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.
Flora
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met a fair young maiden there, her beauty filled my mind.
Her rosy cheek, her ruby lips, they gave my heart no rest.
The name she bore was Flora, the lily of the west.
I courted lovely Flora, she promised ne'er to go.
But soon a tale was told to me that filled my heart with woe.
They said she meets another man who holds my love in jest.
'Way down in yonder shady grove, a man of low degree,
He spoke unto my Flora there and kissed her 'neath a tree.
The answers that she gave to him like arrows pierced my breast.
I was betrayed by Flora, the lily of the west.
I stepped up to my rival, my dagger in my hand.
I seized him by the collar and I ordered him to stand.
All in my desperation I stabbed him in his breast.
I'd killed a man for Flora, the lily of the west.
And then I had to stand my trial, I had to make my plea.
They placed me in a pris'ner's dock and then commenced on me.
Although she swore my life away, deprived me of my rest.
Still I love my faithless Flora, the lily of the
west.
The lyrics to Peter Paul & Mary's song Flora tell the story of a man who fell in love with a woman named Flora in Louisville. He courted her and she promised never to leave him, but he soon hears rumors that Flora is seeing someone else. Despite this, he trusts her and continues to love her. However, he eventually catches Flora with another man in a shady grove, and her answers to his questions cut deep. The man, in his desperation, kills his rival and is put on trial. Flora testifies against him and he is convicted, but he still loves her even though she betrayed him.
The lyrics of Flora are a classic example of a ballad, a narrative song that tells a story. The song is said to be based on a true story that took place in Kentucky in the mid-19th century. The song has been covered by many artists, including Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.
Line by Line Meaning
When first I came to Louisville, my fortune there to find,
When I first arrived in Louisville, I was looking to change my fate.
I met a fair young maiden there, her beauty filled my mind.
I saw a beautiful young woman there who captured my heart.
Her rosy cheek, her ruby lips, they gave my heart no rest.
Her bright cheeks and lips made me unable to forget her.
The name she bore was Flora, the lily of the west.
This woman's name was Flora, known to all as the most beautiful in the west.
I courted lovely Flora, she promised ne'er to go.
I pursued Flora, who promised to stay by my side.
But soon a tale was told to me that filled my heart with woe.
But I heard a rumor that shattered my heart.
They said she meets another man who holds my love in jest.
They claimed that Flora laughed at my love and had another lover.
And yet I trusted Flora, the lily of the west.
Yet, despite it all, I still believed in Flora's beauty and love.
'Way down in yonder shady grove, a man of low degree,
One day, in a far-off grove, I saw a lowly man.
He spoke unto my Flora there and kissed her 'neath a tree.
He spoke to Flora and even kissed her while they were under a tree.
The answers that she gave to him like arrows pierced my breast.
Her responses to him felt like physical pain in my heart.
I was betrayed by Flora, the lily of the west.
Flora had betrayed my love and trust.
I stepped up to my rival, my dagger in my hand.
In a fit of anger, I confronted the man with my dagger drawn.
I seized him by the collar and I ordered him to stand.
I grabbed him and demanded he face me.
All in my desperation I stabbed him in his breast.
Overcome with emotion, I fatally stabbed him in the chest.
I'd killed a man for Flora, the lily of the west.
I had taken a life for the woman I once loved.
And then I had to stand my trial, I had to make my plea.
I was brought to trial and had to defend my actions.
They placed me in a pris'ner's dock and then commenced on me.
I was put in prison and put on trial.
Although she swore my life away, deprived me of my rest.
Even though Flora testified against me and took away my freedom.
Still I love my faithless Flora, the lily of the west.
I still hold a love for Flora, even though she betrayed and ruined my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind