As a member of The Weavers, Seeger had a string of hits, including a 1949 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene" that topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. He was formerly a member of the Communist Party of the United States of America and was a major contributor to folk and protest music in the 1950s and the 1960s.
Perhaps best known today as the author or co-author of the songs Where Have All the Flowers Gone, If I Had a Hammer, and Turn, Turn, Turn, songs that have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement and which are still sung all over the world. Flowers was a hit recording for The Kingston Trio (1962), Marlene Dietrich, who recorded it in English, German and French (1962), and Johnny Rivers (1965). "If I Had a Hammer" was a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary (1962) and Trini Lopez (1963), while The Byrds popularized "Turn, Turn, Turn" in the mid-1960s.
Early work
Seeger dropped out of Harvard (where he had been studying journalism) in 1939, and he took a job in Washington, D.C. at the Archive of American Folk Song in the Library of Congress. In that capacity, he met and was influenced by many important musicians such as Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. He met Woody at a "Grapes of Wrath" migrant workers concert on March 3, 1940 and the two thereafter began a musical collaboration.
In 1948, Seeger wrote the first version of his now-classic How to Play the Five-String Banjo, a book that many banjo players credit with starting them off on the instrument. He went on to invent the Long Neck or Seeger banjo. This instrument is three frets longer than a typical banjo, and slightly longer than a bass guitar at 25 Frets, and is tuned a minor third lower than the normal 5-string banjo.
As a self-described "split tenor" (between an alto and a tenor), he was a founding member of the folk groups the Almanac Singers with Woody Guthrie and the Weavers with Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman. The Weavers had major hits in the early 1950s, before being blacklisted in the McCarthy Era.
On August 18, 1955, Pete was subpoenaed to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) where he refused to name personal and political associations stating it would violate his First Amendment rights... "I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this." Seeger's refusal to testify led to a March 26, 1957 indictment for contempt of Congress; for some years, he had to keep the federal government apprised of where he was going any time he left the Southern District of New York. He was convicted in a jury trial in March 1961, and sentenced to a year in jail, but in May 1962 an appeals court ruled the indictment to be flawed and overturned his conviction.
Seeger started a solo career in 1958, and is known for songs such as "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," "If I Had a Hammer" (co-written with Lee Hays), "Turn, Turn, Turn," adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes, and "We Shall Overcome" (based on a spiritual and later became the unofficial anthem for the civil rights movement). Seeger became influential in the 1960s folk revival centered in Greenwich Village. He helped found Broadside Magazine and Sing Out!. He was strongly associated with Moses Asch and Folkways Records. To describe the new crop of folk singers, many of whom were politically minded in their songs, he coined the phrase "Woody's children", alluding to his former bandmate Woody Guthrie, who by this time had become a legendary figure. He has often sung and is associated with the song "Joe Hill".
In the mid-sixties he hosted a regional folk music TV show called Rainbow Quest which featured folk musicians playing traditional folk music. Among his guests were Johnny Cash, June Carter, Mississippi John Hurt, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Roscoe Holcomb, The Stanley Brothers, Doc Watson, Tom Paxton, Judy Collins, Richard Fariña and Mimi Fariña, and many others. Thirty-eight hour-long programs were recorded at new UHF station WNJU's Newark studios in 1965 and 1966, produced by Seeger and his wife Toshi with Sholom Rubinstein.
An early advocate of Bob Dylan, Seeger was supposedly incensed over the distorted electric sound Dylan brought into the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, especially with the inability to clearly hear the lyrics. There are many conflicting versions of exactly what ensued, some claiming that he actually tried to disconnect the equipment. He is often cited as one of the main opponents to Dylan at Newport 1965, but claimed in 2005:
"There are reports of me being anti-him going electric at the '65 Newport Folk festival, but that's wrong. I was the MC that night. He was singing 'Maggie's Farm' and you couldn't understand a word because the mic was distorting his voice. I ran to the mixing desk and said, 'Fix the sound, it's terrible!' The guy said 'No, that's how they want it.' And I did say that if I had an axe I'd cut the cable! But I wanted to hear the words. I didn't mind him going electric.
Later work
Seeger achieved some notoriety in 1967 and 1968 for his song "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy", about a captain—a "big fool"—who drowned while leading a platoon on maneuvers in Louisiana during World War II. Seeger performed the song on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour after some arguments with CBS about whether the song's lyrics were objectionable. Although the song was cut from the Smothers Brothers show in September 1967, Seeger returned in January 1968 and sang the entire song. It was clearly an allegory about the U.S. under the leadership of Lyndon Johnson which was in over its head in the Vietnam War.
Another slight against Lyndon Johnson can be heard in his singing of Len Chandler's seemingly juvenile song, "Beans in My Ears" from his 1966 album Dangerous Songs!? in which he accuses "Mrs. Jay's little son Alby" (Alby Jay is meant to sound like LBJ) of having beans in his ears, or of not listening to the people.
In 1998 a double-CD tribute album was released - "Where Have All the Flowers Gone: the Songs of Pete Seeger". It contained contributions from Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg, Eliza Carthy, Bruce Springsteen, Roger McGuinn, Judy Collins, Indigo Girls, Dick Gaughan, Martin Simpson, Odetta and others.
Pete Seeger still performed occasionally in public until his death, and for a number of years appeared at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough Tennessee to tell stories, mostly children's stories such as Abiyoyo. He performed at MerleFest April 27-30, 2006 in Wilkesboro, NC.
On March 16, 2007, the 88-year old Pete Seeger performed with his siblings Mike Seeger and Peggy Seeger, and other Seeger family members at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where he had been employed as a folk song archivist 67 years earlier.
In April 2006, Bruce Springsteen released a collection of songs associated with Seeger or in Seeger's folk tradition, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. Bruce Springsteen performed a series of concerts based on those sessions, to sellout crowds. Springsteen had previously recorded one Seeger favorite, "We Shall Overcome," on the 1998 "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" tribute album.
Seeger lived in the hamlet of Dutchess Junction in the Town of Fishkill, NY and remained very politically active in the Hudson Valley Region of New York, especially in the near-by City of Beacon, NY. He and Toshi purchased their land in 1949, and lived there first in a trailer, then in a log cabin they built themselves, and eventually in a larger house. Seeger joined the Community Church (a church practicing Unitarian Universalism), is considered a famous Unitarian Universalist, and often performed at functions for the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Seeger died in 2014 of natural causes.
Awards
Seeger has been the recipient of many awards and recognitions throughout his career, including:
A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1993)
The National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts (1994)
Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Honor (1994)
The Harvard Arts Medal (1996)
Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1996)
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album of 1996 for his record "Pete" (1997)
Casey Jones
Pete Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come all you rounders
If you want to hear
The story of a brave engineer
Casey Jones
Was the rounders name
On the big six wheeler
Boys he made his fame
Bout half past four
He kissed his wife
At the station door
He stepped into the cabin
With the orders in his hand
Said I'm gonna to take my trip
To the promised land
Casey Jones
Stepped into the cabin
Casey Jones
Orders in his hand
Casey Jones
Stepped into the cabin
Said I'm gonna to take my trip
To the promised land
He looked at the water and
The water was low
He looked at his watch
His watch was slow
He looked at the fireman
The fire and said
Boy were gonna reach Bristol
But well all be dead
Casey pulled up
That Reno hill
He blew at the crossing
With an awful shrill
The switchman knew
By the engines moan
That the man at the throttle
Was Casey Jones
Casey got to that certain place
Old Number Nine
Stared him straight in the face
He said to the fireman
Boy, you'd better jump
Cause there are 2 locomotives
And they're bound to bump
Casey Jones
Two locomotives
Casey Jones
And they're bound to bump
Casey Jones
Two locomotives
Two locomotives
And they're bound to bump
Well, Mrs. Casey Jones
She sat there on the bed
She got the telegram
That her poor husband was dead
She said Go to bed children
And hush your cryin'
You got another poppa
On the Salt Lake Line
Casey Jones
Got another poppa
Casey Jones
On the Salt Lake Line
Casey Jones
Got another poppa
You got another poppa
On the Salt Lake Line
Pete Seeger's song "Casey Jones" tells the story of a legendary railroad engineer named Casey Jones, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad in the early 20th century. The song begins by calling on all the "rounders" or gamblers and thrill-seekers to listen to the tale of Casey Jones, a brave and famous engineer. The lyrics then describe how Casey Jones was called to work one night, kissed his wife goodbye at the station, and stepped into the train engine with his orders in hand.
As Casey Jones begins his journey, he encounters several challenges. The water level is low, his watch is slow, and the fire in the engine is not burning hot enough. Despite these setbacks, Casey Jones presses on, determined to reach his destination. As he approaches Reno Hill, he blows the whistle loudly to warn the switchman, who realizes that the man at the throttle is none other than Casey Jones.
The final verses of the song describe Casey Jones's fatal crash. He sees another train headed towards him and realizes there is no way to avoid the collision. He urges his fireman to jump out of the engine, knowing that the impact will be fatal. Casey Jones dies in the crash, leaving behind his wife and children. The song ends with his wife receiving the news of his death and reassuring her children that they have another father figure on the Salt Lake Line.
Line by Line Meaning
Casey Jones
Introducing the hero of the story
Come all you rounders
Calling all the people who enjoy a good story
If you want to hear
Asking the audience if they are interested
The story of a brave engineer
Introducing the subject of the tale
Casey Jones
Repeating the hero's name for emphasis
Was the rounders name
Giving some background information on Casey Jones
On the big six wheeler
Naming the type of train he drove
Boys he made his fame
Acknowledging his fame and success
Well the caller called Casey
Referring to the dispatcher calling Casey to take a train
Bout half-past four
Indicating the time of day
He kissed his wife
Describing Casey's farewell to his wife
At the station door
Where Casey left his wife to begin his journey
He stepped into the cabin
Describing Casey's entry into the train's control room
With the orders in his hand
Referring to the instructions Casey received from the dispatcher
Said I'm gonna take my trip
Declaring his intention to complete the journey
To the promised land
Using a metaphor for the end of his journey
He looked at the water and
Describing Casey checking the water level in the train
The water was low
Indicating a potential problem
He looked at his watch
Describing Casey checking the time
His watch was slow
Additional complications for Casey
He looked at the fireman
Indicating the other worker who helped Casey run the train
The fire and said
Referring to the train's engine fire
Boy were gonna reach Bristol
Showing Casey's determination to keep going despite difficulties
But well all be dead
Foreshadowing danger and potential disaster
Casey pulled up
Indicating stops made by the train
That Reno hill
Referring to a specific location
He blew at the crossing
Describing the sound of the train's whistle
With an awful shrill
Using a hyperbole to describe the noise
The switchman knew
Showing how other workers on the railroad were aware of Casey's train
By the engines moan
Describing the sound of the engine
That the man at the throttle
Referring to Casey as being in charge of the train
Was Casey Jones
Repeating the hero's name for emphasis
Casey got to that certain place
Describing Casey's progress towards his destination
Old Number Nine
Naming the train Casey was driving
Stared him straight in the face
Visualizing Casey looking at the upcoming challenge
He said to the fireman
Describing Casey communicating with his colleague
Boy, you'd better jump
Indicating that the fireman needs to get off the train quickly
Cause there are 2 locomotives
Describing the danger of an upcoming collision
And they're bound to bump
Foreshadowing the fatal crash
Well, Mrs. Casey Jones
Referring to Casey's wife
She sat there on the bed
Visualizing Casey's family waiting for his return
She got the telegram
Describing how she received the news of her husband's death
That her poor husband was dead
Stating the tragic outcome of the story
She said Go to bed children
Describing how the family handled the news
And hush your crying'
Urging the children to be calm and quiet
You got another poppa
Relaying the message to the children that they have a new father figure
On the Salt Lake Line
Naming the location of the new father figure
Casey Jones
Repeating the hero's name for emphasis
Got another poppa
Indicating that the family has a new father figure despite Casey's tragic end
You got another poppa
Reiterating the presence of a new father figure
On the Salt Lake Line
Reiterating the location of the new father figure
Lyrics © WYNWOOD MUSIC CO. INC., Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN S HURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tudor
This song is about to become reality again
tha Real Mike Zee
my family won't ever cross a picket line. Ever.
Servant Of God
And if i see a picket fence out a walking i cross the street.
Bob S
I don't think Casey Jones was a scab. Railroad strikers liked his catchy song and changed the lyrics to promote a RR strike in 1912 which was twelve years after his death.
John Burt
I don't think you understand the purpose of the song, which was to encourage Southern Pacific workers to laugh at their scabbing brethren -- which was better for their blood pressure than hating them, and safer for the scabs, too.
Prairie rail production’s 🇺🇦
As sad as it is I can see why some would cross the picket line.
If there’s THAT much overtime you could even earn a living wage.
The Communist Dragon
Got an anti union ad on this vid... :|
Comrade Anomalocaris
At least they’re targeting the wrong people
Edg4rAllanBro
Now you know what happens to scabbers though
solidaritet2010
Easy now - THAT is not the point - please read the information + links about Casey and the history about this song!