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.
Jimmy Whalen
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
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Watching the moonbeams as evening drew nigh.
All alone as I rambled I spied a fair damsel
Weepin' and wailin' with many a sigh.
Weepin' for one who is now lyin' lonely
Mournin' for one who no mortal can save.
As the foaming dark waters flowed sadly about him
Oh Jimmy why can't you but tarry here with me
Not leave me alone distracted in pain
But since death is the dagger that cut us asunder
Wide is the gulf, love, between you and I.
All alone as I rambled I spied a fair damsel
Weepin' and wailin' with many a sigh.
The lyrics to Peter Paul & Mary's song "Jimmy Whalen" tell a story of a young woman mourning the loss of her love, Jimmy. The singer is walking by the river at night when she sees the woman weeping and wailing with many sighs. The woman is mourning for Jimmy, who no mortal can save as he lies lonely in his grave, with the foaming dark waters flowing sadly about him.
The woman addresses Jimmy, asking why he cannot tarry here with her and not leave her alone in pain. She acknowledges that death is what cut them asunder, and there is now a wide gulf of love between them.
Through these lyrics, we see the pain of loss and the acceptance of death. The woman's cries and sighs express her deep sorrow and longing for her lost love, while also acknowledging the finality of death and the gulf that it creates between those left behind.
Overall, "Jimmy Whalen" is a poignant and haunting song that captures the complex emotions of grief and acceptance that accompany the loss of a loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
All alone as I walked by the banks of the river
Walking alone by the river, with no companion for support
Watching the moonbeams as evening drew nigh.
Observing the moonlight as the day turns to night
All alone as I rambled I spied a fair damsel
Strolling alone in my thoughts, I came across a beautiful lady
Weepin' and wailin' with many a sigh.
She was crying and mourning with heavy sighs
Weepin' for one who is now lyin' lonely
She wept for someone who is now alone and departed
Mournin' for one who no mortal can save.
Grieving for someone whose life no human can restore
As the foaming dark waters flowed sadly about him
The turbulent, murky water mournfully embraced him
Onward they speed over young Jimmy's grave.
The stream flows rapidly over the burial site of young Jimmy
Oh Jimmy why can't you but tarry here with me
Jimmy, why couldn't you stay longer with me
Not leave me alone distracted in pain
Don't abandon me and cause me to suffer in loneliness
But since death is the dagger that cut us asunder
But the cause of our separation is death's sharp blade
Wide is the gulf, love, between you and I.
The chasm between us is broad, my dear, and can't be bridged
All alone as I rambled I spied a fair damsel
Walking alone, I encountered a lady in distress
Weepin' and wailin' with many a sigh.
She was lamenting and shedding tears of sadness
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARY ALLIN TRAVERS, MILTON T. OKUN, NOEL PAUL STOOKEY, PETER YARROW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind