Joan Baez - Be Not Too Hard

Joan Baez - Be Not Too Hard

(Written By: Donovan P. Leitch (Music), Christopher Logue (Lyrics))

Album: Joan Baez - The Contemporary Ballad Book

In late 1967 Donovan contributed two songs to the Ken Loach film Poor Cow. «Be Not Too Hard» was a musical setting of Christopher Logue's poem September Song, and was later recorded by such artists as Joan Baez and Shusha Guppy. The title track, originally entitled «Poor Love», was the B-side of his next single, «Jennifer Juniper», which was inspired by Jenny Boyd, sister of George Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd and was another top 40 hit in the US. Donovan developed interest in eastern mysticism and claims to have interested the Beatles in transcendental meditation.

Lyrics:

Be not too hard for life is short
And nothing is given to man

Be not too hard when he is sold or bought
For he must manage as best he can

Be not too hard when he blindly dies
Fighting for things he does not own

Be not too hard when he tells lies
Or if his heart is sometimes like a stone

Be not too hard for soon he'll die
Often no wiser than he began

Be not too hard for life is short
And nothing is given to man

And nothing is given to man

Album: Joan Baez - The Contemporary Ballad Book

Credits

Art Direction, Design: Jules Halfant
Artwork [Inside gatefold illustration]: Eric von Schmidt
Photography By [Cover]: Philippe Halsman
Producer: Maynard Solomon (tracks: A2, A3, B1, B3, B5, C3, D1 to D5)
Producer [Assoc. Producer]: Jack Lothrop (tracks: A1, A5, B4, B2, C1, C2, C4, C5), Maynard Solomon (tracks: A1, A5, B4, C1, C2, C4, C5), Norbert Putnam (tracks: B2)

Companies, etc.

Copyright ©: Vanguard Recording Society, Inc.
Pressed By: Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Pitman

Label: Vanguard – VSD 49/50
Series: Vanguard Twofer
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Pitman Pressing, Gold Labels
Country: US
Released: 1974
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Acoustic, Ballad, Folk, Vocal

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