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.
Oh Rock My Soul
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He divides them into three groups, each with their own part.
The lyrics are provided here for each of the three parts.
Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Oh, rock my soul
So high I can't get over it
So low I can't get under it
So wide I can't get round it
Oh, rock my soul
Rock my soul
Rock my soul
Rock my soul
Oh, rock my soul
The Peter Paul & Mary song "Oh Rock My Soul" is a powerful gospel song with lyrics that call out for divine guidance and protection. The song begins with a repeated call to "rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham," which is a reference to biblical accounts of the afterlife, where the souls of righteous people are said to reside in the care of Abraham. This imagery creates a sense of security and comfort in the face of life's uncertainties and hardships.
The second verse introduces a series of obstacles that the singer cannot surmount on their own, expressed in the repeated refrain "So high I can't get over it, so low I can't get under it, so wide I can't get round it, oh, rock my soul." This verse speaks to the difficulties of life and the limitations of human power, and underscores the need for divine intervention to overcome them. The song concludes with a final call to "rock my soul," indicating a surrender of the self to a higher power to find solace and guidance in difficult times.
Overall, "Oh Rock My Soul" is a powerful expression of the human desire for spiritual guidance and protection in the face of adversity. The use of biblical imagery and the repetition of the refrain creates a sense of urgency and sincerity in this call for divine intervention.
Line by Line Meaning
Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Please comfort me and provide me with a sense of safety and belonging
So high I can't get over it
There are obstacles in my way that feel insurmountable
So low I can't get under it
These same obstacles are also too deep to be avoided or passed beneath
So wide I can't get round it
This obstacle is too vast for me to maneuver around
Rock my soul
Please provide me with comfort and a sense of security and stability
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER YARROW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Isnardferreiradecarvalho
Oh, Rock My Soul
Rocha minha alma no seio de Abraão
Rocha minha alma no seio de Abraão
Rocha minha alma no seio de Abraão
Oh, minha alma de rock
Tão alto que eu não consigo superar isso
Tão baixa eu não posso chegar ao abrigo do mesmo
Tão grande que não posso contornar isso
Oh, minha alma de rock
Rocha minha alma
Rocha minha alma
Rocha minha alma
Oh, minha alma de rock
@tetujin280go
懐かしい50年前いや55年前よく聞いてました思いつきでひょっとしたらYouTubeで聞けるかと思って聞けてよかったです
@davidokunmuyide6356
My late mum taught me this spiritual as a kid over 40 years ago. God rest her soul.
@lochavich97
Brilliant - not heard this since 1969 - many memories came back you. The best version I think.Thank you for posting it!
@jyngerlapid6893
I'm wondering what do you do right now, because you commented here 10yrs back then
@lennypayne4241
He’s dead.
@LadyRoyce
I saw PP&M in Washington State in 1995 & to be up front with all of you, I HAD A BALL WITH ALL OF IT! When they did this song, I had no problem with it. My Mum & I had sung to it so much that we could do all of the parts & switch over to the next part with ease. So when they did it live, NO PROBLEMS!
@bettynichols8650
Wonderful to hear happy. Older songs
@IvoryDream
I love how Peter, Paul, and Mary engaged their audiences. This is classic.
@idadudenmanner
Ivory Dream Right? Always loved these guys, wish I could go back in time to see them live in the 60's, but I'm an 80's baby, so... 😏😏😏
@IvoryDream
Ida Dudenmanner I did get a chance to see them back in the day (long time ago). I grew up on this music. They were so good! To me, every song was and remains special.