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)
This Land Is Your Land
Pete Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the California to the New York island
From the Redwood Forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
And saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me
I roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me, a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me
When the sun comes shining, then I was strolling
In the wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling
The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me
This land is your land and this land is my land
From the California to the New York island
From the Redwood Forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me
When the sun comes shining, then I was strolling
In wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling
The voice come chanting as the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me
Pete Seeger's "This Land Is Your Land" is a song of unison and inclusivity. The song showcases the diverse geography and natural beauty of America, declaring that the land belongs to all its citizens. As the song progresses, we witness the singer walking through America and appreciating its different elements: the "endless skyway," "sparkling sands," "wheat fields," and "golden valley."
The lyrics evoke a sense of personal ownership and responsibility that every citizen should have towards America. The song mentions California and New York Island, which is iconic and readily recognizable, representing the United States' success and progress. The song's tranquility and simplicity give off an invitation for everyone to come together, regardless of their differences, be it ethnicity or class. The words "this land was made for you and me" suggest that the earth is not for the privileged only but belongs to all, irrespective of it. This significance of the song remains relevant, primarily because it invites inclusivity in the most critical and crucial aspects of human life, such as the land and earth.
Line by Line Meaning
This land is your land, this land is my land
This nation and its natural resources belong to each and every one of us equally
From the California to the New York island
From the West Coast to the East Coast
From the Redwood Forest, to the gulf stream waters
From the lush forests to the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico
This land was made for you and me
This land was created for every citizen to enjoy and benefit from
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
While I was taking a stroll on that open road
I saw above me that endless skyway
I observed the sky and the seemingly infinite open road ahead of me
And saw below me that golden valley
I noticed the beautiful valley below me, rich and bountiful
This land was made for you and me
This land belongs to everyone, not just the rich and powerful
I roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
I wandered aimlessly, following my own path
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
To the beautiful, unique deserts shining like a diamond in the rough
And all around me, a voice was sounding
I heard a voice surrounding me, echoing the sentiment that this land belongs to all of us
This land was made for you and me
This land is a gift to all Americans, regardless of their status or background
When the sun comes shining, then I was strolling
While walking during a beautiful, sunny day
In the wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling
Surrounded by fields of wheat rustling in the wind and clouds of dust forming in the distance
The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting
I heard the voices of those who came before me chanting as the morning fog began to dissipate
This land was made for you and me
This land belongs to each and every American equally and is meant to be enjoyed by all
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Woody Guthrie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@drmarx48
Was a big high wall there that tried to stop me,
Was a great big sign that said, "Private Property,"
But on the other side, it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.
Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking my freedom highway,
Nobody living can make me turn back,
This land was made for you and me.
@eddie1917o
Thanks comrade. As Brecht wrote:
There are men who struggle for a day and they are good.
There are men who struggle for a year and they are better.
There are men who struggle many years, and they are better still.
But there are those who struggle all their lives:
These are the indispensable ones.
Thanks Petw and Woody.
@TheJoowong
What a performance!
A shining moment at the Lincoln Memorial.
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me
Chorus
This land is your land
This land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the Redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me
I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me.
Chorus
In the squares of the city
By the shadow of the steeple
By the Relief Office
I saw my people
As they stood there hungry
I stood there whispering
This land was made for you and me?
A great high wall there tried to stop me
A great big sign there said "Private Property"
But on the other side it didn't say nothing
That side was made for you and me.
Chorus
Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking on freedom highway
Nobody living can make me turn back
This land was made for you and me
Chorus
(Last verse not sung)
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.
@11222stan
This Land Is Your Land
Words and Music by Woody Guthrie
This land is your land This land is my land
From California to the New York island;
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.
As I was walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway:
I saw below me that golden valley:
This land was made for you and me.
I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;
And all around me a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me.
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.
In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?
Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.
@tomachanaud8211
I. Met Pete Seeger When I was a little girl. He came to my school. And I had met him at the door and I let in. He had come to talk to the kids about littering. He sang, and even got me to sing. I was six years old , and he told me that he believed that one voice singing out could change the world. I never forgot him. He was a voice that certainly did change the world! A wonderful man! An inspiration!
-Tomalyn Sexton
@loosie5224
😀
@NYSTEAPRES
When my daughter was in first grade, her school played a "patriotic tune" every morning over the PA system. I introduced her to this song, asked her if they ever played it, and discussed the backstory. She approached the Principal and asked to have it added to the "patriotic list" Unwittingly the Principal agreed. In 2018, as a college student, she was leading a "social advocacy DACA support" event on the streets of NYC, handed out words to the song and led members of a whole new generation in singing this with enthusiasm. Plant the seeds early and often!
@mjremy2605
Excellent parenting job! Model parent, thank you for raising the Right Stuff!
@robertquietphotographer
Great! Well done!
@marcschneider4845
Probably banned in Florida today.
@caroltubeyou
@@philipo99dutton that’s not sharing a prejudice. It’s reminding their offspring of the beautiful nation we live in from the standpoint of nature. It’s a celebration. I hear no politician’s voice in this, no political party. No religious message. No black or white or brown or yellow… this country’s future can only be improved upon when we the people take ownership, and protect the land and take care of each other.
@caroltubeyou
@@philipdutton785 I still hear nothing but honesty there. No politics.
@DonB.-Mulefivefive
The world has gone more silent with the absence of Pete Seeger.
We miss you Pete.
More than words will ever convey.
🕯🕯
@zennzibl
so its our turn to demand for a peaceful world, for home and food for evryone..