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.
I Have A Song To Sing O!
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Sing me your song, O)
It is sung to the moon by a love-lorn loon
Who fled from the mocking throng-o
It's the song of a merry man moping mum
Whose soul was sad and his glance was glum
Who sipped no sup and who craved no crumb
Hey-di, hey-di, misery me, lack-a-day-de
He sipped no sup and he craved no crumb
As he sighed for the love of a lady
I have a song to sing, O
(What is your song, O?)
It is sung with the ring of the songs maids sing
Who loved with a love life-long-o
It's a song of a merry maid pearly proud
Who loved a Lord and who laughed aloud
At the moan of the merry man moping mum
Whose soul was sad and his glance was glum
Who sipped no sup and who craved no crumb
As he sighed for the love of a lady
Hey-di, hey-di, misery me, lack-a-day-de
He sipped no sup and he craved no crumb
As he sighed for the love of a lady
I have a song to sing, O
(Sing me your song, O)
It is sung to the knell of a church-yard bell
And a doleful dirge ding-dong O
It's a song of a popinjay bravely born
Who turned up his noble nose with scorn
At the humble merry maid pearly proud
Who loved a Lord and who laughed aloud
At the moan of a merry man moping mum
Whose soul was sad and whose glance was glum
Who sipped no sup and who craved no crumb
As he sighed for the love of a lady
Hey-di, hey-di, misery me, lack-a-day-de
He sipped no sup and he craved no crumb
As he sighed for the love of a lady
I have a song to sing, O (I have a song to sing, O)
I have a song to sing, O
It is sung with a sigh and a tear in the eye
For it tells of a righted wrong-o
It's a song of the merry maid once so gay
Who turned on her heel and tripped away
From the peacock popinjay bravely born
Who turned up his noble nose with scorn
At the humble heart that he did not prize
So she begged on her knees with downcast eyes
For the love of the merry man moping mum
Whose soul was sad and his glance was glum
Who sipped no sup and who craved no crumb
As he sighed for the love of a lady
Hey-di, hey-di, misery me, lack-a-day-de
His pains were o'er and he sighed no more
For he lived in the love of a lady
Hey-di, hey-di
His pains were o'er and he sighed no more
For he lived in the love of a lady
The song "I Have A Song To Sing O!" by Peter, Paul and Mary is a playful and whimsical song that tells the story of a merry man and a merry maid. The song is sung by a group of friends who are discussing which song they should sing next. One of the friends claims to have a song to sing and proceeds to sing a series of verses that tell the tale of the merry man who is in love with a lady, and the merry maid who is loved by a Lord.
The first verse introduces the song and describes it as being "sung to the moon by a love-lorn loon, who fled from the mocking throng." The verse sets the whimsical and playful tone for the rest of the song. The second and third verses describe the merry man and the merry maid respectively, and how they are connected by their unrequited love for their respective objects of affection.
The fourth verse takes a darker turn as it describes the popinjay, a conceited and arrogant aristocrat who looks down on the humble merry maid. The verse contrasts his behavior with that of the merry maid, who is described as laughing aloud despite the popinjay's disdain. The final verse brings the story to a happy conclusion, as the merry maid begs for the love of the merry man and they end up living happily ever after.
Overall, the song is a fun and lighthearted romp that tells a sweet and simple love story with a happy ending.
Line by Line Meaning
I have a song to sing, O
I have a story to tell, O
(Sing me your song, O)
(Please share it with me, O)
It is sung to the moon by a love-lorn loon
It's a song about a lovestruck bird singing to the moon
Who fled from the mocking throng-o
Who ran away from those who made fun of his love
It's the song of a merry man moping mum
It's a song of a happy-go-lucky person who is sad and quiet
Whose soul was sad and his glance was glum
Who was emotionally distressed
Who sipped no sup and who craved no crumb
Who had no appetite
As he sighed for the love of a lady
As he longed for a woman's love
Hey-di, hey-di, misery me, lack-a-day-de
Expressions of sorrow
It is sung with the ring of the songs maids sing
It's a song in the style of what women sing
Who loved with a love life-long-o
About lovers who loved each other for a long time
It's a song of a merry maid pearly proud
It's a song about a joyful girl who is proud of herself
Who loved a Lord and who laughed aloud
Who loved a man of high rank and laughed happily
It's a song of a popinjay bravely born
It's about a conceited person born into wealth and status
Who turned up his noble nose with scorn
Who looked down on others with contempt
At the humble merry maid pearly proud
The conceited person looked down on the happy girl
It's a song with a sigh and a tear in the eye
It's a sad song accompanied by tears and sighs
For it tells of a righted wrong-o
For it tells of an injustice that was corrected
It's a song of the merry maid once so gay
It's a song of a happy girl who was once joyful and carefree
Who turned on her heel and tripped away
Who left with confidence and grace
From the peacock popinjay bravely born
From the conceited person born into wealth and status
Who turned up his noble nose with scorn
Who looked down on others with contempt
For the love of the merry man moping mum
She left for the sake of the sad, quiet man who longed for her love
Whose soul was sad and his glance was glum
Who was emotionally distressed
Who sipped no sup and who craved no crumb
Who had no appetite
As he sighed for the love of a lady
As he longed for a woman's love
Hey-di, hey-di, misery me, lack-a-day-de
Expressions of sorrow
His pains were o'er and he sighed no more
The man's suffering ended and he stopped longing
For he lived in the love of a lady
Because he was loved by the woman he longed for
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Peter Yarrow, Mary Travers, Milton Okun, Noel Stookey, Arthur Sullivan, William Gilbert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind