Love Song to a Stranger

how long since i've spent a whole night in a twin bed with a stranger
his warm arms all around me?
how long since I've gazed into dark eyes that melted my soul down
to a place where it longs to be?
all of your history has little to do with your face
you're mainly a mystery with violins filling in space

you stood in the nude by the mirror and picked out a rose
from the bouquet in our hotel
and lay down beside me again and i watched the rose
on the pillow where it fell
i sank and i slept in a twilight with only one care
to know that when day broke and i woke that you'd still be there

the hours for once they passed slowly, unendingly by
like a sweet breeze on a field
your gentleness came down upon me and I guess i thanked you
when you caused me to yield
we spoke not a sentence and took not a footstep beyond
our two days together which seemingly soon would be gone

don't tell me of love everlasting and other sad dreams
i don't want to hear
just tell me of passionate strangers who rescue each other
from a lifetime of cares
because if love means forever, expecting nothing returned
then I hope i'll be given another whole lifetime to learn

because you gave to me oh so many things it makes me wonder
how they could belong to me
and i gave you only my dark eyes that melted your soul down
to a place where it longs to be.

Words and music by Joan Baez

I've loved this song for years, loved the stark accoustic arrangements and the poetry of its lyrics. I read in a bio of Baez that she didn't write it for Dylan but some much younger relative stranger that she picked up on the road. I like that.

~~~