As a folk-rock solo singer in the 1960s, McGuire is best known for his hits "Eve of Destruction" and "Sins of the Family", both written by P.F. Sloan, as were his other chart successes, "Child of Our Times" and "Cloudy Summer Afternoon (Raindrops)." The latter two were co-written by Steve Barri.
McGuire's LP, The Eve of Destruction reached its peak of #37 on the Billboard album chart during the week ending 1965 September 25. That same day the single of that name went to #1 on both charts. McGuire was never again to break into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.
The album This Precious Time was released in 1966, his second with Dunhill Records. It includes a version of California Dreamin' with The Mamas and the Papas singing backing vocals.
McGuire appeared in the 1967 movie The President's Analyst with James Coburn and in Werewolves on Wheels in 1971. He also starred for a year in the Broadway musical Hair.
McGuire became a born-again Christian in 1971. In 1973, he joined the Myrrh label and released the album Seeds. This album is also notable for the backing vocals provided by the family trio that would become known as the 2nd Chapter of Acts. In 1974, McGuire released his second Contemporary Christian album Lighten Up, which included a remake of "Eve of Destruction". He toured with 2nd Chapter of Acts and "a band called David" and in 1975 this collaborative effort resulted in the live double album To the Bride.
In 1976, he left Myrrh, joining former Myrrh executive Billy Ray Hearn's new label Sparrow Records. He recorded seven albums on Sparrow, the best known of which is Cosmic Cowboy, released in 1978. That year he also released a top-selling children's album Bullfrogs and Butterflies for Sparrow's subsidiary label Birdwing.
If I Had a Hammer
Barry McGuire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I′d hammer in the morning
Hammer in the evening
All over this land
I'd hammer out danger
Hammer out a warning
I′d hammer out love between
All over this land
If I had a bell
I'd tinkle in the morning
Tinkle in the evening time
All over this land
I'd tinkle out that danger
I′d tinkle out a warning
Tinkle out love between
My brothers and my sisters
All over this land
If I had a song
Sing it in the evening
All over this land
And I′d sing out danger
Sing out a warning
I'd sing out love between
My brothers and my sisters
All over this land
Yeah, oh yeah
Yeah, oh yeah
Yeah, yeah
If I had a hammer
I′d hammer in the morning
A hammer in the evening time
All over this land
I hammer out danger
Hammer out a warning
I'd hammer out love between
My brothers and my sisters
All over this land
Look, I got a hammer
And I got a bell
And I got a song to sing
All over this land
It′s the hammer of justice
A bell of freedom yeah
It's a song about love
Between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land
Yeah, Lord have mercy
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah
Barry McGuire's "If I Had a Hammer" is an uplifting, folk song that calls for equality and peace between people. Throughout the song, McGuire imagines having a hammer, bell, and song that he would use to spread his message. If he had a hammer, he would use it to physically build a better world, hammering out danger and warning people of it. He would use it to bring his brothers and sisters together by hammering out love. The bell would be used to call people to action, tinkle out warnings, and again to spread love between people. The song McGuire would sing would speak to the struggles of people everywhere and call for justice, freedom, and love.
The song became popular in the early 1960s during the civil rights movement and was seen as an anthem carrying a powerful message. "If I Had a Hammer" became an integral part of the movement, and it inspired many people to come together for a common goal. The song calls for unity in a time when many were divided by race, class, and political beliefs. Even today, the song still carries a message of hope and social change.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had a hammer
If I possessed a tool for building and destroying,
I′d hammer in the morning
I would use it in the early hours of the day
Hammer in the evening
And also in the later parts of the day
All over this land
In every corner of this country
I'd hammer out danger
I would use my hammer to eliminate danger
Hammer out a warning
I'd use it to alert people of potential danger
I′d hammer out love between
I would use it to spread love between
My brothers and my sisters
All people, irrespective of race, ethnicity or social class
All over this land
In all parts of this nation
If I had a bell
If I had a device that could ring out loud
I'd tinkle in the morning
I would use it in the early parts of the day
Tinkle in the evening time
And also in the later parts of the day
I'd tinkle out that danger
I would use my bell to signal danger
I′d tinkle out a warning
I'd use it to alert people of potential danger
Tinkle out love between
I would use it to spread love between
My brothers and my sisters
All people without discrimination
All over this land
Everywhere in this country
If I had a song
If I had musical talent and a voice
Sing it in the evening
I would use it in the later hours of the day
I′d sing out danger
I would use my singing to alert people of danger
Sing out a warning
I would also use it to warn people of impending danger
I'd sing out love between
I would sing songs of love between
My brothers and my sisters
All people irrespective of their background
All over this land
Across every part of this country
It′s the hammer of justice
The hammer of justice to me is
A bell of freedom yeah
A bell of freedom that symbolizes
It's a song about love
This is a piece of music about
Yeah, Lord have mercy
May God show us mercy
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah
Yes, we all want to show our support and enthusiasm
Writer(s): Pete Seeger, Lee Hays
Contributed by William Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.