The group made its television debut in either 1961 or 1962 on a talk show hosted by Mike Wallace and Joyce Davidson, though neither audio nor video footage has yet been found. By 1963, Peter, Paul, and Mary had recorded three albums. All three were in the Top ten the week of President Kennedy's assassination.
That year, the group also released "Puff the Magic Dragon", which Yarrow and fellow Cornell student Leonard Lipton had written in 1959, 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. One of their biggest hit singles was the Bob Dylan song "Blowin' in the Wind. They also sang other Bob Dylan songs, such as: "The Times They Are a-Changin'"; "Don't Think Twice, it's Alright"; and "When the Ship Comes In".
"Leaving On A Jet Plane" became their only #1 hit (as well as their final Top 40 hit) in December 1969, and was written by John Denver (who already had some success with The Chad Mitchell Trio), and first appeared on their Album 1700 in 1967. "Day Is Done", a #21 hit in June 1969, was the last Hot 100 hit that the trio recorded.
The trio broke up in 1970 to pursue solo careers, but found little of the success which they had experienced 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 45 shows a year.[1]
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
The trio became political activists for their commitment to peace in Central America and for supporting musically and personally the peace and social justice movement in America. Their inveterate support for Israel distinguishes them from other major folk singing groups and implies a uniqueness of consideration and courage in their political choices. They were awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience on September 1, 1990.[2]
In 2004, Travers was diagnosed with leukemia, leading to the cancellation of the remaining tour dates for that year. She received a bone marrow transplant and is recovering. She and the rest of the trio resumed their concert tour on December 9, 2005 with a holiday performance at Carnegie Hall.
Peter, Paul, and Mary received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.
The trio sang in Mitchell, South Dakota, for the George and Eleanor McGovern Library and Center for Leadership dedication concert on October 5, 2006.
The trio canceled several dates of their summer 2007 tour, as Mary took longer than expected to recover from back surgery and later had to undergo a second surgery, further postponing the tour.[1] They will make up at least one of the dates, at the Northfork Theatre (formerly Westbury Music Fair) in June 2008.
Hangman
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I think I see my father comin' ridin' many a mile
Father have you brought me hope or have you paid my fee
Or have you come to see me hangin' from the gallows tree?
I have not brought you hope, I have not paid your fee
Yes I have come to see you hangin' from the gallows tree.
I think I see my mother comin' ridin' many a mile
Mother have you brought me hope or have you paid my fee
Or have you come to see me hangin' from the gallows tree?
I have not brought you hope, I have not paid your fee
Yes I have come to see you hangin' from the gallows tree.
Slack your rope hangman, slack it for a while
I think I see my brother comin' ridin' many a mile
Brother have you brought me hope or have you paid my fee
Or have you come to see me hangin' from the gallows tree?
I have not brought you hope, I have not paid your fee
Yes I have come to see you hangin' from the gallows tree.
Slack your rope hangman, slack it for a while
I think I see my true love comin' riding' many a mile
True love have you brought me hope or have you paid my fee
Or have you come to see me hangin' from the gallows tree?
Yes I have brought you hope, yes I have paid your fee
For I've not come to see you hangin' from the gallows tree.
The lyrics of Peter, Paul & Mary's song "Hangman" speak of a person who has been sentenced to be hanged on a gallows tree. The song expresses the condemned person's emotional turmoil as they see their father, mother, brother and true love coming to watch them die. In a desperate attempt, the person asks the hangman to slack the rope for a while, hoping their loved ones have come to bring hope or pay their fee, and not just to witness their execution.
The song is a poignant reflection on the final moments of a person who has been condemned to die, and the deep emotional pain that comes with it. Through the conversation with their loved ones, the person seeks hope and solace even in the face of death. The opening lines of the song, "Slack your rope hangman, slack it for a while / I think I see my father comin' ridin' many a mile" set the tone for the rest of the song and creates an image of a person resigned to their fate; but holding out hope for a glimmer of happiness before the end. The song highlights the human desire for love, hope, and redemption in the face of death.
Line by Line Meaning
Slack your rope hangman, slack it for a while
Please give me a little more time to live.
I think I see my father comin' ridin' many a mile
My father might be coming to visit me.
Father have you brought me hope or have you paid my fee
I'm asking if my father has brought me any good news or has paid my legal fees.
Or have you come to see me hangin' from the gallows tree?
Or is he just here to watch me die?
I have not brought you hope, I have not paid your fee
The father is not here to give him any hope or pay his fees.
Yes I have come to see you hangin' from the gallows tree.
The father is only here to witness his son's execution on the gallows tree.
I think I see my mother comin' ridin' many a mile
My mother might be coming to visit me.
Mother have you brought me hope or have you paid my fee
I'm asking if my mother has brought me any good news or has paid my legal fees.
Or have you come to see me hangin' from the gallows tree?
Or is she just here to watch me die?
I have not brought you hope, I have not paid your fee
The mother is not here to give him any hope or pay his fees.
Yes I have come to see you hangin' from the gallows tree.
The mother is only here to witness her son's execution on the gallows tree.
I think I see my brother comin' ridin' many a mile
My brother might be coming to visit me.
Brother have you brought me hope or have you paid my fee
I'm asking if my brother has brought me any good news or has paid my legal fees.
Or have you come to see me hangin' from the gallows tree?
Or is he just here to watch me die?
I have not brought you hope, I have not paid your fee
The brother is not here to give him any hope or pay his fees.
Yes I have come to see you hangin' from the gallows tree.
The brother is only here to witness his sibling's execution on the gallows tree.
I think I see my true love comin' riding' many a mile
My true love might be coming to visit me.
True love have you brought me hope or have you paid my fee
I'm asking if my true love has brought me any good news or has paid my legal fees.
Or have you come to see me hangin' from the gallows tree?
Or is my true love just here to watch me die?
Yes I have brought you hope, yes I have paid your fee
My true love is here to bring me good news and has paid my legal fees.
For I've not come to see you hangin' from the gallows tree.
My true love is not here to witness my execution on the gallows tree.
Lyrics Β© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOEL HENDLER, MARY ALLIN TRAVERS, MILTON T. OKUN, NOEL PAUL STOOKEY, PETER YARROW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@magicbus63
RIP Mary Travers You Were A National Treasure~
@briansky10
These three voices worked together like no other; I don't think even the Beatles could of done any better. There will neverΒ be a group like this again. Peter Paul and Mary were and will always be the greatest!
@DavidVT23
Funny you should mention the Beatles in the same breath as PPM: at my local airport, there's a bar with a framed picture of PPM, the Beatles, and Ed Sullivan. That must have been a hell of a show.
@jessestewart169
Agreed.
@rondelby2482
@@DavidVT23 PP&M never appeared on Ed Sullivan show
@LLewis-vu9qf
@@DavidVT23 -- that picture is here on YouTube somewhere as part of a montage of photos shown during a PP&M song. When I saw it, I wondered if I had missed the group performing on the Sullivan show. I'm surprised they never did, especially since just about every other singing group of the 60s managed to appear there. π€
@emmabradford0137
cool.@@DavidVT23
@frankiefaithful
I'm a 28 year old man, and I think this is the only song in the world that makes me cry literal tears. Tears of sadness, and then tears of unimaginable love and joy.
@Machinelf
What makes you tear up?Β Lets find some songs that will beat that feeling eh?
@valmarquez2112
Frank D no se puede explicar... QuiΓ©n tuviese una maquina del tiempo, querido. Saludos