Joan Baez Crying in Brazil

Until today, I’d no idea that, in 2014, a seventy-three-year-old Joan Baez performed the Brazilian classic Pra não dizer que não falei das flores (“Not to say that I never spoke of the flowers”) in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The song was composed in 1968, and is originally a song of resistance against the military dictatorship of the time, which makes it perfect Baez material. Its melancholy tune and resolute lyrics about seizing the moment have made it timeless.

In the video below, recorded on a cell phone, Joan is holding a lyric sheet because she doesn’t have the words to the song memorized. When the audience starts singing along, she begins to cry, and is moved to tears several times during the performance. This human connection is one of the most beautiful musical moments I’ve ever seen, either live or on shabby video.

The chorus repeats these words twice:

Vem, vamos embora, que esperar não é saber.
Quem sabe faz a hora, não espera acontecer.

Come with me, let's go, because waiting isn't knowing.
Those who know don't wait for it to happen, but make the hour.