The trio Peter, Paul and Mary (often PP&M) is an American musical group tha… Read Full Bio ↴The trio Peter, Paul and Mary (often PP&M) is an American musical group that was one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the 1960s. The trio comprises Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers.

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.

Such is Love
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics

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After all I've come to know me, and the ways of my heart,
And the young man that I once was would have torn our love apart.
When you're young and always looking at the far side of the hill
You might miss the fairest flower standing by you very still.

[Chorus]
Love, love, love, love, love, such is love,wonderous love
Love, love, love, love, love, such is love,wonderous love

Love is never, like the stillness, love is always passing by
Love must flow like a river; try to hold love back and love will die
If I'd known as a young man what I know of love today
I'd have lain down in that river and let it wash my soul away.

[Chorus: x 2]

Now I know love.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Peter Paul & Mary's song "Such is Love" intimately explores the impact of time and experience on an individual's perceptions and understanding of love. The singer reflects on his journey of self-discovery and how his former self, as a young man, was unable to appreciate the real essence of love. The singer seems to have come to a point of self-awareness that has allowed him to open himself up to the wonders of love. He recognizes that his younger self, always looking for greener pastures, would have missed out on the beauty of love had he been given the chance. The use of the metaphor of a flower and the message it conveys, suggests that he understands the fleeting nature of love and that is only when we stop and embrace it that we can truly appreciate its essence.

Through the verses, the song paints a picture of the ever-changing nature of love, and the importance of allowing it to flow freely like a river. The singer acknowledges the importance of the movement and fluidity of love, as love, like a flowing river, cannot be contained or restrained. He seems to suggest that this is perhaps the most important aspect of love, and that only by allowing love to flow can we hope to keep its flame alive.

Overall, the lyrics of "Such is Love" reflect a sense of deep introspection and growth, and serve as a reminder that we are all still learning, evolving, and growing as individuals, even when it comes to love.

Line by Line Meaning

After all I've come to know me, and the ways of my heart,
Now that I know myself and my heart, I have grown to understand my actions and thoughts.

And the young man that I once was would have torn our love apart.
If I was the young man I once was, I would have destroyed our relationship with my immaturity.

When you're young and always looking at the far side of the hill
Being too focused on the future can cause us to miss the beauty of the present.

You might miss the fairest flower standing by you very still.
It is easy to overlook the best things in life when we are too focused on the next big thing.

Such is LovePeter Paul & Mary Lyrics

Such is Love
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics