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.
Vital Statistics
Peggy Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He looked her up and down and turned to the barman with a grin
"Hey Joe, get a load of that
Oh what a bit of stuff
38-26-38
That just about sums her up"
He whistled and winked as she looked around and went to joined her friend
"38-D the size for me!" he called in a raucus voice
"She's the sort who's there to sort the men out from the boys"
She came to the bar called to her friend
"Hey Maggie, come and see
A prime example of 42-52-41 3"
Says "Hey now don't get personal
No need to talk like that
I thought you were a lady
I only wanted to chat
I was only being friendly Joe, she went and took it wrong
But if she's going to get personal
I'll be movin' along"
She says "3 is just what nature gave when she put you on the shelf
You've only got one personal thing
The thing you made yourself
From the bottom up let's have a look
And see what makes the hero
3 41-52-42 0"
The song "Vital Statistics" by Peggy Seeger is a critique of men objectifying women by reducing them to nothing more than their physical measurements. The opening lines introduce the male protagonist who is seated at the bar when a woman walks in. The man proceeds to look her up and down, and then lets out a loud comment about her measurements, showing off for his friends with a disrespectful grin. He whistles and winks at her, making suggestive comments about her body. The woman, who is with her friend Maggie, overhears everything and responds by giving out her own measurements, challenging the man who had reduced her to a mere sum of numbers. She points out that physical appearance has little to do with who one is as a person, and exposes the man's own physical measurements as a way of turning the tables on him.
Through this song, Peggy Seeger highlights the issue of objectification and how it dehumanizes people, particularly women, reducing them to nothing more than their physical appearance. By giving the male protagonist an opportunity to make his own measurements known, the song also underscores the fact that men, too, are subject to this kind of treatment. The song is a critique of the way society often views people as nothing more than their vital statistics or broad categorizations, when in reality, there is so much more that defines a person.
Line by Line Meaning
He was sittin' at the bar when she come walkin' in
He was seated at the bar when she entered
He looked her up and down and turned to the barman with a grin
He gave her a look of admiration then turned to the bartender
"Hey Joe, get a load of that
Oh what a bit of stuff
38-26-38
That just about sums her up"
He beckoned the bartender to look at the woman and described her physical measurements as impressive
He whistled and winked as she looked around and went to joined her friend
He acted flirtatiously towards the woman as she sought her friend
"38-D the size for me!" he called in a raucus voice
"She's the sort who's there to sort the men out from the boys"
He made a vulgar remark about her bra size and implied that she is a woman who tests men's masculinity
She came to the bar called to her friend
"Hey Maggie, come and see
A prime example of 42-52-41 3"
She called out to her friend to show her a man and his measurements
Says "Hey now don't get personal
No need to talk like that
I thought you were a lady
I only wanted to chat
I was only being friendly Joe, she went and took it wrong
But if she's going to get personal
I'll be movin' along"
He defended his comments as friendly and accused the woman of overreacting, but also threatened to leave if she continued to criticize him
She says "3 is just what nature gave when she put you on the shelf
You've only got one personal thing
The thing you made yourself
From the bottom up let's have a look
And see what makes the hero
3 41-52-42 0"
She retorted that his physical measurements are nothing to be proud of and that he only has one self-made achievement. She then revealed her own critical assessment of his body.
Contributed by Wyatt Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.