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.
The Times They Are A' Changin'
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin'
And you better start swimmin'
For the times they are a-changin'
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'
The song "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Peter, Paul & Mary is a powerful and prophetic call for people to accept the changes happening all around them. The opening lines implore the listeners to gather around and admit that the waters around them have grown, and soon they will be drenched to the bone if they don't start swimming. The metaphorical waters are a warning that the times are changing, and the listener needs to adapt to the changes to survive. The song calls out to writers and critics, asking them to keep their eyes open and prophesize with their pens. The wheel is still in spin, and there's no telling who it's naming.
In the next verse, the song calls out to senators and congressmen, asking them to heed the call and not stand in the doorway, blocking up the hall. The battle outside is raging, and it will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls, so it's better to be prepared. The song reminds mothers and fathers throughout the land not to criticize what they can't understand. Your old road is rapidly aging, so you need to get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand.
The song's final lines, "The line it is drawn, the curse it is cast, the slow one now will later be fast, as the present now will later be past, the order is rapidly fading, and the first one now will later be last, for the times, they are a-changin'" is a call to action. The old order is fading, and a new one is taking its place. Those who are slow to adapt will be left behind, and those who are the first to change will be the leaders of the new era.
Line by Line Meaning
Come gather 'round, people
Let's come together and have a discussion
Wherever you roam
No matter where you are from or where you have been
And admit that the waters
Accept that there are problems
Around you have grown
These problems have been growing
And accept it that soon
Realize that changes are coming
You'll be drenched to the bone
You will be deeply affected by these changes
If your time to you is worth savin'
If you value your time and future
And you better start swimmin'
You need to take action to adapt
Or you'll sink like a stone
Or else you will be left behind
For the times they are a-changin'
There is a significant shift taking place
Come writers and critics
Anyone with a voice, artist or analyst
Who prophesize with your pen
Who predict the future or communicate important messages
And keep your eyes wide
Stay informed and aware
The chance won't come again
This is a rare opportunity
And don't speak too soon
Don't make assumptions before knowing the full picture
For the wheel's still in spin
The future is still uncertain
And there's no tellin' who
We don't know what the outcome will be
That it's namin'
Who will end up on top
For the loser now
Those who currently look weak
Will be later to win
Might succeed later on
Come senators, congressmen
Politicians
Please heed the call
Listen to the public and the times
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block progress
Don't block up the hall
Don't obstruct important changes
For he that gets hurt
Those who suffer the consequences
Will be he who has stalled
Are often those who stood in the way
The battle outside ragin'
There is significant conflict happening outside of politics
Will soon shake your windows
Will start to directly impact politicians
And rattle your walls
Will shake up the system
For the times they are a-changin'
Reiterating a major shift happening
Come mothers and fathers
Parents
Throughout the land
Everywhere
And don't criticize
Don't judge it harshly
What you can't understand
What you don't comprehend
Your sons and your daughters
Younger generations
Are beyond your command
Are different from what you are used to
Your old road is rapidly agin'
The past is becoming irrelevant
Please get out of the new one
If you can't adapt
If you can't lend your hand
If you can't contribute positively
For the times they are a-changin'
Reiterating that changes are happening
The line it is drawn
There is a clear boundary
The curse it is cast
We are stuck with a certain fate
The slow one now
Those who currently looks weak
Will later be fast
Might succeed later on
As the present now
What is happening now
Will later be past
Will soon be old news
The order is rapidly fadin'
Status quo is breaking down
And the first one now
Whoever gets on top initially
Will later be last
Might end up losing later on
For the times they are a-changin'
Reiterating one last time that changes are happening
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind