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.
Hurry Sundown
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My flesh is bone now, my back is bowed.
(Chorus:)
So hurry, sundown, be on your way,
And hurry me a sun-up from this beat-up sundown day.
Hurry down, sundown, be on your way;
Weave me tomorrow out of today.
Tomorrow's breeze now, blows clear and loud;
(Chorus:)
My sorrow's song, now, just must break through,
That brave new dawn, now, long overdue.
(Chorus:)
Hurry down, sundown, get thee be gone,
Get lost in the sunrise, of a new dawn.
Hurry down, sundown, take the old day,
Wrap it in new dreams, send it my way!
Send it my way!
Send it my way!
The song "Hurry Sundown" by Peter Paul & Mary is a tale of perseverance and hope for a better tomorrow. The first verse speaks about the hard work that has been put in, with the seeder having sown his field and plowed the earth. The second line shows the exhaustion that comes with such labor, with his back being bowed and his flesh being bone. The chorus calls upon the sundown to hurry its way so that a new day can begin, giving hope for a brighter future. The singer seems to be desperate for a change and is begging for the arrival of a new day. The second verse speaks about the singer's sense of empowerment, with him standing tall and proud, signifying that the hard work has paid off. The final verse talks about the need for change, with the old song (represents the past) needing to break through, so a brave new dawn (represents the future) can begin. The song ends with the chorus repeating the urgency for a new day to come, asking the sundown to hurry down and take the old day with it, making room for new dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
My seed is sown now, my field is plowed;
I have done everything I can prepare for what's to come.
My flesh is bone now, my back is bowed.
I am exhausted but I have done my best.
So hurry, sundown, be on your way,
I am ready for this day to be over and for the night to come.
And hurry me a sun-up from this beat-up sundown day.
I want a new day to start as soon as possible to leave the troubles of today behind.
Hurry down, sundown, be on your way;
I'm waiting for the sun to set so I can start a new day.
Weave me tomorrow out of today.
I hope tomorrow brings a better day than the one I had today.
Tomorrow's breeze now, blows clear and loud;
I can finally see possibilities for tomorrow and it looks promising.
I'm off my knees now, I'm standing proud.
I am no longer defeated and I'm ready to face whatever's ahead.
My sorrow's song, now, just must break through,
I have been keeping my feelings inside but I need to let them out.
That brave new dawn, now, long overdue.
I have been waiting for a fresh start for a long time and now it finally feels within reach.
Hurry down, sundown, get thee be gone,
I am impatient for this day to be over and done with.
Get lost in the sunrise, of a new dawn.
I hope that with the new dawn, my troubles will be left behind.
Hurry down, sundown, take the old day,
I want this day to end so I can start fresh tomorrow.
Wrap it in new dreams, send it my way!
I hope for better things to come tomorrow.
Send it my way!
I am ready for new opportunities and a fresh start.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: E. Y. HARBURG, EARL ROBINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind