Gulf Winds Lyrics - Joan Baez

It's only when the high winds blow that I wish my hair was long 

Sailing through the autumn leaves singing an ancient song 

Or falling in love in the streets at night at the edge of a local square 

It's only that I'm here tonight thinking I was there 

There are high winds on the pier tonight, my soul departs from me 

Striding like Thalia's ghost south on the murky sea 

And into midnight's tapestry she fades, ragged and wild 

Searching down her ancestry in the costume of a Persian child 

And gulf winds bring me flying fish that shine in the crescent moon 

Show me the horizon where the dawn will break anew 

And cool me here on this lonely pier where the heron are flying low 

Echo the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico 

When I was young my eyes were wise, my father was good to me 

Instead of having a flock of sons he had two other girls and me 

And if we had used our Spanish names, here's the way they'd run 

Thalia, Margarita and Juanita, I'm the middle one. 

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The screen door kept the demons in as we moved from town to town 

It's hard to be a princess in the States when your skin is brown 

And mama smoothed my worried brow as I leaned on the kitchen door 

Why do you carry the weight, she said, of the world and maybe more? 

And gulf winds bring me flying fish that shine in the crescent moon 

Show me the horizon where the dawn will break anew 

And cool me here on this lonely pier where the heron are flying low 

Echo the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico 

My grandfathers were ministers and it came on down the line 

My father preached in his parents' church when he was ten years and nine 

And mama dressed in parishoners' clothes and didn't believe in hell 

Her daddy fought the DAR, if he'd lived I'd have known him well 

They said go find a Sunday School, we must have tried them all 

I never stole from the silver plate, my sisters had more gall 

One preacher said sing out loud and clear, it's the only life you've got 

And the next one said be good on earth, you've another life at the feet of God 

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And gulf winds bring me flying fish that shine in the crescent moon 

Show me the horizon where the dawn will break anew 

And cool me here on this lonely pier where the heron are flying low 

Echo the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico 

My father turned down many a job just to give us something real 

It's hard to be a scientist in the States when you've got ideals 

And mama kept the budget book, she kept the garden, too 

Bought fish from the man on Thursday, fed all of us and strangers, too 

But time will pass and so, alas, will most of what we know 

Though tonight my memory's eye is clear as the story's being told 

And I'll play ball with the underdog and sit with the child who's wrong 

Be still when the earth is silent and sing when my strength is gone 

And gulf winds bring me flying fish that shine in the crescent moon 

Show me the horizon where the dawn will break anew 

And cool me here on this lonely pier where the heron are flying low 

Echo the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico 

Now father's going to India sometime in the fall 

They tried to stay together but you just can't do it all 

I'll think about him if he goes, there's a little grey in his hair 

Though not much because he's Mexican, they don't age, they just prepare 

And if he goes to India I'll miss him most of all 

He'll see me in the mudlarks' face, hear me in the beggar's call 

And mama will stay home, I guess, and worry if she did wrong 

And I'll say a prayer for both of them and sing them both my song 

And gulf winds bring me flying fish that shine in the crescent moon 

Show me the horizon where the dawn will break anew 

And cool me here on this lonely pier where the heron are flying low 

Echo the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico