell that´s
Never rung
And thank him
For the many words
Which from his throat
Have never sprung
And I´ll thank God
And all the angels
That the stallion
Of the evening
The black horse
Of the future
Comes to earth but has no tongue
Joan Baez's song "Three Horses" is a poetic and creative allegory that speaks about the past, present, and future. Through the use of powerful imagery and vivid descriptions, the song showcases the different horses that symbolize different periods of time. The white stallion in the early dawn represents the past as he prances the hills and tells stories of old. The red mare in the sun's high represents the present and tramples on the living and the dead. The black stallion at night represents the future, who is silent yet proud and tall, unmoved by the past or the present.
The song seems to highlight the cyclical nature of time and how different eras join to make up a comprehensive whole. In the first verse, the white stallion represents the memories of the past that children learn of, and in the second paragraph, the red mare symbolizes the tragedies and memories of the present that children find hard to understand. Finally, the black stallion representing the future, where the cycle of time begins again. Joan Baez's song "Three Horses" provides listeners with deep reflections about life's temporality and how it affects past and present human experiences.
Facts about "Three Horses":
Line by Line Meaning
In the early dawn
At the beginning of a new day
A stallion white
A bright and strong white horse
Prances the hills
Runs gracefully on the hills
In the morning light
Under the light of the sun
His bridle is painted
Decorated with paint
With thunder and gold
The colors of thunder and gold ornamentation
Orchids and dragons
Depictions of flowers and mythical creatures
Pale knights of old
Warriors and knights of a distant past
He´s the horse of the ages past
He is a representation of history and tradition
And now the children run
Youthful kids run
To see the stallion on the hill
To observe the horse on the hilltop
Bringing bags of apples
Carrying sacks filled with fruit
And of clover they have filled
And full of clover
And the white horse
The light-colored horse
Tells his stories
Shares his experiences
Of the days
Of bygone times
Now passed and gone
That have now come to an end
And the children stand
And the kids remain stationary
A-wondering
Filled with wonder
Believing
Trustfully accepting
Every song
Each melody
How brightly glows the past
The past always shines in a positive light
When the sun is high
When the sun is at its peak
Comes a mare so red
A red female horse appears
A-trampling the graves
Stepping hard on the tombstones
Of the living and dead
Of those who are alive and the deceased
Her mantle is heavy
The fabric draped over her back is weighty
With mirrors and glass
Composed of reflective and transparent materials
All is reflected
Everything is mirrored
When the red mare does pass
When she walks by
She´s the horse of the here and now
She represents the present moment
And now there is confusion
Currently, there is disorder
´mongst the children on the hill
Among the youngsters on the hillcrest
They cling to one another
They hold on to each other
And no longer can be still
And are no longer quiet
While the red mare´s
As the red horse's
Voice is trembling
Her tone is unsteady
With a rare and
With an unusual
Mighty call
Powerful sound
The children
The kids
Start remembering
Begin to recall
The bearers
The ones who carried
And the pall
And the mourning veil
And though their
And despite their
Many-colored sweaters
Multicolored garments
Are reflecting
Are casting a reflection
In the glass
On the mirrors
And though the sun
And despite the sunshine
Shines down upon them
Beams upon them
They are frightened
They are scared
In the grass
On the field
How stark is the here and now
The reality of the present moment is harsh
When the night does fall
As night comes
Comes a stallion black
A black male horse appears
So proud and tall
Very confident and upright
He never looks back
He never gazes behind himself
He wears him no emaralds
He doesn't have jewels on him
Silver or gold
Neither silver nor gold
Not even a covering
Not even a cloth
To keep him from cold
To shield him from the cold
He´s the horse of the years to come
He represents the future
And I will get me down
I will descend
Before this steed upon my knees
In front of this noble animal on my knees
And sing to him the sorrows
And sing of my lamentations to him
Of a thousand centuries
Of many centuries
And the children
And the kids
Now will scatter
Will move away now
As their mothers
As their female parents
Call them home
Tell them to come back
For the sadness
Because of the sorrow
Of the evening horse
The gloominess of the night horse
No child
None of the children
Has ever known
Has ever experienced
And I will
I will
Hang about him
Place around him
A bell that´s
A ringing device that is
Never rung
That has never been sounded
And thank him
And express gratitude to him
For the many words
For the abundance of messages
Which from his throat
That come from his throat
Have never sprung
That have never come forth
And I´ll thank God
And I will show gratitude to God
And all the angels
And to all the angels
That the stallion
That this horse
Of the evening
Of the night
The black horse
The dark horse
Of the future
That represents the future
Comes to earth but has no tongue
Comes to the world but cannot speak
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOAN BAEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LeavemealoneMrSun
In the early dawn
A stallion white
Prances the hills
In the morning light
His bridle is painted
With thunder and gold
Orchids and dragons
Pale knights of old
He´s the horse of the ages past
And now the children run
To see the stallion on the hill
Bringing bags of apples
And of clover they have filled
And the white horse
Tells his stories
Of the days
Now passed and gone
And the children stand
A-wondering
Believing
Every song
How brightly glows the past
When the sun is high
Comes a mare so red
A-trampling the graves
Of the living and dead
Her mantle is heavy
With mirrors and glass
All is reflected
When the red mare does pass
She´s the horse of the here and now
And now there is confusion
´mongst the children on the hill
They cling to one another
And no longer can be still
While the red mare´s
Voice is trembling
With a rare and
Mighty call
The children
Start remembering
The bearers
And the pall
And though their
Many-colored sweaters
Are reflecting
In the glass
And though the sun
Shines down upon them
They are frightened
In the grass
How stark is the here and now
When the night does fall
Comes a stallion black
So proud and tall
He never looks back
He wears him no emeralds
Silver or gold
Not even a covering
To keep him from cold
He´s the horse of the years to come
And I will get me down
Before this steed upon my knees
And sing to him the sorrows
Of a thousand centuries
And the children
Now will scatter
As their mothers
Call them home
For the sadness
Of the evening horse
No child
Has ever known
And I will
Hang about him
A bell that´s
Never rung
And thank him
For the many words
Which from his throat
Have never sprung
And I´ll thank God
And all the angels
That the stallion
Of the evening
The black horse
Of the future
Comes to earth but has no tongue
@katharinecybaez2340
My Dearloved Lady JoanC BAez, Joan BAez Lesbian woman and Wife
In the remembrance and forward looking to the Lily and us Roses and the Threeside
Beauty of a Love ~Letter written from Both sides and the Meaning and the vows are found on the side inmitten
Is Loves Answer to Pain and sorrow
And rape
It’s the Joy of Living Love
As womenloving women
Loves we are
And of Desire we will receive and give and gave
And the touch of Your Mind
my Joan
Enlightens me
And saves from being blind
And the Lily standing in the sunshine
We will cross the street
To unite hers ours yours and myne
We will join
Come with me my Joan Baez we will unite
DeineKatharine Y BAez KAtharina Scharlowski InAOLoves Katharine C. My midnight stallion unforgotten JOan
@LeavemealoneMrSun
In the early dawn
A stallion white
Prances the hills
In the morning light
His bridle is painted
With thunder and gold
Orchids and dragons
Pale knights of old
He´s the horse of the ages past
And now the children run
To see the stallion on the hill
Bringing bags of apples
And of clover they have filled
And the white horse
Tells his stories
Of the days
Now passed and gone
And the children stand
A-wondering
Believing
Every song
How brightly glows the past
When the sun is high
Comes a mare so red
A-trampling the graves
Of the living and dead
Her mantle is heavy
With mirrors and glass
All is reflected
When the red mare does pass
She´s the horse of the here and now
And now there is confusion
´mongst the children on the hill
They cling to one another
And no longer can be still
While the red mare´s
Voice is trembling
With a rare and
Mighty call
The children
Start remembering
The bearers
And the pall
And though their
Many-colored sweaters
Are reflecting
In the glass
And though the sun
Shines down upon them
They are frightened
In the grass
How stark is the here and now
When the night does fall
Comes a stallion black
So proud and tall
He never looks back
He wears him no emeralds
Silver or gold
Not even a covering
To keep him from cold
He´s the horse of the years to come
And I will get me down
Before this steed upon my knees
And sing to him the sorrows
Of a thousand centuries
And the children
Now will scatter
As their mothers
Call them home
For the sadness
Of the evening horse
No child
Has ever known
And I will
Hang about him
A bell that´s
Never rung
And thank him
For the many words
Which from his throat
Have never sprung
And I´ll thank God
And all the angels
That the stallion
Of the evening
The black horse
Of the future
Comes to earth but has no tongue
@69UM24OSU12
I've always thought of this song as one of Joan Baez's best. It's truly a gem and it's a shame it wasn't more popular.
@steveroberts8719
Agreed. I have always liked the song. Difficult for me anyway to interpret some of the poetic lines. Perhaps you would be willing to offer your opinion of the meaning--especially the last line. I would appreciate that.
@69UM24OSU12
@Steve Roberts To me, it means that we're better off not knowing too much about the future- it's for the best that the future "has no tongue."
@FionnualaMcMahon
Joan Baez has the most beautiful and unique voice. I'm 66 so I was listening to her, along with the Beatles, back in the 60's and 70's. I had all of her albums and then cassettes and then lost some songs and have been very happy to find them here! She is so good yet not fabulously famous. I'm going to say that is because it took very special people to appreciate her! (Us - lol). Three Horses, San Francisco Mabel Joy and Mary Hamilton were some of the songs I found the hardest to find.
@martindewilde9478
I'm 69... Beautiful voice... i think: each voice is unique.. and for each voice there 's a public...
@steveroberts8719
Don't know what you mean by "fabulously famous." All I know is that Joan Baez is one of the most famous folk/country/pop singers and songwriters in the world. She has performed in just about every country in the world and all over the USA. I've seen her many times and her albums have sold millions and still continue to sell. Believe me--you can't get any more "fabulously famous" as Joan Baez. Besides that, she's a darn good singer and has lent her name to some of the great causes in American life. Heck, she even marched with MLK Jr.
@Bellybutton1
@Steve Roberts I am 41. I used to play my mother's records of her, Cat Steven's, Peter Paul and Mary, Nazareth, Simon and Garfunkel, Yes...etc. when I was very young. I introduced that music to my daughter who will turn 21 soon...She told me recently, "Mom, you made alot of mistakes, but you made sure I listened to good music." I said, "Thank your Grandmother for introducing me."
@srinadh6774
Beautiful woman, Beautiful voice
@zoricakuskinska8842
Baez is just a queen... beautiful song, perfect lyrics, song which brings peace... lovely