Joan Baez - Be Not Too Hard [HD]

Joan Baez sings 'Be Not Too Hard' from her 1967 Vanguard album 'Joan'. The song is from a poem by Christopher Logue with music by Donovan Leitch. The song lyrics are in the video and listed below along with some notes on Logue from Wikipedia.

[Vinyl/Lyrics/15-Images/WAV]

Be Not Too Hard

Singer - Joan Baez

Be not too hard for life is short
And nothing is given to man
Be not too hard when he's 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
And 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

Be not too hard for life is short
And nothing is given to man
Be not too hard when he's 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

Songwriters: Christopher Logue, Donovan Leitch

© Peermusic Publishing

[Lyrics from LyricFind]

Wikipedia states:

Christopher Logue, CBE (23 November 1926 – 2 December 2011) was an English poet associated with the British Poetry Revival and a pacifist. Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and brought up in the Portsmouth area, he was the only child of middle-aged parents, John and Molly Logue, who married late. He attended Roman Catholic schools, including St John's College, Portsmouth, Prior Park College, before going to Portsmouth Grammar School. He was a playwright and screenwriter as well as a film actor. His screenplays were Savage Messiah and The End of Arthur's Marriage. He was a long-term contributor to Private Eye magazine, as well as writing for Alexander Trocchi's literary journal, Merlin. Logue won the 2005 Whitbread Poetry Award for Cold Calls. One of his poems, Be Not Too Hard, was set to music by Donovan and heard in the film Poor Cow (1967), and was made popular by Joan Baez on her eponymous 1967 album, Joan. Another completely different song titled "Be Not Too Hard" based on the poem was performed by Manfred Mann's Earth Band on their 1974 album The Good Earth. The arrangement was written by Mick Rogers, who had Logue credited as a co-writer on the record sleeve.

[hunhonidehongrie]

Gyönyörű és megható dal, könnyeket csal a szemembe.
Hálás köszönet az alkotó(k)nak!

[dancingcedar]

Thank you. I did not know that Donovan composed the music.

[davidchamberlain]

🙏This world is all a fleeting show ...For mans illusion given 👍🙏

[laurianninirschl]

Mumd2003! Isn’t this a beautiful song?

[flaviopelliconi]

What problems do have those who put a thumb down to this awesome song?

[kimcooper]

Here are the words:
Be Not Too Hard

Be not too hard for life is short
And nothing is given to man.
Be not too hard when he’s 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.

[staffanlindstrom]

Logue himself would have done it better.