The group was created by manager Albert Grossman, who sought to create a folk "supergroup" by bringing together "a tall blonde (Travers), a funny guy (Stookey), and a good looking guy (Yarrow)." He launched the group in 1961, booking them into the Bitter End, a coffee house in New York City's Greenwich Village that was a favorite place to hear folk artists.
The group recorded their first album, Peter, Paul and Mary, the following year. It included "500 Miles," "Lemon Tree","Where Have All the Flowers Gone," and the hit Pete Seeger tune "If I Had a Hammer," ("The Hammer Song"). The album was listed on Billboard Magazine Top Ten list for ten months and in the Top One Hundred for over three years.
By 1963 they had recorded three albums; released the now-famous song "Puff the Magic Dragon", which Yarrow and fellow Cornell student Leonard Lipton originally wrote in 1959 and was on the charts in 1963; and performed "If I Had a Hammer" at the 1963 March on Washington, best remembered for Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Their biggest single hit came with the Bob Dylan song, "Blowin' in the Wind," which was an international #1 hit. It was the fastest selling single ever cut by Warner Brothers Records. For many years after, the group was at the forefront of the civil rights movement and other causes promoting social justice. Their later hit "Leaving on a Jet Plane" was actually written by the then unknown John Denver.
The trio broke up in 1970 to pursue separate solo careers, but found little of the success they did as a group, although Stookey's "The Wedding Song (There Is Love)" (written for Yarrow's marriage to Marybeth McCarthy, the niece of senator Eugene McCarthy) was a hit and has become a wedding standard since its 1971 release.
In 1978, they reunited for a concert to protest nuclear energy, and have recorded albums together and toured since. They currently play around 25 shows a year.[1]
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 2005, Travers was diagnosed with leukemia, leading to the cancellation of the remaining tour dates for that year. She received a bone marrow transplant and She and the rest of the trio resumed their concert tour on December 9, 2005 with a holiday performance at Carnegie Hall and were scheduled for several additional concerts in 2006.Sadly she passed away in Sept 2009.
Peter, Paul and Mary received in 2006 the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievment Award from Songwriters Hall of Fame.
All Through the Night
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guardian Angels, God will send thee, all through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, hill and dale in slumber steeping
I, my loved one, watch am keeping, all through the night
Angels watching ever 'round thee, all through the night
In thy slumbers, close around thee, all through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, hill and dale in slumber steeping
The song "All Through the Night" by Peter Paul & Mary is a lullaby in its essence. The first stanza speaks to a parent's desire to protect their child while they sleep. The lyrics paint a picture of peaceful slumber enveloping the hills and valleys, coinciding with the gentle, calming melody. The second stanza invokes the idea of guardian angels, reassuring the listener that they are never alone in their sleep. The song overall exudes feelings of comfort and security, providing a sense of peace as it lulls the listener into a tranquil state.
Furthermore, the lyrics could possibly be interpreted as a metaphor for life's journey, with the hills and valleys representing the ups and downs, highs and lows that one may experience. The idea of guardian angels watching over and protecting the sleeper could parallel the concept of faith or spirituality carrying one through life's difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleep my child and peace attend thee, all through the night
May you rest peacefully, my child, throughout the entire night
Guardian Angels, God will send thee, all through the night
May God send guardian angels to watch over and protect you all through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, hill and dale in slumber steeping
The gently passing hours of night slowly put every creature to sleep in valleys and hills alike
I, my loved one, watch am keeping, all through the night
I, your loving caretaker, will remain watchful and vigilant all through the night
Angels watching ever 'round thee, all through the night
May angels watch continuously around you during the night
In thy slumbers, close around thee, all through the night
May those angels be near to you as you slumber through the night
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Noel Paul Stookey, Mary Allin Travers, Peter Yarrow
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind