Joan Baez, born on January 9th, 1941, is an American folk singer and a song… Read Full Bio ↴Joan Baez, born on January 9th, 1941, is an American folk singer and a songwriter who is of mixed Mexican and Scottish descent. Baez rose to prominence in the early '60s with her stunning renditions of traditional balladry.

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.

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Joan Baez Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Clouds so swift, rain won't lift
Gate won't close, the railings froze
Get your mind off wintertime
You ain't goin' nowhere

Ooh wee, ride me high
Tomorrow's the day, my man's gonna come
Ohh, are we gonna fly

Down in the easy chair?

I don't care, how many letters they sent
Morning came and morning went
Pick up your money and pack your tent
You ain't goin' nowhere

Ooh wee, ride me high
Tomorrow's the day my man's gonna come
Ohh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair?

Buy me a flute and a gun that shoots
Tailgates and substitutes
Strap yourself to the tree with roots
You ain't goin' nowhere

Ooh wee, ride me high
Tomorrow's the day, my man's gonna come
Ohh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair?

Genghis Khan, he could not keep
All his kings supplied with sleep
We'll climb that hill, no matter how steep
But we still ain't goin' nowhere

Ooh wee, ride me high
Tomorrow's the day my man's gonna come
Ohh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair?

Ooh wee, ride me high
Tomorrow's the day my man's gonna come

Ohh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair?

Overall Meaning

In Joan Baez's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," the song is about a person who wants to leave and escape the wintertime but is faced with obstacles, such as snow keeping the gate from closing and railings being frozen. The verses suggest that the person is feeling stuck and can't seem to get out of their current circumstances. However, the chorus brings hope with the lines "tomorrow's the day my man's gonna come" and "are we gonna fly down in the easy chair?" suggesting that there is a possibility for escape and relief from their situation.

The song's lyrics are metaphorical and speak to larger themes of feeling trapped and searching for freedom. Some interpretations suggest that the song was written during a tumultuous time in America's history, during the Vietnam War, and it may have been written as a protest song. It resonated with people who also felt trapped by the circumstances of the time.

Line by Line Meaning

Clouds so swift, rain won't lift
The weather is bad and it shows no signs of getting better.

Gate won't close, the railings froze
The physical obstacles are making things harder for movement.

Get your mind off wintertime
Stop focusing on the current difficulties and think of better things to come.

You ain't goin' nowhere
With so many things against you, you cannot make any progress.

Ooh wee, ride me high
The song is playful and upbeat.

Tomorrow's the day, my man's gonna come
The singer is looking forward to someone coming into their life.

Ohh, are we gonna fly
The singer is feeling optimistic about the future.

Down in the easy chair?
The artist is looking for a comfortable, peaceful place to be.

I don't care, how many letters they sent
The artist is being stubborn and doesn't want to listen to anyone else's opinions.

Morning came and morning went
Time is passing by without any progress being made.

Pick up your money and pack your tent
It's time to move on and leave this place behind.

Buy me a flute and a gun that shoots
The artist is making unrealistic requests and wants contradictory things.

Tailgates and substitutes
The singer is willing to take whatever is available, even if it's not ideal.

Strap yourself to the tree with roots
The singer is suggesting an extreme solution to being stuck in one place.

You ain't goin' nowhere
No matter what they try, they cannot make any progress.

Genghis Khan, he could not keep
Even the most powerful people have their limits.

All his kings supplied with sleep
Not all problems can be solved with power and money.

We'll climb that hill, no matter how steep
The singer is determined to overcome the difficulties in their way.

But we still ain't goin' nowhere
Despite their determination, there is still no progress being made.

Ooh wee, ride me high
The song is playful and upbeat.

Tomorrow's the day my man's gonna come
The artist is hopeful for the future.

Ohh, are we gonna fly
The artist is optimistic and looking forward to a better future.

Down in the easy chair?
The singer wants to find a place of comfort and peace.

Lyrics © AUDIAM, INC
Written by: BOB DYLAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@vincenzostr4488

3y↑2

Clouds so swift
Rain won't lift
Gate won't close
Railings froze
Get your mind off wintertime
You ain't goin' nowhere

Whoo-ee ride me high
Tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair?

I don't care how many letters they've send
The morning came, morning went
Pack up your money
Pick up your tent
You ain't goin' nowhere

Whoo-eh ride me high
Tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair?

Buy me a flute and a gun that shoots
Tailgates and substitutes
Strap yourself to a tree with roots
You ain't goin' nowhere

Whoo-eh ride me high
Tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair?

Now, Genghis Khan
He could not keep
All his kings supplied with sleep
We'll climb that hill no matter how steep
When we get up to it

Whoo-eh ride me high
Tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair?

Whoo-eh ride me high
Tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly

@katharinecybaez2340

I know You will come today and the Days of and after tomorrow, my Bride Joan C. Baez
We join in everlasting Love in Each moment

I will be with You

We will be able to go everywhere

Our Freedom is in our minds

I caress your Sweetest Dreams and you JoanC. Baez DeineKatharine Y Baez Katharina Scharlowski InAOLoves KatharineC

@marlona6642

8y↑3

Clouds so swift
Rain won’t lift
Gate won’t close
Railings froze
Get your mind off wintertime
You ain’t goin’ nowhere
Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow’s the day
My bride’s gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!

I don’t care
How many letters they sent
Morning came and morning went
Pick up your money
And pack up your tent
You ain’t goin’ nowhere
Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow’s the day
My bride’s gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!

Buy me a flute
And a gun that shoots
Tailgates and substitutes
Strap yourself
To the tree with roots
You ain’t goin’ nowhere
Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow’s the day
My bride’s gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!

Genghis Khan
He could not keep
All his kings
Supplied with sleep
We’ll climb that hill no matter how steep
When we get up to it
Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow’s the day
My bride’s gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!
Copyright © 1967 by Dwarf Music; renewed 1995 by Dwarf Music

All comments from YouTube:

@eightinches6094

5y↑11

Her voice is pure honey.

@n40tom

5y↑21

I've been in love with this woman for over fifty years. Her Voice always soothes me .

@leonardturner1136

4y↑2

Me too, bless you

@leonardturner1136

3y↑1

Me too

@geoffpatch8255

3y↑1

Another one here. That voice.

@Cataphract1236

3y↑1

Me too

@trinidadapodaca7027

thats a long time

@allangow5561

5y↑22

I love this version, Dylan's original is great, but this is at the very least on par.

@edelizondo8338

3y↑2

Just a wonderful voice. Great lady too.

@gkoo002

11y↑8

good god her voice it's simply beautiful

@vincenzostr4488

3y↑2

@chiefslief1886

8y↑4

Beautiful music !

@lizbock9329

10y↑6

I love this!

@randydewees7338

7y↑5

Just, an amazing singer

@lstrah

4y↑2

From early age on I was always a big fan of Joan Baez, still am until today,
don't think that'll ever change.. Her voice.. is magnificent.. One time I saw
her sitting outside a Cafe near Lincoln Center in NYC. Was too shy though
to ask her for anything, autograph etc. or just to say hi.. NYers don't do that,
leave celebs alone.. wouldn't have been cool.. But still, regret it in a way
anyhow. Music is great, isn't it? And hers especially..

@angiejuan9248

11y

Como dice nuestro amigo Goodelady,,,cada uno con su esencia. Soy seguidora de los dos y tanto uno como el otro,pueden hacerme vibrar. Gracias¡¡¡

@jamessim1858

4y↑1

Simply magical Joan

@jdsol1938

11y↑10

I bought " any day now " when it came out , played the grooves off

@murraykennedy3684

Me too, 1970 I had mono, just lay in bed for a month and listened to Any Day Now about 350 times.
Love Joan.

@cliveclerkenville2637

6y↑4

Sublime.

@ZZZZAS

11y↑5

Thank you. That was the song I need to hear at the moment I needed to hear it...love you Joan Baez...God Bless You! Peace

@catman916

11y↑5

Be sure to listen to the Byrds' version also, Michael.

@ZZZZAS

11y↑1

Oh I have, I've heard them all and love every version...it's a great, great song...

@mvincent7019

Eva Cassidy

@bertpar68

@catman916 The version with Roger Mcguin and Marty Stuart is also great

@catman916

11y↑4

It illustrates that 2 different approaches to the same song can work equally well.

@ranabirgahir462

6y↑4

Beautifully made,remembering roots,Kool version🤠🤠🙈🙈🙀🙀

@thomaswuliger

4y↑2

Just beautiful

@harrydeanbentzel

5y↑2

How can one not like this chick?!

@SeagullB

9y↑4

excellent choice!
Reading her autobiography. it seems similar souls are always on the same page sister soul!

@catman916

9y↑2

Seagull B I would recommend Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Fariña, and Richard Fariña by David Hajdu. It's a quick read with many interesting facts about Joan and her family.

@patrickdocherty4439

Can't add just agree I'm 70 Thanks Joan just beautiful as you are

@hectorrios1810

Eres unas de mis idolas joan baez, eres un mujer y dama a vez. Eres guerrera( mujer) dama, ( elegancia). Te amo y los amo , fueron mi vida , joven , jovencito....... Y que recuerdos hermosos,tpdo era paz, ¿que cambio chicos? Y fueron mis mas hermosos recuerdos.un beso y abrazos a uds.

@halfassnovelist

11y↑2

Nice job! Thank you.

@maddog6137

OH MAN , makes me cry .............beautiful !

@pabloperez4063

6y↑7

apart from her musicmanship, she looks beautiful and adorable to me

@garyhunter4024

6y↑1

Brings me back...

@catman916

11y↑4

Mimi was also a very talented singer and guitarist.

@solarguy1702

9y↑4

My 3 year old is dancing!

@smittysmith5444

9y↑1

lol mine did too

@shuddupeyaface

4y↑1

How could he let Joan go? They'll be saying Dolly Parton has had some work done next.

@pabloperez4063

Why didnt Joan played at ThE 30th anyversary concert?

@jameschlipala9281

This version is…

@patriciathewisher2315

Reminds of my duetting buddy from when I was 13. Who did that kinda annoying to me anyway chayerrrrrrrrrr type thing. Very lovely photos. Think if that's behind the Savoy naughty Bob was probably already goin down on miz lowndes and Joanie was hopin that the secretariat look might beat the bunny girl how silly was that. I'm feelin bitchy enough to think the queen of some folk shoulda been able to afford to fix that tooth. But then there's me now four years on hoping there's a tiny tiny bridge in Maryland with my name on it. Tommy made me laugh then as after a couple of weeks he sad to me what's with the mouth? I said for cryin out loud everyone else has managed not to mention it but u, how very pass remarkable u are He loved that phrase. He said well are you going to get it sorted as though his life depended upon me getting dental work done. I said it costs a grand. Little did he know I'd handed over money I didn't even technically have to some minstrel boy and remain without a bridge. But this song. Too flattened. Sounds like she's doings seconds is that the word. Maybe she can hear the main voice in her head I dunno. She sees birds' eggs in some weird places so anything is possible.

@katharinecybaez2340

@ashlycrawford2748

10y↑1

Check out Proximity Rule. Awesome Mississippi cover

@BubblesPothowari

5y↑1

12 who didn't like, please say Sorry.

@Ostellopro

5y↑1

♡ ~

@chelseavuchinich4859

Tyler Childers Jersey Giant reminds me of this, I dk how.

@alfredbernasek861

WOHL IHR SCHÖNSTEN LIED

@catman916

11y↑3

She was very insecure about her appearance and never thought that she was pretty. She was jealous of her sister, Mimi, who easily attracted men, including Dylan.