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.
Reason To Believe
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd find a way to believe that it's all true.
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried.
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
Someone like you makes it hard to live without somebody else.
Someone like you makes it easy to give, never think of myself.
I'd find a way to leave the past behind
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried.
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
If I listened long enough to you
I'd find a way to believe that it's all true.
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried.
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
Peter, Paul & Mary's song Reason To Believe speaks of a person who has been hurt by someone they trusted, someone who lied to them while they cried. Despite the betrayal, the person is struggling to find a reason to believe that it is all true. They acknowledge that someone like this person they trusted makes it hard to live without somebody else and that it is easy to lose oneself in that person. But the person still holds on to the hope that things can change, that the past can be left behind, that the person who betrayed them can change their ways, and they keep searching for a reason to believe.
The song captures the complexity of emotions that come with betrayal, the feelings of hurt and confusion, and the struggle to let go and move on. It speaks to the human need to find hope and meaning in even the most trying of circumstances, to see the good in people even when they have caused us pain. Peter, Paul & Mary's harmonious and heartfelt rendition of the song brings out the poignant lyrics and conveys the searching and longing that the singer is going through.
Line by Line Meaning
If I listened long enough to you
If I paid close attention to your words and ideas
I'd find a way to believe that it's all true.
I would eventually start to believe that what you say is real.
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried.
Even though you confidently deceived me while I was in pain,
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
I still search for a cause or justification to have faith in you.
Someone like you makes it hard to live without somebody else.
Being without a partner is difficult when I am emotionally invested in someone like you.
Someone like you makes it easy to give, never think of myself.
I am willing to compromise and put your needs first because of who you are.
If I gave you time to change my mind
If I allowed you the opportunity to convince me otherwise
I'd find a way to leave the past behind
I would be able to move on from our difficult history.
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried.
Even though you confidently deceived me while I was in pain,
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
I still search for a cause or justification to have faith in you.
If I listened long enough to you
If I paid close attention to your words and ideas
I'd find a way to believe that it's all true.
I would eventually start to believe that what you say is real.
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried.
Even though you confidently deceived me while I was in pain,
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
I still search for a cause or justification to have faith in you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Tim Hardin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind