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.
Wild Places
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Solitude complete
The stillness clear
And close as heaven's door
The earth beats out its rhythm
In slow and perfect time
Counterpoint and harmonies
And we fight the battle here
Where there's time to fall in step
The secrets are still known here
But the secrets never kept
Wild places, somewhere
We can see the Father's hand
Wild places, somewhere
We can be alone with you
We need a promised land
Maybe we'll be wounded in the healing
It's to be broken to be sure
Can we embrace
This strange awakening together?
Is wisdom carved into creation?
The old relationships defined
As forbidding as her truth may be
We'll learn her ways with time
We'll learn to take it as it comes
We can't change faster than we can
Already we're a long way
From the children we began
Wild places, somewhere
We can see the Father's hand
Wild places, somewhere
We can be alone with you
We need a promised land
Wood smoke rising
Faces alive in the firelight
Forsaking the road
And making it home to be there tonight
The young making good what they found
In the wood, what they learned of a land
Putting dreams back together
Talking it through, reaching out for the hand
There's a moment caught suspended
Communion born between our eyes
Our vision clears
Its golden flight ascending
And we have seen what we have come for
And we will some day see again
But we have climbed into the mountains
So we must climb back down 'til then
But we'll take it as it is crazy
With love and disbelief
And the magic of your morning
The wilderness, the peace
Wild places, somewhere
We can the Father's hand
Wild places, somewhere
We can be alone with you
We need a promised land
We need a promised land
The lyrics to Peter Paul & Mary's Wild Places explore themes of solitude, spirituality, and the search for meaning in life. The opening lines convey a sense of distance and separation between people, but also suggest that there is a kind of clarity and peace to be found in quiet places where the distractions of everyday life fall away. The next stanza emphasizes the rhythm of nature and the idea that life is a complex mix of different harmonies and melodies, with different experiences and emotions all intersecting with one another.
The rest of the song is concerned with the idea of personal growth and transformation. The singer seems to be suggesting that the journey towards wisdom and enlightenment is a difficult one, fraught with challenges and moments of doubt or confusion. Nonetheless, there is a sense of hope and optimism here, a belief that despite the difficulties we can always find our way back to a place of peace and clarity if we keep searching for it. In the final lines, the song seems to be urging us to keep pushing forward, to keep searching for that promised land of inner peace and spiritual fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
Silence slips between us
The unspoken words that exist between us deliver a message of complete solitude.
Solitude complete
A state of being wholly and utterly alone, without socialization or company.
The stillness clear
The calmness is so serene, it's comparable to the clear, noiseless fluidity of water.
And close as heaven's door
The intimacy between us is like being near to heaven.
The earth beats out its rhythm
Nature carries on acting in its perfect cadence, regardless of anything else.
In slow and perfect time
The rhythm retains its natural flow, sensing no need to hurry or slow down.
Counterpoint and harmonies
The melody of life and its various struggles are entwined like a musical arrangement.
Life's melodies entwine
The various experiences that we have give shape to what our lives become.
And we fight the battle here
We struggle with what we need to do and become, in the present moment.
Where there's time to fall in step
The present offers us the opportunity to have clarity about our path and the chance to align ourselves with it.
The secrets are still known here
There are still some things that remain inaccessible to others within these wild places.
But the secrets never kept
The revelations and truths encountered in these places are never kept hidden by those who acknowledge them.
Wild places, somewhere
These remote, uninhabited lands can show us a connection to the divine.
We can see the Father's hand
We can detect and feel God's mercy and protection around us.
We can be alone with you
These areas provide us with a space that's free from the distractions of the world, allowing us to be more in touch with God.
We need a promised land
It's a place where there is the hope of renewal and redemption, that we will eventually attain.
Maybe we'll be wounded in the healing
The process of transformation could leave us hurt, just like the healing process of a wound can be painful.
It's to be broken to be sure
In order to be certain of what and who we are, we may require a moment of brokenness.
Can we embrace
Are we able to embrace change and new beginnings.
This strange awakening together?
Our realization of the situation happens in concert with one another, forming a fresh understanding.
Is wisdom carved into creation?
Is the natural order already imbued with lessons and values, waiting to be discerned?
The old relationships defined
Past connections can have an imposing hold on how things are perceived and understood.
As forbidding as her truth may be
The truth can be hard to swallow, but it's still worthwhile to digest and understand.
We'll learn her ways with time
We will eventually fathom the truth by the passage of time.
We'll learn to take it as it comes
It's discovering how to engage with the present, one experience at a time.
We can't change faster than we can
To grow and evolve is a process that conveys its own pace.
Already we're a long way
As time goes on, our present selves have distanced themselves from the version of us that first began this journey.
From the children we began
We started off inexperienced and naive, ignorant of who we would become.
Wood smoke rising
Smoke drifting upwards from a bonfire we have lit for warmth.
Faces alive in the firelight
Illuminated faces with renewed vivacity by the light of the fire.
Forsaking the road
Choosing to leave the typical, journeyed path behind.
And making it home to be there tonight
They're happy and content simply being at this place for the night.
The young making good what they found
Newcomers are trying to benefit from the lessons that the land has to offer.
In the wood, what they learned of a land
The land has knowledge and wisdom that is available to those who pursue it.
Putting dreams back together
Trying to make sense of their dreams and desires, and make them a reality again.
Talking it through, reaching out for the hand
Consulting allies and seeking assistance from trusted advisors.
There's a moment caught suspended
An instant that stood still and became timeless.
Communion born between our eyes
A common understanding shared between each other and the world.
Our vision clears
Our sight is no longer obstructed, and we can perceive things with precision.
Its golden flight ascending
A flight that seems to soar to the heavens among the stars.
And we have seen what we have come for
We have found what we were looking for, and it was worth the journey.
And we will some day see again
We will come back to this place again in the future to find new revelations.
But we have climbed into the mountains
We have overcome and surpassed the challenges that blocked our path.
So we must climb back down 'til then
We must return to other parts of the world, even though we yearn to rediscover this paradise.
But we'll take it as it is crazy
Even though these wild places are strange and inexplicable, we accept them without judgment.
With love and disbelief
We will approach with both love and disbelief, but will not be dissuaded.
And the magic of your morning
We are captivated by the mystical splendor in the daybreak.
The wilderness, the peace
In the midst of nature, there is an unparalleled sense of relaxation.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind