Annabel Lee
Joan Baez · Other Songs - Joan Baez
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee,
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love,
I and my Annabel Lee,
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that,long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud,chilling
My Annabel lee,
So that her high,born kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.
And the angels,not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me,
Yes!,that was the reason(as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling my Annabel lee,
That the wind came out of the cloud by night
Killing my Annabelle.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we,
Of many far wiser than we,
And neither the angels in heaven above
Nor the the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee, and the moon never beams,
Without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee,
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee,
And so,all the night, tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling my life and my bride,
In the sepulcher there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
Annabel Lee
Joan Baez's 1961 recording of 'Annabel Lee' stands as a definitive folk interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe's haunting poem. Baez's gentle, unadorned vocal delivery strips away the song's gothic excess, focusing instead on the raw emotion of lost love and the enduring memory of a beloved. The track exemplifies her mid-career style, blending traditional American folk sensibilities with a poetic narrative that resonated deeply with listeners. By omitting the original poem's dark imagery and replacing it with a clear, melodic arrangement, Baez transformed the work into an accessible anthem of grief and devotion. This recording remains a cornerstone of her discography, showcasing her ability to bring literary classics to life through her distinctive voice and musical choices.
