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.
Sometime Lovin'
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That falls like summers rain.
For I've slept through two long winters,
And love's been where my head has lain.
When you've wandered through the snowfall,
Through the pines on Witches Lane,
When you've seen the way she holds them,
Come and hold me once again.
As she bends the rocks and sand.
Seen a wave crossing an ocean,
Come and take me by the hand.
When you've seen a hungry grassland,
Reach out to kiss the rain.
When you've seen how strong her kiss is,
Come and kiss me once again.
And when the earth has turned her season,
And her love has brought the grain.
If you find that love inside you,
Come and live with me again.
The song "Sometime Lovin'" by Peter, Paul & Mary is about a relationship where one partner is not willing to settle for "sometime lovin'" or a temporary love. The lyrics compare this unreliable love to the changing seasons and natural elements, such as snowfall, pines, rivers, and oceans. The singer wants a love that is strong and enduring, like the seasons and natural world.
The lyrics are particularly poignant because they show a desire for a love that is authentic, deep, and meaningful, rather than superficial or based on circumstance. The song suggests that love should be like the natural world, enduring through all of life's ups and downs. The contrast between the temporary love and the persistent natural world creates a strong image of the depth that the singer is seeking.
The final lines of the song suggest that if the other partner finds this kind of love within themselves, they should come live with the singer again, indicating a willingness to reconcile and start anew if authentic love is found.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want your sometime lovin'
I don't want your inconsistent love
That falls like summers rain.
That appears and disappears as fast as summer rain
For I've slept through two long winters,
I've been without love for a long time, waiting patiently
And love's been where my head has lain.
My focus has been on love, constantly
When you've wandered through the snowfall,
If you've traveled through tough times
Through the pines on Witches Lane,
Through obstacles that cause fear and insecurity
When you've seen the way she holds them,
When you've seen how love overcomes fear and insecurity
Come and hold me once again.
Love me again like you once did
And when you've heard a river laughing,
If you've experienced the joy of life
As she bends the rocks and sand.
Even amidst hardship, love endures
Seen a wave crossing an ocean,
Seen something seemingly impossible achieved
Come and take me by the hand.
Take my hand and love me again
When you've seen a hungry grassland,
When you've seen perseverance amid adversity
Reach out to kiss the rain.
When you've found beauty in difficult times
When you've seen how strong her kiss is,
When you've felt the power of love
Come and kiss me once again.
Love me again like you once did
And when the earth has turned her season,
After seasons of change and growth
And her love has brought the grain.
When love has brought abundance and happiness
If you find that love inside you,
If you still have love for me
Come and live with me again.
Come back to me and love me again
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GARY SHEARSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jerri Niver
I have always loved this group. I grew up listening to all their tunes. But, there is something special about this one. It is absolutely gorgeous. Could it be one of the tunes that is so beautiful that it gives us a taste of Heaven? I think so!
Greg Hammond
When a teenager obsessed with folk and PPM, I loved this song in the 60's. And very proud of the fact at that time that the song was written by an Australian, Gary Shearston.
edwinov
Thanks for answering the question that brought me here: "Who wrote it?".
easyriderPY
Gary died about 2019, in Armidale NSW I think.
Bill Greaves
This has got to be one of their all time classics - full of love ,heartbreak and pathos at the same time . . .The sheer beauty of the delivery never ceases to move me to tears .
Bill Greaves
This song has haunted me for years . . . its incredibly well written and performed .
Liz La Love
This song is ecstatically beautiful. Really takes me back.
John Shockley
May they sing through the ages...
salhanas
I bought the album in 1966 when it came out and listened to it continually. Now the CD is very difficult to find and also very expensive. My favorite album of theirs.
David Anthony Stone
Everything they sing fills my heart and soul with the will to love life