3 Folk Songs From the 1960s With Lyrics That Double as Life Mantras

These 1960s folk songs can become life mantras for each of us. Each listen teaches us something.

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“Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” — Judy Collins

This folk song has been covered many times, speaking to its timelessness. The sentiment in this ballad is one anyone can relate to, reckoning with the passage of time in an apt, somber tone. “Sad deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving / Ah, but then you know, it’s time for them to go / But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving / I do not count the time,” the lyrics read. These aren’t necessarily lyrics you’ll mutter to yourself before you start your day, but they are sobering realities worth remembering.

“And I am not alone, while my love is near me / And I know it will be so, ’til it’s time to go / So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again / I do not fear the time,” the lyrics continue. It’s easy to get caught up in the unrelenting passage of time and not slow down to remember its beauty.

“Blowin’ In The Wind” — Bob Dylan

“How many years can a mountain exist / Before it’s washed to the sea? / Yes, ’n’ how many years can some people exist / Before they’re allowed to be free,” the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind” read. This song touches on universal themes of oppression and existential questions. That’s what has made it such a beloved song for so long. We never stop pondering these ideas, and we often need someone to make them plain for us. That’s what Dylan has been best at for decades: bringing weighty ideas back down to scale.

“Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man have / Before he can hear people cry? / Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows / That too many people have died,” he sings as a rallying cry against pain and suffering. Anyone can find meaning in these lyrics, making this one of the most important folk songs of the 1960s.

“Both Sides Now” — Joni Mitchell

This Joni Mitchell staple has touched countless listeners over the years. “But now, it’s just another show / And you leave ’em laughing when you go / And if you care, don’t let them know / Don’t give yourself away,” she sings, acknowledging love’s darker side.

This song’s view of the world’s opposing sides is an outlook we could all stand to learn from. Life has good and bad, but in the end, we’re left washed in the whole experience. In a way, it’s a freeing notion.

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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