Joan Baez
Blowing in the wind
How many roads must a man walk down before they call him a man How many times must the cannonballs fly before they are forever banned The answer my friend is blowing in the wind The answer is blowing in the wind
How many years can some people exist before they 're allowed to be free How many years must one man have before he can hear people cry The answer my friend is blowing in the wind The answer is blowing in the wind
These are the poetic lyrics of “Blowing in the Wind” by Joan Baez that I sang again when the news of the publication of her autobiography reached me, back when I was both hopeful that Psy would hit No. 1 on the charts and also reluctant to memorize any of his lyrics. The meaning and spirit in the lyrics are enough to remind me of the time when her intellectual and sophisticated beauty moved the world and made people sympathize with her spirit. It was May 7th, a sunny day in the late 1970s when I first met her. I was studying at the graduate school of Georgetown University in Washington. I went to Boston and stopped by a bookstore in Harvard. I found a crowd of people, and approached to find a book signing by Joan Baez. I had once sung her song with the guitar in university, so it was a lucky day for me. She gave a short speech and singed a book for me, and I said to her, “I am Sunshine Lee from Korea and it’s so nice to meet you on my birthday.” She gave me a bright smile and replied, “Oh great. Happy Birthday, Sunshine!” She shook my hand and gave me a bouquet of roses that she had just received. She waved and then was gone, disappearing with her four bulky bodyguards. Her face with no make-up was very enchanting and left a strong impression. So whenever I went to Boston, I went to that bookstore to choose books, and recalled the memory. As her autobiography—which is said to have been typed by the word processor her lover Steve Jobs gave her--was published in 1987, it was later than that that I saw her. Her ability to charm and affect people lies in the fact that she used her remarkable talent to spread her faith in peace and resistance without violence beyond borders, and not just to make good music as a singer. “Music alone is not enough. What use would a beautiful song be if we do not agonize over the most important and real question of the day, like how to stop men from killing each other?” How many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died The answer my friend is blowing in the wind The answer is blowing in the wind
I don’t know where she landed on the billboard or how many albums she sold, but in our heart and in history she will be remembered.
I unwittingly received her smile and bouquet of roses, and I will be watching her passion, will power, and the beautiful soft power of linking the hearts of the world.
A red rose I received from a Joan Baez of younger days
The light of her passion And her voice Remain intact in my heart
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