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)
Guantanamera
Pete Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the land of the palm trees
And before dying, I want to share the poems of my soul
My poems are soft green,
My poems are also flaming crimson
My poems are like a wounded fawn
Seeking refuge in the forest
The last verse says "con los pobres de la tierra"
I want to share my fate
The streams of the mountain
Pleases me more than the sea
The lyrics to "Guantanamera" by Pete Seeger speak of the desire to share the beauty of life and the soul with those who share the same fate in the world as the poet does. The first few lines make it clear that the poet is from a land of palm trees. When they say "before dying," it can signify a general desire to share their work with others, but it also could mean that they are very elderly or have an illness. The poet describes their poems as being green or fiery, which could represent a range of emotions or experiences. The reference to the wounded fawn in the forest conveys vulnerability and the need for refuge. Finally, the poet wishes to share their fate with the poor people of the earth, indicating that they believe in the idea of solidarity and empathy.
The song has been seen as a symbol of Latin American identity and solidarity, and it has even been referred to as the "unofficial national anthem of Cuba." The song has been covered by many famous musicians, including Celia Cruz, Joan Baez, and Julio Iglesias, and it has been translated into many different languages. "Guantanamera" is based on a poem by José Martí, a Cuban poet, and political activist who was influential in the fight for independence from Spain. The song was later adapted by songwriter Julián Orbón, and it was popularized in Cuba in the 1930s.
Line by Line Meaning
The words mean, I am a truthful man
I am an honest person who speaks the truth.
From the land of the palm trees
I am from a place with tall trees that bear fruit and provide shade.
And before dying, I want to share the poems of my soul
Before I pass away, I wish to express the deepest emotions and experiences of my soul through poetry.
My poems are soft green,
My poetry is gentle and soothing, like the color green in nature.
My poems are also flaming crimson
At times my poetry is intense and passionate, like the color crimson.
My poems are like a wounded fawn
My poetry is fragile and vulnerable, like a helpless baby deer.
Seeking refuge in the forest
My poetry represents a desire to find safety and protection in nature.
The last verse says "con los pobres de la tierra"
The final verse reads, 'with the poor people of this earth.'
With the poor people of this earth
I desire to stand in solidarity and share the struggles and hardships experienced by those with fewer resources.
I want to share my fate
I wish to empathize with others and experience their joys and sorrows as if they were my own.
The streams of the mountain
I am more drawn to and find greater satisfaction in the natural beauty and purity of mountain streams.
Pleases me more than the sea
The majesty and vastness of the ocean does not compare to the peacefulness and simplicity of a mountain stream for me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Spirit Music Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Peter Seeger, Julian Orbon, Hector Angulo, Jose Fernandez Diaz, Fernandez Diaz Jose
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@starman714
Thanks for this!
I am a truthful man,
From the land of the palm.
Before dying, I want to
Share these poems of my soul.
My verses are light green,
But they are also flaming red.
My verses are like a wounded fawn,
Seeking refuge in the mountain.
I cultivate a white rose
In June and in January
For the sincere friend
Who gives me his hand.
And for the cruel one who would tear out
This heart with which I live.
I cultivate neither thistles nor nettles
I cultivate a white rose.
With the poor people of this earth,
I want to share my lot.
The little streams of the mountains
Please me more than the sea
@user-iz3gv5vo6b
From 4 of José Martí's Poems.
Yo soy un hombre sincero
De donde crece la palma, (2)
Y antes de morirme quiero
Echar mis versos del alma.
Mi verso es de un verde claro
Y de un carmín encendido: (2)
Mi verso es un ciervo herido
Que busca en el monte amparo.
*
Con los pobres de la tierra
Quiero yo mi suerte echar: (2)
El arroyo de la sierra
Me complace más que el mar.
* Not in this version:
Cultivo una rosa blanca
En julio como en enero, (2)
Para el amigo sincero
Que me da su mano franca.
@lenhummel5614
yrics to the song:
I am a truthful man from this land of palm trees
Before dying I want to share these poems of my soul
My verses are light green
But they are also as flaming crimson.
The words that I write are radiant crimson and emerald bright,
The poems I bring forth are as radiant crimson and emerald bright,
My verses are as a wounded fawn seeking refuge in the forest and mountain heights.
With the poor people of the earth
I want to share my fate.
The streams of the mountains
please me more than the sea.
final verses:
I cultivate a rose in June and in January
For the sincere friend who gives me his hand
And {even} for the cruel one who would tear out this heart with which I live
I do not cultivate thistles nor nettles
I cultivate a white rose...
Guantanamera, guajira, Guantanamera
Guantanamera, guajira, Guantanamera
@dianekooij297
LYRICS: I found these words & some translation thru Pete Seeger from
Cuban writer JOSE MARTI
Spanish Lyrics to Guantanamera Guantanamera in English
Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera
Yo soy un hombre sincero I am a truthful man
De donde crece la palma 2X's From the land of the palm trees 2X's Y antes de morirme quiero And before dying I want
Echar mis versos del alma To share these poems of my soul
Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera
Mi verso es de un verde claro My poems are soft green
Y de un carmin encendido 2X's My poems are also flaming crimson 2X's
Mi verso es un ciervo herido My poems are like a wounded fawn
Que busca en el monte amparo Seeking refuge in the forest
Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera
Cultivo una rosa blanca I grow a white rose
En julio como en enero In July just as in January
Para el amigo sincero For the honest friend
Que me da su mano franca Who gives me his open hand
Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera
Con los pobres de la tierra With the poor people of this earth
Quiero yo mi suerte echar 2X's I want to share my faith 2X's
El arroyo de la sierra The streams of the mountain
Me complace mas que el mar Pleases me more than of the sea
Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera
@rishishard4742
My Spanish teacher used to sing this song in class with us. He was one of my favorite teachers that year, sadly the year was cut short due to covid so we did not get a full semester with him. At the time he was dying of cancer and would go out on his breaks and smoke. Sadly he passed away early this year and did not teach the during the 2021-2022 school year, so we were lucky that we got to have him at all, and that his last rodeo was with us. This song will always remind me off singing this song during Spanish class. He would bring his guitar out and would truly sing his heart out. He was knowledgeable on many subjects, but was the best Spanish teacher ever. RIP Mr. Rojo. I will always miss you even though we didn't know each other for that long.
@Northcountry1926
Very Kind of you to share & honour Señor Rojo … Bravo ❗️
@tomcurran8470
Met Pete in 2007 at Merlefest, Wilkesboro, NC. He is a national treasure, even if you don't agree with his politics. He always spoke truth to power.
@donarthiazi2443
I miss short-track racing
@PoranerGan
Salute Pete Seeger, Salute Comrade Jose Marti.
@bench-xpress
Hello my Bengali Comerade.
@dwcheshire
My mother passed away aged 94, January 18, 2014 this was her favorite song, maybe he will sing it for her.
@jimk3439
Im sure they are making great music together right now. peace
@shadowenighthawke2023
My favorite as well
@mellissadalby1402
I miss Pete Seeger. We could really use him these days.