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.
Hymn
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That came in through the pretty window picture.
I visited some houses where they said that You were living
And they talked a lot about You
And they spoke about Your giving.
They passed a basket with some envelopes;
I just had time to write a note
Passing conversations where they mentioned Your existence
And the fact that You had been replaced by Your assistants.
The discussion was theology,
And when they smiled and turned to me
All that I could say was "I believe in You."
I visited Your house again on Christmas or Thanksgiving
And a balded man said You were dead,
But the house would go on living.
He recited poetry and as he saw me stand to leave
He shook his head and said I'd never find You.
My mother used to dress me up,
And while my dad was sleeping
We would walk down to Your house without speaking.
In Peter Paul & Mary's song "Hymn", the singer is attempting to explore their belief in a higher power while grappling with the confusion and ambiguity that often comes with organized religion. The song begins on a very optimistic note with the singer reading a religious text in a bright, colorful environment. However, the next verse introduces doubt as the singer visits various religious houses and is confronted with contradictory ideas about the nature and existence of God. Despite this confusion, the singer affirms their belief in God by writing "I believe in You" on a note and passing it into the collection basket.
The final verse of the song introduces a more personal, nostalgic element as the singer remembers visiting God's house with their mother as a child. However, this memory is tinged with sadness as the bald man at the house tells the singer that God is dead and that they will never find him. Despite this bleak outlook, the singer continuously affirms their belief in God throughout the song, indicating a deep-seated faith that transcends organized religion.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunday morning, very bright, I read Your book by colored light
I read the Bible on a bright Sunday morning, with the sun shining through the stained glass window.
I visited some houses where they said that You were living And they talked a lot about You And they spoke about Your giving.
I went to some religious communities where they discussed Your existence and the good deeds You have done.
They passed a basket with some envelopes; I just had time to write a note And all it said was "I believe in You."
During the service, they passed around a collection basket and I quickly wrote a note expressing my faith in You.
Passing conversations where they mentioned Your existence And the fact that You had been replaced by Your assistants.
I overheard conversations where people talked about You and how others have replaced You with their own interpretations of Your teachings.
The discussion was theology, And when they smiled and turned to me All that I could say was "I believe in You."
The discussion revolved around religious doctrines, and while I did not have much to contribute, I expressed my belief in You.
I visited Your house again on Christmas or Thanksgiving And a balded man said You were dead, But the house would go on living.
During the holidays, I went to a place of worship where a man told me that You were no longer alive, but the religion would continue to thrive.
He recited poetry and as he saw me stand to leave He shook his head and said I'd never find You.
The man recited religious poetry and when I was about to leave, he told me that I would never truly find You.
My mother used to dress me up, And while my dad was sleeping We would walk down to Your house without speaking.
As a child, my mother would dress me up and we would silently walk to the place of worship while my father was asleep.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES MASON, KAREN GOLD, NOEL PAUL STOOKEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
George Woolley
One of my favorite songs. To me a hymn of simply stated loving and deeply felt faith.
vietwarriorvet
I have been singing and preforming this song since I was 22. The chords are very different but beautiful. I am now 73. Although short...it is one of my favorite songs.
Gavin Dillard
I have a particular fetish for songs with no chorus — "Frank Mills," "White Rabbit," "The Greatest Discovery," and of course the entirety of Astral Weeks ... This song, "Hymn," has followed me my whole life. It's one of my constant driving songs. Thank you Mr Stookey!
David Webster
I love and share the sentiment in this now "ancient" pice.
Nico Heinig
wonderful
guitarcountry1
Have you ever noticed the similarity between the verses on this song and the Christian song "Through it all." The progression is identical. I don't who wrote their song first. But it goes to show there is very little original on this earth. I personally sang the PPM song before "Through It All." But had a Deja Vu when I sang Through it All and only figured this out a few years ago. It was a Deja Vu.
vietwarriorvet
@lw216316 You are definitely on to something.....
lw216316
I'm guessing what you are hearing is the chord progression
MAJOR, MAJOR 7th, 7th. for example D, D-maj7, D 7
It is very common, and very beautiful...
See John Denver's song - Lady
Dyno Don
This song also seem to have the same tune, at least for a while if not throughout, as the Jimmie Rogers song "It's Over", which began with "If time were not a moving thing and I could make it stay .....
TSALAGI1839
I just listened to Jimmy rogers song It's Over, and You are right there is a lot of similarity between the tunes.