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)
John Henry
Pete Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sittin' on his papa's knee.
He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel;
Said, "Hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord.
Hammer's gonna be the death of me."
The captain said to John Henry
"Gonna bring that steam drill 'round.
Gonna bring that steam drill out on the job.
Down.
Whop that steel on down."
John Henry told his captain,
"A man ain't nothin' but a man,
But before I let your steam drill beat me
Down,
I'd die with a hammer in my hand. Lord,
Lord.
I'd dies with a hammer in my hand."
John Henry said to his shaker,
"Shaker, why don't you sing?
I'm throwin' thirty pounds from my hips on
Down.
Just listen to that cold steel ring. Lord, Lord.
Listen to that cold steel ring."
The man that invented the stream drill
Thought he was mighty fine,
But John Henry made fifteen feet;
The steam drill only made nine. Lord, Lord.
The steam drill only made nine.
John Henry hammered in the mountain
His hammer was striking fire.
But he worked so hard, he broke his poor heart.
He laid down his hammer and he died. Lord, Lord.
He laid down his hammer and he died.
John Henry had a little woman.
Her name was Polly Ann.
John Henry took sick and went to his bed.
Polly Ann drove steel like a man. Lord, Lord.
Polly Ann drove steel like a man.
John Henry had a little baby.
You could hold him in the palm of your hand.
The last words I heard that poor boy say,
"My daddy was steel-driving man. Lord, Lord.
My daddy was a steel-driving."
Well, every Monday morning
When the bluebirds begin to sing.
You can hear John Henry a mile or more.
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring.
Lord, Lord.
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring.
The song "John Henry," originally a traditional folk ballad, tells the story of an African American steel-driving man named John Henry who worked on the railroads in the late 19th century. The song begins with John Henry as just a baby, sitting on his father's lap and picking up a hammer and piece of steel. He immediately recognizes the danger in the work he's destined for and predicts that the hammer will be the death of him.
The song moves on to describe the competition between John Henry and the captain who introduces a new steam drill to replace manual labor on the railroad. John Henry boasts that he will never let a machine beat him and impresses his fellow workers by driving his hammer into the steel with incredible force. He encourages his "shaker" to sing along and keep up with him as he hammers away. Although the steam drill initially makes progress, John Henry ultimately prevails, making fifteen feet while the machine can only manage nine.
Unfortunately, John Henry's exertions prove too much for his heart and he dies from the exhaustion of the work. The final verses of the song describe the strength and resilience of John Henry's loved ones, including his partner Polly Ann and young son. The song ends by suggesting that John Henry's spirit still echoes through the mountains where he worked, a reminder of the strength and perseverance of the working-class.
Line by Line Meaning
John Henry was about three days old,
John Henry was just a newborn baby
Sittin' on his papa's knee.
Sitting on his father's lap
He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel;
He grabbed a hammer and a small piece of steel
Said, "Hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord.
He said that working with a hammer would eventually lead to his death
The captain said to John Henry
The boss or supervisor spoke to John Henry
"Gonna bring that steam drill 'round.
The boss said they would use a steam drill
Gonna bring that steam drill out on the job.
The plan was to use the steam drill for the job
Gonna whop that steel on down. Down, Down.
They wanted to use the steam drill to move the steel down
John Henry told his captain,
John Henry spoke to his boss/supervisor
"A man ain't nothin' but a man,
John Henry believed that everyone is equal
But before I let your steam drill beat me Down,
He would rather die than let the steam drill outdo him
I'd die with a hammer in my hand. Lord, Lord.
He would rather die working with his trusty hammer
John Henry said to his shaker,
John Henry spoke to his assistant
"Shaker, why don't you sing?
John Henry asked his assistant to sing a song
I'm throwin' thirty pounds from my hips on Down.
John Henry was exerting great force to move the steel down
Just listen to that cold steel ring. Lord, Lord.
He wanted his assistant to hear the sound of the hammer striking the steel
The man that invented the stream drill
The person who created the steam drill
Thought he was mighty fine,
The inventor was proud of his creation
But John Henry made fifteen feet;
John Henry worked faster and made more progress than the steam drill
The steam drill only made nine. Lord, Lord.
The steam drill was slower and less efficient than John Henry
John Henry hammered in the mountain
John Henry worked in a mountainous area
His hammer was striking fire.
The force of his hammer striking the steel caused sparks to fly
But he worked so hard, he broke his poor heart.
He worked so much that it caused him to have a heart attack and die
He laid down his hammer and he died. Lord, Lord.
He died after stopping his work and putting down his hammer
John Henry had a little woman.
John Henry had a wife
Her name was Polly Ann.
His wife's name was Polly Ann
John Henry took sick and went to his bed.
John Henry fell ill and went to bed
Polly Ann drove steel like a man. Lord, Lord.
His wife stepped in and worked in his place
John Henry had a little baby.
John Henry had a small child
You could hold him in the palm of your hand.
The baby was so small that they could hold him in their hand
The last words I heard that poor boy say,
The last words the child said before growing up
"My daddy was steel-driving man. Lord, Lord.
The child was proud of his father's work
Well, every Monday morning
At the start of every week
When the bluebirds begin to sing.
When the birds start to chirp
You can hear John Henry a mile or more.
People could hear John Henry work from far away
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring.
The sound of his hammer striking steel was loud and clear
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLARENCE L LEWIS, MORRIS LEVY, WAYMON GLASCO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Brazilian Atlantis
The ballad researcher John Garst has figured out where the historical John Henry very (very very) likely died, and he hasn't got enough credit for it (although Norm Cohen, distinguished author of Long Steel Rail, saying he finds Garst's arguments convincing was great).
Garst:
"In 1927 [song researcher Guy Benton] Johnson got letters from:
C. C. Spencer (Salt Lake City, UT), a self-proclaimed eyewitness to John
Henry's contest and death in Alabama.
F. P. Barker (Birmingham, AL), a steel driver on Red Mountain
(Birmingham) who [said he] had known John Henry in Alabama.
Glendora Cannon Cummings (Lansing, MI), whose [said her] uncle had been with John
Henry in Alabama when John Henry died.
[Song researcher Louis Watson] Chappell got a letter from:
C. S. Farquharson (Public Works Department, Jamaica)[....]
Here are elements of their testimonies:
Spencer: John Henry worked for Dabner at Cruzee Mountain, Alabama, and
died in 1882 after beating a steam drill.
Barker: John Henry worked at Cursey Mountain somewhere about 45 years ago
(about 1882).
Cummings: John Henry worked for Dabney and died at Oak Mountain,
Alabama, in 1887.
Farquharson: John Henry worked for Dabner[...] ca 1895.
[...] Spencer, Cummings, and
Farquharson[...] said that John Henry worked for Dabney/Dabner in the
1880s, some 40 years before. It is very unlikely that these three,
living in Utah, Michigan, and Jamaica had had any recent contact with one
another or had in any way colluded to come up with the story that John
Henry had worked for Dabney/Dabner, in Alabama, according to the credible
reports of Spencer and Cummings.
In addition, Spencer and Barker, living in Utah and Alabama, said that
John Henry had worked at Cruzee/Cursey Mountain in Alabama."
Elsewhere Garst has written:
"The discoveries that Coosa [Mountain] and Oak [Mountain] Tunnels exist [about 15 miles east of Birmingham, very near each other], that they have railroad tunnels through them, that these were built in 1887-88, that a [Captain Frederick Yeamans] Dabney was the engineer in charge of construction, that he was from Mississippi, and that his family owned slaves near Crystal Springs lend credence to the testimonies of Spencer, Barker, and Cummings."
Garst believes John Henry most likely died in 1887.
Muhammad Ramone
such a powerful folk song
10/10 on this version
Sudip Chatterjee
Immortal. Thanks much for uploading! ❤🙏
Debojyoti Bhattacharya
a LEGEND is singing about another LEGEND! A delightful experience
The Brazilian Atlantis
The ballad researcher John Garst has figured out where the historical John Henry very (very very) likely died, and he hasn't got enough credit for it (although Norm Cohen, distinguished author of Long Steel Rail, saying he finds Garst's arguments convincing was great).
Garst:
"In 1927 [song researcher Guy Benton] Johnson got letters from:
C. C. Spencer (Salt Lake City, UT), a self-proclaimed eyewitness to John
Henry's contest and death in Alabama.
F. P. Barker (Birmingham, AL), a steel driver on Red Mountain
(Birmingham) who [said he] had known John Henry in Alabama.
Glendora Cannon Cummings (Lansing, MI), whose [said her] uncle had been with John
Henry in Alabama when John Henry died.
[Song researcher Louis Watson] Chappell got a letter from:
C. S. Farquharson (Public Works Department, Jamaica)[....]
Here are elements of their testimonies:
Spencer: John Henry worked for Dabner at Cruzee Mountain, Alabama, and
died in 1882 after beating a steam drill.
Barker: John Henry worked at Cursey Mountain somewhere about 45 years ago
(about 1882).
Cummings: John Henry worked for Dabney and died at Oak Mountain,
Alabama, in 1887.
Farquharson: John Henry worked for Dabner[...] ca 1895.
[...] Spencer, Cummings, and
Farquharson[...] said that John Henry worked for Dabney/Dabner in the
1880s, some 40 years before. It is very unlikely that these three,
living in Utah, Michigan, and Jamaica had had any recent contact with one
another or had in any way colluded to come up with the story that John
Henry had worked for Dabney/Dabner, in Alabama, according to the credible
reports of Spencer and Cummings.
In addition, Spencer and Barker, living in Utah and Alabama, said that
John Henry had worked at Cruzee/Cursey Mountain in Alabama."
Elsewhere Garst has written:
"The discoveries that Coosa [Mountain] and Oak [Mountain] Tunnels exist [about 15 miles east of Birmingham, very near each other], that they have railroad tunnels through them, that these were built in 1887-88, that a [Captain Frederick Yeamans] Dabney was the engineer in charge of construction, that he was from Mississippi, and that his family owned slaves near Crystal Springs lend credence to the testimonies of Spencer, Barker, and Cummings."
Garst believes John Henry most likely died in 1887.
nocynic
Thank you for this...happy Labor Day!
Claudio Martínez
Muy bueno !!! Algún video tutorial de este tema ??? Gracias
Donna Kinzie
Perfect! Using with my Special Ed kids, gr. 4 and 5, as we're reading tall tales!!!!
D Inkster
I like the idea behind the song that manual labour can't top better technology. I'm looking the song up right now to tell parents that they are right to demand accommodations for their dysgraphic kid and not let them get subjected to harassment by teachers who think that kids have to write everything rather than type it or master those old-fashioned math algorithms rather than just use a calculator to solve problems. I guess it's a tall tale, but it is also a comment on progress and the working class's reaction to it.
marcus edwards
My new working song and my new drinking song!👌🔥🔥💪💪💪😂😭
Gerald S. Posner
Awesome version..thanks