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)
We
Pete Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We shall overcome
We shall overcome, some day
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day
We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand, some day
Deep in my heart
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day
We shall overcome, some day
We shall live in peace
We shall live in peace
We shall live in peace, some day
We shall live in peace, some day
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day
The most important verse if the one they wrote down in Montgomery Alabama
They said 'We are not afraid'
And the young people taught everybody else a lesson
All the older people that had learned how to compromise
And learned how to take it easy, and be polite, and get along
And leave things as they were
The young people taught us all a lesson
We are not afraid
We are not afraid
We are not afraid, today
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day
We shall overcome, some day
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around, some day
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day
Pete Seeger's "We Shall Overcome" is a classic civil rights song that speaks to the power of hope in the face of oppression. The song's chorus repeats throughout, "We Shall Overcome, some day," expressing the deep-seated belief that one day, justice and equality will prevail. The first verse, "Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, We shall overcome, some day," echoes this sentiment, indicating an unwavering faith in the struggle against injustice.
The second verse, "We'll walk hand in hand, some day," paints a picture of the unity and solidarity that is necessary for progress. This idea is further reinforced in the fourth verse, "We shall live in peace, some day," which speaks to the ultimate goal of the civil rights movement – not simply to protest, but to create a better, more equitable world.
The third verse, however, is particularly powerful. It references the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement when Black Americans refused to ride on segregated buses. This verse recognizes the courage of the young people who led the boycott, and the lesson they taught their elders about standing up for what is right, even in the face of adversity. "We are not afraid, today" speaks to the strength and courage required to fight against systemic oppression, and encourages the listener to be brave in their own efforts towards justice.
Overall, "We Shall Overcome" is a song that reminds us of the power and necessity of hope in the fight for justice. It recognizes the sacrifices and struggles of those who came before us, and encourages us to continue the work of creating a more equitable world.
Line by Line Meaning
We shall overcome
We will triumph over oppression and adversity.
We shall overcome, some day
We will eventually overcome the struggles we face, even if it takes time.
Oh, deep in my heart
In the depths of my being and soul, I strongly feel this to be true.
I do believe
I have faith and conviction in this.
We'll walk hand in hand
We will march together in solidarity and harmony.
We shall live in peace
We will experience tranquility and harmony with one another.
The most important verse if the one they wrote down in Montgomery Alabama
This is a significant verse in the history of the civil rights movement, specifically when it was written in Montgomery, Alabama.
They said 'We are not afraid'
The people emphasized their courage and determination to push for change.
And the young people taught everybody else a lesson
The younger generation demonstrated bravery and resilience that inspired all, regardless of age.
All the older people that had learned how to compromise
The older generation who may have settled or become complacent learned from the younger generation's dedication to change.
And learned how to take it easy, and be polite, and get along
The older generation may have adapted to unjust circumstances without confronting them head-on or loudly.
And leave things as they were
The older generation may have been content to maintain the status quo, even if it was unfair.
We are not afraid, today
We are brave and determined to make change in this current moment.
The whole wide world around
This struggle for equality is not just limited to one place or group, but affects the entire world.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan, Pete Seeger, Zilphia Horton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vlopes3000
We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome, some day
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day
We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand, some day
Deep in my heart
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day
We shall overcome, some day
We shall live in peace
We shall live in peace
We shall live in peace, some day
We shall live in peace, some day
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day
The most important verse if the one they wrote down in Montgomery Alabama
They said 'We are not afraid'
And the young people taught everybody else a lesson
All the older people that had learned how to compromise
And learned how to take it easy, and be polite, and get along
And leave things as they were
The young people taught us all a lesson
We are not afraid
We are not afraid
We are not afraid, today
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day
We shall overcome, some day
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around, some day
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day
@jorgedominguezortiz2296
No sabía de la existencia de este documento. Como chileno agradecido de la solidaridad que nuestro compañero Pete siempre manifestó hacia nosotros, me he sentido honrado de cantar junto a él esta bella canción.
Somos anti-imperialistas, sin vergüenza alguna lo decimos, pero no entenderemos jamás que nuestro enemigo es todo el pueblo estadounidense. Grandes compañeros tenemos entre ustedes y nuestro querido viejo hermoso es un gran ejemplo de ello.
Gracias, mi compañero hermoso, y a todos los que, viviendo en el imperio que nos amenaza y nos atormenta, son nuestros queridos hermanos y que están junto a nosotros luchando día a día por librar el planeta.
.
@simonsays3107
The guy with the glasses was my dad (left side)
I love you dad
(He's still alive but he has Parkinson's disease)
@stephaniejones9118
Wow that's amazing. Hope your dad is going okay!
@stormchaser4731
What about the girl?
@user-nu9xp6km9g
He attracts attention in a scene,indeed. Distracted at the first viewing . He may be pretty charismatic.
@lexyswope
💖
@mahuyaworld
Wish him a long and peaceful life.
@takakocaesar579
The fact that the audiences are also singing “we shall overcome, someday” make me tear up so much.
We’re not alone. We suffer together. And we overcome together. This is truly the anthem of the civil rights movement.
@hihi-qy2jt
A interesting fact its 6 year after germany was split by a wall and the person know waht that mean because it is in berlin. I hope we german never forght and we will overcome our history and help other. God help us!
@tomorrowsg
there is a song by Pete "Tomorrow's Children" gave me a vision that has kept me in the movement that Pete Seeger sang for. Urge you to hear
@AbhishekMitra
Any one listening to this during COVID-19 crisis worldwide? Love and wishes from India!