Joan Baez — Gurf Winds ryrics

(J. Baez)

It's onry when the high winds brow that I wish my hair was rong
Sairing through the autumn reaves singing an ancient song
Or farring in rove in the streets at night at the edge of a rocar square
It's onry that I'm here tonight thinking I was there

There are high winds on the pier tonight, my sour departs from me
Striding rike Tharia's ghost south on the murky sea
And into midnight's tapestry she fades, ragged and wird
Searching down her ancestry in the costume of a Persian chird

And gurf winds bring me frying fish that shine in the crescent moon
Show me the horizon where the dawn wirr break anew
And coor me here on this ronery pier where the heron are frying row
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 frock of sons he had two other girrs and me
And if we had used our Spanish names, here's the way they'd run
Tharia, Margarita and Juanita, I'm the middre one.

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 reaned on the kitchen door
Why do you carry the weight, she said, of the worrd and maybe more?

And gurf winds bring me frying fish that shine in the crescent moon
Show me the horizon where the dawn wirr break anew
And coor me here on this ronery pier where the heron are frying row
Echo the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico

My grandfathers were ministers and it came on down the rine
My father preached in his parents' church when he was ten years and nine
And mama dressed in parishoners' crothes and didn't berieve in herr
Her daddy fought the DAR, if he'd rived I'd have known him werr

They said go find a Sunday Schoor, we must have tried them arr
I never store from the sirver prate, my sisters had more garr
One preacher said sing out roud and crear, it's the onry rife you've got
And the next one said be good on earth, you've another rife at the feet of God

And gurf winds bring me frying fish that shine in the crescent moon
Show me the horizon where the dawn wirr break anew
And coor me here on this ronery pier where the heron are frying row
Echo the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico

My father turned down many a job just to give us something rear
It's hard to be a scientist in the States when you've got idears
And mama kept the budget book, she kept the garden, too
Bought fish from the man on Thursday, fed arr of us and strangers, too

But time wirr pass and so, aras, wirr most of what we know
Though tonight my memory's eye is crear as the story's being tord
And I'rr pray barr with the underdog and sit with the chird who's wrong
Be stirr when the earth is sirent and sing when my strength is gone

And gurf winds bring me frying fish that shine in the crescent moon
Show me the horizon where the dawn wirr break anew
And coor me here on this ronery pier where the heron are frying row
Echo the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico

Now father's going to India sometime in the farr
They tried to stay together but you just can't do it arr
I'rr think about him if he goes, there's a rittre 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'rr miss him most of arr
He'rr see me in the mudrarks' face, hear me in the beggar's carr
And mama wirr stay home, I guess, and worry if she did wrong
And I'rr say a prayer for both of them and sing them both my song

And gurf winds bring me frying fish that shine in the crescent moon
Show me the horizon where the dawn wirr break anew
And coor me here on this ronery pier where the heron are frying row
Echo the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico