If I Had A Hammer
Frank Alamo Lyrics


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(Lee Hays/Pete Seeger)

If I Had a Hammer, I'd hammer In the Morning
I'd hammer in the Evening, all Over This Land
I'd hammer out Danger, I'd hammer out Warning.
I'd hammer out Love Between my Brothers and My Sisters,
Oh! Oh! All Over This Land.
Woohooh...!

If I'd had A Bell, I'd Ring It in the Morning.
I'd Ring It in the Evening, all Over This Land
I'd Ring out Danger, I'd Ring out Warning,
I'd Ring out Love Between my Brothers And My Sisters
Oh! Oh!. All Over This Land

Woohooh...!

If I Had a Song, I'd Sing It in the Morning
I'd Sing It in the Evening, all Over This Land
I'd sing out Danger, I'd sing out Warning.
I'd sing out Love Between my Brothers and My Sisters.
Oh! Oh! All Over This Land.

Well, 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, it's The Bell of Freedom.
It's The Song about Love Between my Brothers and My Sisters
Oh! Oh! All Over This Land

Yeh yeh yeh

Oh! Oh! All Over This Land




Oh! Oh! All Over This Land
Oh! Oh! All Over This Land

Overall Meaning

Frank Alamo's version of "If I Had a Hammer" is a song about the power of individual contributions towards change. The song suggests that the changes we want to see in our communities and societies can begin with ourselves in our daily lives. If the singer had a hammer, he would use it to hammer out danger and warning. This means that he would use it as a tool to knock down barriers and address dangerous or problematic situations that he might come across in his daily life. He would use the hammer to break down walls and build bridges between people, fostering love and unity among his fellow humans.


The bell in the lyrics represents a similar idea. If the singer had a bell, he would ring it out as a warning of danger and use it as a tool to bring people together. Similarly, if he had a song, he would use it to convey important messages about love, danger, and warning between brothers and sisters all over this land.


The song's final verse ties together all the previous verses and calls for unity among all people. The Hammer of Justice, The Bell of Freedom, and The Song about Love Between my Brothers and My Sisters is a powerful trinity that can lead to the betterment of society. The lyrics emphasize that these tools are not just individually powerful but can be used in tandem to bring about greater change for the betterment of all people.


Line by Line Meaning

If I Had a Hammer, I'd hammer In the Morning
If I possessed a hammer, I would use it to build and accomplish things in the morning


I'd hammer in the Evening, all Over This Land
I would continue using the hammer to create and improve things in the evening, all around the country


I'd hammer out Danger, I'd hammer out Warning.
In addition to building, I would also use the hammer to alert or prevent danger or problems


I'd hammer out Love Between my Brothers and My Sisters,
Not only would I use the hammer to build and protect, but also to bring people together in love


Oh! Oh! All Over This Land.
All of these things I would do everywhere across the country


If I'd had A Bell, I'd Ring It in the Morning.
If I had a bell, I would use it to signal the beginning of a new day and a new start in the morning


I'd Ring It in the Evening, all Over This Land
I would also ring the bell in the evening to signal the close of the day, everywhere in the country


I'd Ring out Danger, I'd Ring out Warning,
The bell would also serve to warn of impending danger or problems


I'd Ring out Love Between my Brothers And My Sisters
However, the bell would also be used to share and spread the love and unity among people


Oh! Oh!. All Over This Land
Like the hammer, these actions would also take place everywhere across the country


If I Had a Song, I'd Sing It in the Morning
If I had a song, I would use it to uplift and motivate people in the morning


I'd Sing It in the Evening, all Over This Land
Also, I would sing this song to bring joy and relaxation to those in the country, in the evening as well


I'd sing out Danger, I'd sing out Warning.
Like the hammer and bell, the song would also serve to warn of danger or problems ahead


I'd sing out Love Between my Brothers and My Sisters.
Finally, the song would spread love among everyone, uniting brothers and sisters everywhere in the country


Well, I Got a Hammer and I Got a Bell
The singer already possesses the tools he needs to build, warn, and unite


And I Got A Song To Sing, all Over This Land.
Finally, he has the song to inspire and bring happiness to the people everywhere he goes


It's The Hammer of Justice, it's The Bell of Freedom.
The hammer and bell are not just simple tools, they symbolize justice and freedom


It's The Song about Love Between my Brothers and My Sisters
The song, too, is a symbol of love and unity among all people, everywhere in the country


Oh! Oh! All Over This Land
The hammer, bell, and song will all serve to improve and unite America everywhere in the country


Yeh yeh yeh
An exclamation of joy and happiness, in response to the unity and love he hopes to bring to the country


Oh! Oh! All Over This Land
A final reminder of the singer's goal and vision for America, to improve and unite it everywhere across the country


Oh! Oh! All Over This Land
A final reminder of the singer's goal and vision for America, to improve and unite it everywhere across the country


Oh! Oh! All Over This Land
A final reminder of the singer's goal and vision for America, to improve and unite it everywhere across the country




Writer(s): CARRERA ETTORE, BARDOTTI SERGIO, SEEGER PETER, HAYS LEE

Contributed by Leo I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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