Folk Lyrics in a Dangerous Time
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folklyrics.bsky.social
Folk Lyrics in a Dangerous Time
@folklyrics.bsky.social
690 followers 1.5K following 1.1K posts
Themes & through lines of folk/folk-adjacent music. For education only, buy the artists' work! Opinions mine alone. AI 🚫. 🇨🇦 (stolen land). Protect each other 😷💉🌎🕊💚 Bruce Cockburn nerd. She/her. 2024 posts at @folklyrics2024.bsky.social Also on Instagram.
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folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
20/20 "Crying Laughing Loving Lying"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o75B...

Written by Labi Siffre

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Crying Crying never did Nobody no good no how That's why I, I don't cry That's why I, I don't cry Laughing Laughing sometimes does Somebody some good somehow That's why I, I'm laughing now That's why I, I'm laughing now Labi Siffre [purple font on background of shimmery white changing diagonally to purple and then green]
February 8, 2026 at 9:31 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
19/20 "So Long, Marianne"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XzA...

Written by Leonard Cohen

Backing vocal by Nancy Priddy

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Oh, you are really such a pretty one I see you've gone And changed your name again And just when I climbed This whole mountainside To wash my eyelids in the rain Oh so long, Marianne It's that we began To laugh and cry And cry and laugh About it all again Leonard Cohen [icy shade of sky blue]
February 8, 2026 at 9:24 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
18/20 "Laughing" (single version)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D634...

Written by Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman of The Guess Who

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
I should laugh, but I cry Because your love Has passed me by You took me by surprise You didn't realize That I was waiting Time goes slowly, but carries on And now the best years Have come and gone You took me by surprise I didn't realize That you were laughing The Guess Who [navy font with shadow effect on medium blue background]
February 8, 2026 at 9:21 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
17/20 "People's Parties"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JsV...

Written by Joni Mitchell

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Photo beauty gets attention Then her eye paint's running down She's got a rose in her teeth And a lampshade crown One minute she's so happy Then she's crying on someone's knee Saying laughing and crying You know it's the same release Joni Mitchell [very pale sky blue]
February 8, 2026 at 9:14 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
16/20 "I'd Rather Have Some"
mypolitic.bandcamp.com/track/id-rat...

Written by Kaston Guffey of @mypoliticmusic.bsky.social

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Howl at the moon Ideas shine like fire in the night sky Sun's coming soon To hide every trace of that sparkling light 'Cause time sure does a number Laughing and crying Always wrapped in The arms on the wall Till you cross the line And you're buried under But I'd rather have some Than nothing at all My Politic [white font on midnight blue that fades to teal near the bottom]
February 8, 2026 at 9:09 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
15/20 "This Old Guitar" (Back Home Again version)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LjI...

Written by John Denver

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
This old guitar taught me To sing a love song Showed me how to laugh And how to cry It introduced me To some friends of mine Brightened up some days It helped me make it Through some lonely nights Oh, what a friend to have On a cold and lonely night John Denver [brown font on beige background]
February 8, 2026 at 9:07 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
14/20 "Days, Nights"
eliza-edens.bandcamp.com/track/days-n...

Written by Eliza Edens

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
The days have been grey The nights have been cold Since you've been away Every memory and photograph Muddied up the river far behind And I laugh and I cry And I cry and I laugh And I wash away tears And I look at the clouds And the trees sweetly whisper That somewhere in the moment You're around Eliza Edens [navy font on very pale blue background]
February 8, 2026 at 8:58 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
13/20 "Harmattan"
uwade.bandcamp.com/track/harmat...

Written by Uwade Akhere

The Harmattan is a season of dry dusty winds that occurs in West Africa from late November to mid-March.

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Will you sway with me When my voice gives out? When the Harmattan comes 'round? Will they know us then? Will we be forgotten? Never mind, doesn't matter at all Now the night has come O'er the mountains Wait for dawn with me Laughing 'til we cry Bathing in dust and light, I I don't mind Uwade [blue font on background of sky blue that fades diagonally to pale yellow]
February 8, 2026 at 8:56 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
12/20 "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN1A...

Written by Bob Dylan, heavily influenced by older blues songs

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Now the wintertime is coming The windows are filled with frost I went to tell everybody But I could not get across Well, I want to be your lover, baby I don't want to be your boss Don't say I never warned you When your train gets lost Bob Dylan [shades of pale grey]
February 8, 2026 at 8:54 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
11/20 "That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round"
CW: domestic abuse in other verse
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zogc...

Written by John Prine

Backing vocal by Diane Holmes and producer Steve Goodman

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
I was sitting in the bathtub Counting my toes When the radiator broke Water all froze I got stuck in the ice Without my clothes Naked as the eyes of a clown I was crying ice cubes Hoping I'd croak When the sun come through the window The ice all broke I stood up and laughed Thought it was a joke That's the way that the world goes 'round John Prine [blue-grey font on off-white background]
February 8, 2026 at 8:40 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
10/20 "The Lamb Ran Away with the Crown"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHXt...

Written by Judee Sill

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Once a demon lived In my brow I screamed and I wailed And I cursed out loud And I sailed Through the clouds On ten crested cardinals To guard my battleground But I laughed so hard I cried And the lamb ran away with the crown Judee Sill [pale grey with slight texture like stone or paper]
February 8, 2026 at 8:36 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
9/20 "Bird Song (Live)" (Reckoning version)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3k8...

Written by Robert Hunter (lyrics) and Jerry Garcia (music) of @gratefuldead.bsky.social

RIP Bob Weir 💔

Originally written in memory of Janis Joplin

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Laugh in the sunshine Sing, cry in the dark Fly through the night Don't cry now Don't you cry Don't you cry anymore La, la, la, la Sleep in the stars Don't you cry Dry your eyes on the wind La, la, la, la Grateful Dead [blue font on background of very pale silver blues]
February 8, 2026 at 8:34 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
8/20 "River of Happiness"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgF8...

Written by Dolly Parton

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Dry your eyes, don't cry no more We'll find a plae Where there's laughter and joy So take my hand and don't let go Come with me and together we'll go Somewhere a river of happiness flows We'll sit on its banks While the warm breezes blow Somewhere there's a garden Where only love grows Somewhere a river of happiness flows Dolly Parton [white italic font on background of outdoorsy greens]
February 8, 2026 at 8:14 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
7/20 "do it anyway"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E12q...

Written by Ashley Virginia

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
I am scared, but I do it anyway I am scared, but I do it anyway I don't have to be fearless I just have to be brave I am scared, but I do it anyway If the horrors persist, then so will I If the horrors persist, then so will I I know some days I'll laugh And then some days I'll cry If the horrors persist, then so will I Ashley Virginia [slight blue through very cloudy sky]
February 8, 2026 at 7:53 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
6/20 ""Laughter"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc83...

Written by Bruce Cockburn

Backing vocal by Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Brent Titcomb, Marty Nagler, Shingoose and Tommy Graham

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
A laugh for the sun redballing Through the thermal inversion haze A laugh for the nuclear good-time boys Numbering all our days Hahaha, hahahahaha Woah, hahahahaha A laugh for the newsprint nightmare A world that never was Where the questions are all "Why?" And the answers are all "Because" Hahaha, hahahahaha Woah, hahahahaha Bruce Cockburn [light grey with gritty texture like old newsprint]
February 8, 2026 at 7:49 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
5/20 "Where Do the Children Play?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrKA...

Written by Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)

Backing vocal by guitarist Alun Davies and producer Paul Samwell-Smith

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Well you've cracked the sky Scrapers fill the air But will you keep on building higher 'Til there's no more room up there? Will you make us laugh Will you make us cry? Will you tell us when to live Will you tell us when to die? I know we've come a long way We're changing day to day But tell me, where do the children play? Cat Stevens [Image: brown-orange italic font on very pale orange background]
February 8, 2026 at 7:46 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
4/20 "Lawman"
gillianwelch.bandcamp.com/track/lawman

Written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Sylvie gonna bring a little water Baby's gonna cry until he's fed And the fire's gonna burn down to nothing Poor folk gonna scrap for a piece of bread And the preacher's gonna preach from the Bible Devil's gonna laugh at what he said Gambler gonna lay down his last gold dollar Shadow's gonna creep from the farmer's shed And the lawman, lawman Lawman gonna kill my honey dead Gillian Welch & David Rawlings [white font on midnight blue]
February 8, 2026 at 7:44 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
3/20 "Long Promised Road"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz71...

Written by Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys with manager Jack Rieley

Additional backing vocals by Diane Rovell and Marilyn Wilson

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
So hard to answer future's riddle When ahead is seeming so far behind So hard to laugh a child-like giggle When the tears start to torture my mind So hard to shed the life of before To let my soul automatically soar But I hit hard at the battle That's confronting me, yeah Knock down all the roadblocks A-stumbling me Throw off all the shackles That are binding me down The Beach Boys [white font on teal background that fades to light purple near the bottom]
February 8, 2026 at 7:34 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
2/20 "100 Proof"
juliantaylor.bandcamp.com/track/100-pr...

Written by Tyler Ellis

Performed by @juliantaylormusic.bsky.social with interpolation of "Freight Train" by Elizabeth Cotten

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
Fifty-two, felt like the end A broken heart that wouldn't mend Fifty-three, he'd found the key In that old recipe If you're sad, cry If it's funny, laugh If you lose your way Just stop and ask And if someone asks you how you feel Just tell them the truth And if kindness were a spirit Be 100 proof By Tyler Ellis Performed by Julian Taylor [brown font on beige background]
February 8, 2026 at 6:08 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
Laughing and Crying
1/20 "King of the World"
firstaidkitband.bandcamp.com/track/king-o...

Written by Klara and Johanna Söderberg of First Aid Kit with Conor Oberst (also featuring)

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
At ten in the morning, I was laughing At something at the airport terminal At nine in the evening, I was sitting Crying to you over the phone While passing a border from a state To another, filled with people Whom I couldn't help to relate to And we stopped awhile At a roadside restaurant Where the waitress was sitting outside Smoking in her car She had that look of total fear in her eyes And as we drove away from there She looked at me and she smiled First Aid Kit feat. Conor Oberst [orange-brown font on off-white background]
February 8, 2026 at 3:33 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
The Winter and the Summer
20/20 "The Virgin"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxeQ...

Written by Gene Clark

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
She went off to the city To find what she was looking for To identify, to really try To find herself some hope With the summer sun for laughing Then the winter rain did pour She was lovelier for learning And from living, loving more Gene Clark [brown font on beige background]
January 31, 2026 at 11:04 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
The Winter and the Summer
19/20 "Summer Weaving"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtEF...

Written by Melanie Safka

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
And when it comes right down to it We're really all alone Unless we want someone to own And run the life we live, oh me To write a lonely night Into a poem Weave me a summer flight Into a music That I've loved and haven't known Weave me a summer night Into a winter fire For I'm very far from warm Melanie [white font on background of dark browns]
January 31, 2026 at 11:00 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
The Winter and the Summer
18/20 "Jellyfish"
florist.bandcamp.com/track/jellyf...

Written by @emilysprague.bsky.social of Florist

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
What makes meaningful space And what makes a family? There is nothing I can describe Better than a red sunrise Rainstorms in heaven Don't you know there is no Getting dirty in the summer? Don't you know that we'll grow old? There has got to be light Hitting us from the other side Will there still be winter in a year? Take one look through the lens Showing us what will come ahead Nothing is guaranteed but death Florist [white font on teal background that fades to light purple near the bottom]
January 31, 2026 at 10:53 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
The Winter and the Summer
17/20 "Old Hat"
jerrydaviddecicca.bandcamp.com/track/old-hat

Written by @jerrydaviddecicca.bsky.social

Featuring B.J. Cole on pedal steel

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
When I was a baby I sang about lost love and death Even though I knew nothing About life's rich pageant And I guess I'll wear my Old Hat again Guess I'll wear my Old Hat again Walk out into summer And I sweat with each footstep Till winter's stillness Let's me watch my last breaths And I guess I'll wear my Old Hat again Guess I'll wear my Old Hat again Jerry David DeCicca [shades of pale grey]
January 31, 2026 at 10:50 PM
folklyrics.bsky.social
The Winter and the Summer
16/20 "(I Wanna) Feel It All"
dirtyprojectors.bandcamp.com/track/i-wann...

Written by David Longstreth of @dirtyprojectors.net

Featuring @dearnorareality.bsky.social

#MusicSky #folkmusic 🎶
I wanna feel it all August's light, February's pall Thrill to the rise and rue the fall I wanna feel it all I wanna feel everything Sweetness of youth and old age's sting Open my eyes, wide and unblinking I wanna feel everything Dirty Projectors feat. Dear Nora [slate blue font on off-white background]
January 31, 2026 at 10:47 PM