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.
Boa Constrictor
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor
I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor
And I don't like it very much!
Oh no, oh no, he swallowed my toe,
He swallowed my toe
Oh gee, oh gee, he's up to my knee,
Oh fiddle, oh fiddle, he's reached my middle,
He's reached my middle
Oh heck, oh heck, he's up to my neck,
He's up to my neck
Oh dread, oh dread, he swallowed my.... schlirppp!
The song "Boa Constrictor" by Peter Paul & Mary is a whimsical song about being swallowed by a snake. The song is sung in a lighthearted but exaggerated tone, with the singer describing how a boa constrictor has swallowed them whole, bit by bit, until they are completely inside the snake. The singer expresses their fear and discomfort with humor and playfulness, which adds to the overall silly tone of the song.
Although the lyrics may seem childish and nonsensical, they can also be interpreted as a metaphor for feeling overwhelmed or consumed by something in one's life. The boa constrictor represents the stress or worry that someone may feel, and being swallowed by it represents the feeling of being unable to escape from it. By using a lighthearted approach to this serious topic, the song allows listeners to see their problems in a different light and find humor in their struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor
I am currently experiencing the process of being devoured by a large snake of the species Boa constrictor.
And I don't like it very much!
This situation is not to my liking and is causing me distress.
Oh no, oh no, he swallowed my toe,
I am expressing dismay and alarm that the snake has consumed one of my toes.
He swallowed my toe
The snake has consumed one of my toes.
Oh gee, oh gee, he's up to my knee,
I am expressing surprise and concern that the snake has now devoured my leg up to my knee.
He's up to my knee
The snake has consumed my leg up to my knee.
Oh fiddle, oh fiddle, he's reached my middle,
I am expressing frustration and anxiety that the snake has progressed to consuming my midsection.
He's reached my middle
The snake has consumed my midsection.
Oh heck, oh heck, he's up to my neck,
I am expressing alarm and desperation that the snake has now devoured my body up to my neck.
He's up to my neck
The snake has consumed my body up to my neck.
Oh dread, oh dread, he swallowed my.... schlirppp!
I am expressing horror and disgust as the snake consumes the rest of my body in a gruesome manner before making a sound effect.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind