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)
Turn! Turn! Turn!
Pete Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
The song "Turn Turn Turn" by Pete Seeger is a powerful and poetic reminder that everything in life has its own time and place. Based on the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, the lyrics speak of the cyclical nature of life, the inevitability of change, and the importance of acceptance. The opening lines "To everything, there is a season" create a sense of universality, highlighting that all things in life are subject to change and transformation, including the deepest emotions.
The following lines offer examples of different seasons in life, from birth to death, planting to reaping, and war to peace, ultimately leading to hope that it is not too late for love and peace. The repetition of "turn turn turn" throughout the song emphasizes the idea of cycles, as if everything in life is constantly revolving around the same themes, but with a different perspective each time they come around.
Overall, the song offers a profound message that all things in life have their own time and purpose, and that ultimately, acceptance of change can bring peace and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
Everything in life is cyclical and constantly changing
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
Every event in life happens during its appropriate time
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
Each season and event are meant to serve a purpose, decided by fate or a higher power
A time to be born, a time to die
Birth and death are natural phases of life and happen when they must
A time to plant, a time to reap
Efforts put into one’s work and growth are later harvested in the form of results
A time to kill, a time to heal
Violence and pain exist in life, but so does the power to recover and regain strength
A time to laugh, a time to weep
Moments of joy and sadness are part of life’s highs and lows, and should be embraced
A time to build up, a time to break down
New beginnings and endings can often bring forth new learning and opportunity
A time to dance, a time to mourn
Enjoyment of life is balanced by knowing when it is time to reflect and grieve
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
Sometimes we must let go of what is weighing us down and other times we must come together to rebuild
A time of love, a time of hate
Relationships and emotions change with time, and can bring forth both love and hate
A time of war, a time of peace
Conflict is an inevitable part of life, but so is the quest for peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing
Some situations require caution and distance, while others are open to love and closeness
A time to gain, a time to lose
We must accept that fortunes come and go, and learn to adapt in every situation
A time to rend, a time to sew
Sometimes we must break apart in order to rebuild and repair, making us stronger in the end
A time for love, a time for hate
Our own actions and choices can lead to both positive and negative outcomes
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
Peace is always within reach, no matter how difficult the journey may be
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Peter Seeger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@YangYing05
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose under heaven
And a time to every purpose under heaven
@RonLee999
Before Bob Dylan, there was Pete Seeger, and Judy Collins was truly a voice of the 1960s folk movement. Thanks for posting.
@silverlining9891
This is the very first time I've posted a comment on YouTube. OMG what a beautiful duet. So deeply moved. Love from Japan.
@joeystephens2776
Thank you 💪🏡🙎
@monikaschroder2328
I feel exactly the same. Many Greetings top Japan from Germany ❤️
@mississippijohnfahey7175
愛 😉 ✌️ 🪕
@klaustoth6982
in the seventies all of my friends and of course me too had a pete seeger greatest hits album.... "little boxes", "if i had a hammer", "where have all the flowers gone" and all these wonderful songs were part of our identity as "freaks". and all these freaks would meet practically daily in a little egyptian joint that was called "teehaus" ("teahouse"). you could choose from many sorts of tea there, no alcohol. only for your first cup of tea you had to pay a minimal amount, all following cups were for free. they also served cheese/spinach pies there and milk rice, everything ridiculously cheap. "teehaus" opened daily at 5 pm and closed when all the young guests had gone, open end. there was a wonderful piano player there, johnny "manhattan" taylor and on the weekends poets and writers would read their poetry. i had my first own poetry reading there, the place was packed. these are wonderful memories for me. i miss these fantastic times very much. regards and best wishes from austria ! ☮
@christopherdolan8751
Thank you for sharing this memory. Lovely days.
@rainstein3680
I cannot praise this angelic version of this tune enough!!! Splendid .......
@hboegbok
This is the most beautiful and touching rendition of this tune I’m aware of. Pete Seeger”s gentle harmonies against Judy Collin”s clear and loving voice tug at my heart strings. I hope this post doesn’t get removed by a resentful, avaricious rights holder like all the previous ones. If it does, it will pop up again somewhere. This tune embodies the sort of unquenchable freedom that refuses to be silenced. Long live folk music!
@majorplonquer156
I doubt anyone can remove this sublime song. Pete wrote the music and the words are from the Bible (Ecclesiastes 3 v1-8). God doesn't have a copyright lawyer.