Peggy Seeger (born June 17, 1935, New York City - ) is an American folk s… Read Full Bio ↴Peggy Seeger (born June 17, 1935, New York City - ) is an American folk singer who also achieved renown in Britain, where she lived for more than 30 years, as the wife of songwriter and activist Ewan MacColl.

Seeger's father was Charles Seeger (1886–1979), an important folklorist and musicologist; her mother was Seeger's second wife, Ruth Porter Crawford Ruth Crawford seeger (1901–1953), a modernist composer who was one of the first women to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship. ... (family photo)

One of her brothers is Mike Seeger, and the well-known songwriter Pete Seeger is her half-brother.

One of Peggy Seeger's first recordings was "American Folk Songs for Children" (1955), considered one of her most enduring, and probably the best-selling, collection of children's songs ever recorded.

Together with MacColl, Seeger joined The Critics Group, performing satirical songs in a mixture of theatre, comedy and song. Seeger and MacColl recorded as a duo and as solo artists; MacColl wrote "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" in Seeger's honor.

Dear Companion
Peggy Seeger Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Once I had a dear companion
Indeed I thought his love my own
But then a dark-eyed girl persuaded
Now he cares for me no more

O, go and leave me if you want to
That will never trouble me
If it's in your heart to love another

Then in my grave I would rather be

Many a night while you lie sleeping
Dreaming in your sweet repose
There's me, poor girl, lies here a-weeping
Listening to the wind that blows

When I see your baby laughing
It makes me think of your sweet face
But when I hear your baby crying
It makes me think on my disgrace

I am writing you a letter
Telling you that you are free

From this moment and forever
I will care no more for thee

Overall Meaning

The song "Dear Companion" by Peggy Seeger speaks about a woman who is betrayed by her loved one for another woman. The song starts by acknowledging that the woman had a dear companion and believed his love was hers. But, a dark-eyed girl comes between them and persuades her companion, and as a result, he no longer cares for the woman. The woman tells her companion that she would be okay if he left her because if he loves another, she would be rather dead than be with him.

The woman expresses her feelings about her situation. She says that many nights, while her companion lies sleeping, dreaming of new life with his new love, she is left to weep alone. When she sees her companion's baby and looks at it smiling, she remembers her companion's sweet face, and when the baby weeps, she remembers her own disgrace.

Towards the end of the song, the woman sends a letter to her companion, telling him that he is free and that she will no longer care for him. The song's lyrics could be interpreted as a story of unrequited love, betrayal, and heartbreak. It's a beautiful song that speaks about the raw emotions that come with love, trust, and heartbreak.

Line by Line Meaning

Once I had a dear companion
At some point I had a beloved partner

Indeed I thought his love my own
I believed that he loved me deeply

But then a dark-eyed girl persuaded
However, a woman with dark eyes convinced him otherwise

Now he cares for me no more
And now he no longer has affection for me

O, go and leave me if you want to
You're free to depart if that's your desire

That will never trouble me
It won't cause me any heartache

If it's in your heart to love another
If you truly love someone else

Then in my grave I would rather be
I'd rather die than know this pain

Many a night while you lie sleeping
Many nights while you're sound asleep

Dreaming in your sweet repose
Dreaming peacefully

There's me, poor girl, lies here a-weeping
And here I am, a pitiful girl, crying