The Kingston Trio was formed in 1957 in the Palo Alto, California area by original lineup of Dave Guard (1934–1991), Bob Shane (1934–2020), and Nick Reynolds (1933–2008), who were just out of college. Greatly influenced by The Weavers, the calypso sounds of Harry Belafonte, and other semi-popular folk artists such as the Gateway Singers and the Tarriers, they were discovered playing at a college club called the Cracked Pot by Frank Werber, a local publicist then working at the Hungry i. He became their manager, and secured them a one-shot deal with Capitol Records.
Their first hit was a catchy rendition of an old-time folk song, "Tom Dooley", which went gold in 1958. It was so popular that it entered popular culture as a catchphrase: Ella Fitzgerald, for example, parodies it during her recorded version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". It won them the first Grammy award for Best Country & Western Performance in 1959. The next year, they won the first Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording category for the album The Kingston Trio at Large.
At one point in the early 1960s The Kingston Trio had four albums at the same time among the Top 10 selling albums, a record unmatched for nearly 40 years. In spite of this, they had a relatively small number of hit singles.
The group's music was simple and accessible, with much use of tight vocal harmony, signature riffs (often played on the banjo), and repetitive choruses. Capitol producer Voyle Gilmore[1] enhanced their vocal sound to great effect with reverb and the relatively new process of doubletracking, in which the performers sang along with their own pre-recorded part to produce a stronger sound than with a single voice, in part due to a natural time gap of a fraction of a second between the original recording and the overdubbed part. At first pairs of tape recorders were used, then later multitrack recording machines, to produce the effect.
Guard left the band in 1961 as part of a disagreement over its musical direction. He formed the group Whiskey Hill Singers, and was replaced by John Stewart, who led the group through several more years of popularity until the arrival of The Beatles and British invasion rock bands pushed them from the charts.
In 1967 the Trio disbanded after a final performance at the Hungry i, June 17, 1967.
Shane, the lone member to resist the break-up of the Trio, started a new group, aptly named, "The New Kingston Trio," in 1969. Eventually, Shane was successful in reaching a contractual agreement with his former partners, Guard, Reynolds, and Werber, to secure and license once again, the original name, "The Kingston Trio" (unencumbered by the adjective new), in 1976.(Blake et al. 1986.) Shane still owns the property today, 2006.
For a number of years in the 1980s Reynolds, one of the original three members, rejoined Shane.
In 2004 Shane retired from the group due to health problems. He was replaced by Bill Zorn, who had been with Shane in an iteration of the group called The New Kingston Trio; Zorn also has been a member of The Limeliters.
In 2005 Bobby Haworth (a one-time member of The Brothers Four) left the group to be replaced by Rick Dougherty, who also had been a member of The Limeliters.
As of 2006, The Kingston Trio consisted of George Grove, Bill Zorn and Rick Dougherty.
in October 2017, Grove, Zorn, and Dougherty were replaced as the Trio by new licensees Reynolds and Marvin and their friend, Tim Gorelangton. In 2018, Josh Reynolds left the group and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who became a member of the band for the third time. At the end of 2018, Haworth left the group and was replaced by Don Marovich.
Pullin' Away
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pullin' away, he's pullin away. Now his wagons are loaded, he's pullin' away.
Hard luck is the fortune of all woman kind. They're always controlled. They're always confined.
Controlled by their parents until they are wives.
Then slaves of their husbands the rest of their lives.
I once knew a girl and her story was sad.
She always was courted by the wagoner lad.
Now his wagons are loaded. He's pullin' away.
[Chorus]
Your parents don't like me. They think I'm too poor.
They think I'm not worth to enter your door.
Hard livin's my pleasure.
My money's my own and if they don't like me, they can leave me alone.
Long is the road. Dark is the sky. Look over your shoulder. He's wavin' goodbye.
My wagon is loaded. My whip needs a mend. So sit down here by me for as long as you can.
My wagons are loaded. My whip's in my hand. So, fare thee well, darlin', I'm leavin' this land.
[Chorus]
The Kingston Trio's song "Pullin' Away" is a ballad that depicts a sorrowful tale about love and societal constraints. The chorus of the song repeats the line "Pullin' away, he's pullin away. Now his wagons are loaded, he's pullin' away," which describes the wagoner lad leaving, having loaded his wagons. The song suggests that hard luck is the unfortunate fate of all women as they are always confined, either by their parents or their husbands. The lyrics touch on the bittersweet feeling of being in love yet being unable to be together due to societal pressures.
The song's first verse tells the story of a girl whose fate is controlled by her parents before marriage and her husband after marriage, leaving her no freedom, regardless of her dreams and desires. The hook of the lyrics remains the girl's love for the wagoner lad, who courted her relentlessly. The second verse portrays the wagoner lad's struggle to be accepted by the girl's family due to his poverty, which hints at the many societal constraints against love that exist. The last verse of the song depicts the wagoner lad ready to start his journey on the road, with his whip in his hand and the wagons loaded, implying a difficult path ahead for both him and the girl he loves.
Line by Line Meaning
Pullin' away, he's pullin away. Now his wagons are loaded, he's pullin' away.
The man is leaving and his wagons are full.
Hard luck is the fortune of all woman kind. They're always controlled. They're always confined.
Women have a difficult time as they are controlled by their parents and husbands.
Controlled by their parents until they are wives.
Girls are controlled by their parents until they get married.
Then slaves of their husbands the rest of their lives.
After marriage, they are slaves to their husbands.
I once knew a girl and her story was sad.
The singer knew a girl with a sad story.
She always was courted by the wagoner lad.
She was always courted by the wagoner lad.
He courted her truly by night and by day.
The wagoner lad courted her truly 24/7.
Now his wagons are loaded. He's pullin' away.
But now, he's leaving as his wagons are loaded.
Your parents don't like me. They think I'm too poor.
The singer's partner's parents don't like him for being poor.
They think I'm not worth to enter your door.
They think he's not worthy of their daughter.
Hard livin's my pleasure.
The singer enjoys a hard life.
My money's my own and if they don't like me, they can leave me alone.
The singer believes that his money is his own, and he doesn't want any interference.
Long is the road. Dark is the sky. Look over your shoulder. He's wavin' goodbye.
The man is saying his final goodbye as he leaves on a long journey into the dark night.
My wagon is loaded. My whip needs a mend. So sit down here by me for as long as you can.
The man's wagon is now full, and his whip requires a fix, so sit next to him as long as possible because he's leaving.
My wagons are loaded. My whip's in my hand. So, fare thee well, darlin', I'm leavin' this land.
Now he's prepared to leave with his wagon full and whip in his hand, so farewell to his darling as he leaves the land.
Pullin' away, he's pullin away. Now his wagons are loaded, he's pullin' away.
The man is leaving, and his wagons are full.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB SHANE, JOHN STEWART, NICK REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind