Where Have All the Flowers Gone
The The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone
Young girls picked them, every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Where have all the young girls gone
Long time passing
Where have all the young girls gone
Long time ago
Where have all the young girls gone
Gone to young men, every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Where have all the young men gone
Long time passing
Where have all the young men gone
Long time ago
Where have all the young men gone
Gone to soldiers, every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Where have all the soldiers gone
Long time passing
Where have all the soldiers gone
A long, long time ago
Where have all the soldiers gone
Gone to graveyards, every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Where have all the graveyards gone
Long time passing
Where have all the graveyards gone
Long time ago
Where have all the graveyards gone
Gone to flowers, every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
The Kingston Trio’s song “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” is a poignant and thought-provoking ballad that speaks about the cyclical nature of life, war, and the enduring power of nature to bring hope and regeneration. The song begins by asking where all the flowers have gone, and then goes on to describe how the young girls who once picked the flowers have themselves disappeared, off to marry and start families. The song mourns the loss of these young women who were once full of life and wonder, and asks when the world will learn from these losses and put an end to the cycle of war and suffering that has robbed us of our humanity.
The second stanza continues the theme of loss and asks where all the young men have gone. They too have disappeared, but this time the reason is not marriage, but war. The lyrics suggest that war is just as much of a natural cycle as the changing of the seasons, but it is one that we should seek to break. The song laments the fact that so many young men have been lost to the horrors of warfare, and leaves us with the question of when we will ever learn to find a better way.
The third stanza takes the song’s theme full circle by asking where all the soldiers have gone. The answer is devastating: they have gone to the graveyard, every one. The song highlights the tragedy of war and reflects on the human cost of conflict, as well as on the unnecessary loss of life that comes with it. Despite our progress as a society, we are still no closer to finding a way to prevent war, and the song leaves us with the haunting question of when we will finally learn. The final stanza brings the song to a close on a note of hope, suggesting that even in death, life goes on, and the flowers that once symbolized the promise of spring continue to bloom long after everyone has disappeared.
Line by Line Meaning
Where have all the flowers gone
What happened to all the beautiful flowers that were once here?
Long time passing
It's been a while since the flowers disappeared
Where have all the flowers gone
Again, where did all the beautiful flowers go?
Long time ago
It was a long time ago that the flowers went missing
Where have all the flowers gone
Once more, where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls picked them, every one
All of the flowers were picked by young girls
When will they ever learn?
When will people finally learn from their mistakes?
When will they ever learn?
This question is asked again to emphasize the point
Where have all the young girls gone
What happened to all the young girls?
Long time passing
It's been a while since the young girls disappeared
Where have all the young girls gone
Again, where have all the young girls gone?
Long time ago
It was a long time ago that the young girls disappeared
Where have all the young girls gone
Once more, where have all the young girls gone?
Gone to young men, every one
Every single young girl went to young men
When will they ever learn?
The song repeats its message about learning from mistakes
When will they ever learn?
The question is repeated for emphasis
Where have all the young men gone
What happened to all the young men?
Long time passing
A lot of time has passed since the young men disappeared
Where have all the young men gone
Again, where did all the young men go?
Long time ago
It was a while ago that the young men disappeared
Where have all the young men gone
Once more, where did all the young men disappear to?
Gone to soldiers, every one
All the young men have gone to become soldiers
When will they ever learn?
The song again stresses the importance of learning from mistakes
When will they ever learn?
The question is repeated to hammer home the point
Where have all the soldiers gone
What happened to all the soldiers?
Long time passing
It's been a long time since the soldiers disappeared
Where have all the soldiers gone
Again, where did all the soldiers go?
A long, long time ago
It's been many years since the soldiers disappeared
Where have all the soldiers gone
Once more, where did all the soldiers disappear to?
Gone to graveyards, every one
All the soldiers have died and gone to graveyards
When will they ever learn?
The song again stresses the importance of learning from mistakes
When will they ever learn?
The question is repeated for emphasis
Where have all the graveyards gone
What happened to all the graveyards?
Long time passing
A lot of time has passed since the graveyards disappeared
Where have all the graveyards gone
Again, where did all the graveyards go?
Long time ago
It was a while ago that the graveyards disappeared
Where have all the graveyards gone
Once more, where have all the graveyards disappeared to?
Gone to flowers, every one
The graveyards have given rise to blooming flowers
When will they ever learn?
The song ends with the same question it began with, urging people to learn from the past
When will they ever learn?
The question is repeated one last time to drive the point home
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Peter Seeger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dunhillan8360
Where have all the flowers gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the flowers gone,
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone,
Young girls picked them every one
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn
Where have all the young girls gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the young girls gone,
Long time ago,
Where have all the young girls gone,
gone to young men every one
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn
Where have all the young men gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the young men gone,
Long time ago,
Where have all the young men gone,
gone to soldier every one,
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn
Where have all the soldiers gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the soldiers gone,
Long time ago,
Where have all the soldiers gone,
Gone to graveyards every one
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn
Where have all the graveyards gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the graveyards gone,
Long time ago,
Where have all the graveyards gone,
Gone to flower every one
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn
Where have all the flowers gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the flowers gone,
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone,
Young girls picked them every one
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn
@randyrogers8568
When I hear this is can't help but think of the 50,000 brave men who died for absolutely nothing.
@gregoryohland7093
Hello Randy. I know you are a Viet-Nam Veteran, like me. I am glad you wrote this. I feel exactualy the same way. Stay good, brother.
@peterx727
In my humble opinion, far and away the greatest version of this moving song.
@svenkarlsson3313
Jonny rivers did it very well to
@AegisNova
Agreed!
@raywest1514
I humbly agree ✌🏻❤️
@RobynRind
Agree
@daveh777
Equally agreed indeed.
@merledoughty5787
Remember singing this back on a school trip as a teen, still gives me shivers today at 70 years young, the message has been again lost in the years.
@movessmitt6427
Aww, that is amazing! Wonderful to hear from someone who has this as their roots :) Currently 23 and been a bit of a record collecting nut since about 15, I generally listen to a heavier brand of music but I NEVER let a Kingston Trio record pass me by when I find them around. Beautiful stuff, beautiful intention, malleable to then and now.