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.
Tell It on the Mountain
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
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Go tell it on the mountain, to let my people go
Who's that yonder dressed in red, let my people go
Must be the children that Moses led, let my people go
Who's that yonder dressed in red
Must be the children that Moses led
Go tell it on the mountain, to let my people go
Go tell it on the mountain, over the hill and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain, to let my people go
Who's that yonder dressed in white, let my people go
Must be the children of the Israelite, let my people go
Who's that yonder dressed in white
Must be the children of the Israelite
Go tell it on the mountain, to let my people go
Go tell it on the mountain, over the hill and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain, to let my people go
Who's that yonder dressed in black, let my people go
Must be the hypocrites turnin' back, let my people go
Who's that yonder dressed in black
Must be the hypocrites turnin' back
Go tell it on the mountain to let my people go
Tell it on the mountain, over the hill and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain to let my people go
The song "Tell It on the Mountain" is a traditional African-American spiritual that was first documented in 1907. The lyrics of this song encourage the listener to spread the message of freedom to all corners of the earth.
The first verse begins with the instruction to "go tell it on the mountain," an imperative that is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of spreading the message. In this verse, the singer tells the listener to tell the message "everywhere," indicating that no place is too remote or too far away to spread the word.
The next verses introduce different characters dressed in different colors, each representing a different group of people. The first group is the "children that Moses led," representing African slaves who were seeking freedom. The second group is the "children of the Israelite," representing the Jewish people who were also seeking freedom from oppression. Finally, the third group is the "hypocrites turnin' back," representing those who oppose freedom or who are insincere about their support for it.
The song ends with a final exhortation to "go tell it on the mountain, to let my people go" with the repetition of the phrase serving as a call to action.
Overall, the message of the song is one of hope and liberation, encouraging listeners to take action and spread the message of freedom for all.
Line by Line Meaning
Go tell it on the mountain, over the hill and everywhere
Spread this message far and wide, leave no place untouched
Go tell it on the mountain, to let my people go
Share this message so that my people can be set free from whatever it is that's holding them back
Who's that yonder dressed in red, let my people go
Who is that person in red clothing? They must be associated with the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt
Must be the children that Moses led, let my people go
That person in red clothing must be among the group of children that Moses led to freedom
Who's that yonder dressed in white, let my people go
Who is that person in white clothing? They must be associated with the story of the Israelites being led out of Egypt
Must be the children of the Israelite, let my people go
That person in white clothing must be among the group of Israelite children who were freed from slavery
Who's that yonder dressed in black, let my people go
Who is that person in black clothing? They must be hypocrites who are turning away from the message of freedom
Must be the hypocrites turnin' back, let my people go
Those people in black clothing must be the ones who are turning away from the message of freedom and keeping others from being set free
Tell it on the mountain, over the hill and everywhere
This message is so important, it must be shared loudly and persistently until everyone hears it
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mary Allin Travers, Milton T. Okun, Noel Paul Stookey, Peter Yarrow
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind