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.
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Peggy Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
The moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and empty skies, my love
To the dark and empty skies
And the first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move in my hands
That was there at my command, my love
That was there
And the first time ever I lay with you
And felt you heart so close to mine
I thought our joy would fill the earth
It would last till the end of time, my love
It would last till the end of time
The first time ever I saw your face
Your face, your face
In Peggy Seeger's iconic folk ballad, 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,' love is described as a cosmic force that brings light to even the darkest skies, ignites the earth beneath your feet, and lasts until the end of time. The first verse sets the tone by establishing the songwriter's initial impression of the object of her affection, where she experienced a profound and life-changing connection through their eyes. The singer implies that her lover's beauty put the sun and the moon to shame, describing the feeling as if the stars were sown into their very soul.
The second verse is about the first kiss, where the intensity of their love is further described through an analogy of the earth moving beneath their feet. It felt like the singer had a captive bird in her hands that took flight, much like love that was let free after so much anticipation. The third verse is where the level of intimacy between the two lovers increases even further by describing their physical union, where they are so close that their hearts are beating as one. The singer is so overcome with joy and passion that she believes their love will fill the earth and that it will last until the end of time.
Overall, the song portrays love as a cosmic energy, where the power of their connection is transcendent and beyond the physical realm. The song is a heartwarming tribute to the power of two people who are deeply in love.
Line by Line Meaning
The first time ever I saw your face
The moment I first laid eyes on you.
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
You were so captivating that it felt as though the entire world was brighter with you in it.
The moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
Just by being present, you lit up the dark night sky and made everything seem brighter.
To the dark and empty skies, my love
Your presence was like a beacon of light in a world that may have once seemed bleak.
And the first time ever I kissed your mouth
The moment I first kissed you was so powerful that it felt like the earth itself was moving beneath our feet.
I felt the earth move in my hands
Every sensation and feeling was amplified because the love we shared was so strong.
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
Our love was so intense that it felt overwhelming, like it could not be contained.
That was there at my command, my love
Our love was so strong that it seemed like nothing could ever separate us.
And the first time ever I lay with you
The moment we first shared our embrace.
And felt your heart so close to mine
Our love was so close to one another that it felt like our hearts were beating in unison.
I thought our joy would fill the earth
Our love was so empowering and all-consuming that it felt like it would overflow and spread joy into the world.
It would last till the end of time, my love
Our love was so profound that it would stand the test of time, never fading away.
The first time ever I saw your face
The moment that our love story truly began, with all of the promise and hope of something that would last forever.
Your face, your face
Captivated by the beauty and wonder of the person standing before me, the one that would come to mean everything to me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Wahana Musik Indonesia (WAMI)
Written by: Ewan Maccoll
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Teresa Aparecida Testani
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
The first time, ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars
Were the gifts you gave
To the dark, and the endless skies
My Love.
And the first time, ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move in my hands
Like the trembling heart
Of a captive bird
That was there, at my command
My Love.
And the first time, ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I know our joy
Would fill the earth
And last, til the end of time
My Love.
And last, til the end of time.
The first time, ever I saw
Your face
Your face
Your fa-ace
Your face.
A Primeira Vez Que Vi Seu Rosto
A primeira vez que vi seu rosto
Eu pensei que o sol nascia em seus olhos
E a lua e as estrelas
Eram os presentes que você deu
Aos céus escuros e sem fim,
Meu amor.
A primeira vez que beijei sua boca
Eu senti a Terra mover em minhas mãos
Como um coração assustado
De um pássaro aprisionado
Que estava lá, ao meu comando,
Meu amor.
A primeira vez que me deitei com você
Eu senti seu coração tão perto do meu
Eu pensei que nossa alegria
Preencheria a Terra
E duraria até o final dos tempos,
Meu amor.
E duraria até o final dos tempos.
A primeira vez que vi seu rosto
Seu rosto
Seu rosto
Seu ros-to
Seu rosto.
sandra morey
While I love other versions of this, I still prefer yours. After all, it was written for you by Ewan. I love that your kids are the videographers. Beautiful video.
Gerry Naughton
I met Peggy at the end of the Ewan MacColl Tribute Concert 'Joy of Living' in Dublin in 2016. I told Peggy that I used to go to the Bull & Mouth Pub in Central London back in the late 70s to listen to herself and Ewan sing. "You made me cry" I told her and then explained that she did a poignant redition of the 'Agent Orange Song' after she told the story about how an American pilot had suffered and died as a result of spreading chemicals over the forests in Vietnam. The song was made popular by Country Joe MacDonald, but Peggy's live version was so much more meaningful and heart-rendering. She grasped both my hands and said: "Thank you, you have made my night". Peggy shares her soul with all who know her...
Sally Potter
I also spend time at the Bull and Mouth - in the Winter/ Spring of 1981 while on an overseas study. Peggy and Ewan's bi-weekly performances were a seminar of how to do this folk singing thing... let the songs do the talking; give them room to breathe... lyrics are almost everything, with a lovely melody to take the message along... an amazing experience for this Yankee. To this day, I am grateful. SP
Luda Pross-Laseur
Beautiful 😍
Dylan Walshe
Beautiful Peggy, thanks for all the support x
Paulette Meier Music
Just heart opening, Peggy! Thank you for recording this at this time of your life. Inspired all of us on the way to 80 to keep on singing!
CopperHarley
How wonderful! Moving, of course, beautiful too, and steeped in memories. Memorable. Thank you so much, Peggy and family.
Ian Craft
Just when you thought this song couldn't get any better ........... Sublime.
Kieron Winters
Beautiful version Peggy, I remember when i was the Warden at Ruskin giving tours of the Headington Campus, Showing People into yours and Ewans Archive and letting them see Ewans Grammy for this song.
nerafinator
Absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for this blessing