Lopez made his name on the club circuit of the Southwestern United States before being 'discovered' in 1962 playing at the club PJ's in Hollywood, California, by record producer Don Costa. Costa was taken with Lopez's latinized versions of contemporary hits and signed him up to Frank Sinatra's record label, Reprise Records. His debut album, Trini Lopez Live at PJ's, was released in 1963. The album included a version of If I Had a Hammer, which reached number one in 36 countries (No. 3 in the United States) and was a radio favorite for many years. He also performed his own version of the traditional Mexican song La Bamba on the album; his recording of the tune was later re-issued as a single in 1966.
His popularity led the Gibson Guitar Corporation to ask him in 1964 to design a guitar for them. He ended up designing two: The Trini Lopez Standard, a rock and roll model based on the Gibson ES-335 semi-hollow body, and the Lopez Deluxe, a variation of a Gibson jazz guitar designed by Barney Kessel. Both of these guitars were in production from 1964 until 1971 and are now highly sought after amongst collectors. Some owners of the guitar include Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.
He scored 13 chart singles through 1968, including "Lemon Tree" (1965), "I'm Comin' Home, Cindy" (1966) and "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" (1968). On the adult contemporary chart, he ranked up 15 hits, including the Top 10 singles "Michael" (1964), "Gonna Get Along Without Ya' Now" (1967) and "The Bramble Bush" (1967). Beyond his success on record, he became one of the country's top nightclub performers of that era, regularly headlining in Las Vegas, Nevada.
During the 1960s and 1970s Lopez moved into acting, though his film career was not as successful as his music. His first film role was in Marriage on the Rocks (1965), in which he made a cameo appearance in a nightclub scene; Lopez's soundtrack song, "Sinner Man", became a hit single (No. 54 pop/No. 12 adult contemporary). He was one of The Dirty Dozen (1967) and starred in Antonio (1973). He made two appearances (playing different characters) on the television program, Adam 12. He continued his musical career with extensive tours of Europe and Latin America during this period; an attempt to break out by releasing a disco album in 1978 proved a flop.
Since then, Lopez has done charitable work and received honors such as being inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2003. He was still recording and appearing live in the early 2000s. Recently he took part in a benefit concert to raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
If I Had a Hammer
Trini Lopez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening
All over this land
I'd hammer out danger
I'd hammer out a warning
I'd hammer out love between
My brothers and my sisters, ah-ah
If I had a bell
I'd ring it in the morning
I'd ring it in the evening
All over this land
I'd ring out danger
I'd ring out a warning
I'd ring out love between
My brothers and my sisters, ah-ah
All over this land
If I had a song
I'd sing it in the morning
I'd sing it in the evening
All over this world
I'd sing out danger
I'd sing out a warning
I'd sing out love between
My brothers and my sisters ah-ah
All over this land
I got a hammer
And I've got a bell
And I've got a song to sing
All over this land
It's the hammer of justice
It's the bell of freedom
It's the song about love between
My brothers and my sisters
All over this land
All over this land
All over this land
All over this land
All over this land
All over this land
All over this land
Trini Lopez's song If I Had a Hammer is a protest song that highlights the importance of unity, peace, and justice in the world. The lyrics speak of the singer's desire to make a positive impact on the people of the world. Lopez uses the symbol of a hammer, a bell, and a song to represent his message of hope and unity.
The first verse of the song speaks of how the singer would hammer in the morning and evening all over the land. This symbolizes a call for action and protest against unjust practices. The second verse speaks of of ringing a bell to warn and spread caution. It is a call to wake up the people and let them know what is happening around them. The final verse focuses on the power of a song in uniting people from all over the world.
The last part of the song suggests that the singer already has a hammer, a bell, and a song to use in his quest for a better world. He states that the hammer is used for justice, the bell for freedom, and the song is about love between all of his brothers and sisters. The final lines repeat "all over this land" emphasizing that the call to action is to be spread throughout the world.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had a hammer
If I possessed a hammer tool
I'd hammer in the morning
I would use it to hit objects in the early hours
I'd hammer in the evening
I would use it to hit objects in the late hours of the day
All over this land
All around the world
I'd hammer out danger
I would use it to eliminate danger by pounding or hitting it
I'd hammer out a warning
I would use the hammer to create an alerting sound to inform of potential danger
I'd hammer out love between My brothers and my sisters, ah-ah
I would use the hammer to create unity and love among my family or community
If I had a bell
If I possessed a bell instrument
I'd ring it in the morning
I would use it to create a sound early hours of the day
I'd ring it in the evening
I would use it to create a sound during the late hours of the day
I'd ring out danger
I would use the bell to create alerting sound to indicate danger
I'd ring out a warning
I would use the bell to create an alerting sound to warn of potential danger
I'd sing out love between
My brothers and my sisters ah-ah
All over this land
I would use the bell to sing a message of love and care among my family or community globally
If I had a song
If I possessed a tune or melody
I'd sing it in the morning
I would use it to vocalize my melody early hours of the day
I'd sing it in the evening
I would use it to vocalize my melody late hours of the day
All over this world
Every part of the world
I'd sing out danger
I would use my melody to communicate on the hazards present around us
I'd sing out a warning
I would use my melody to warn of impending dangers
It's the hammer of justice
Refers to the hammer's power in asserting legal orders or enforcing laws
It's the bell of freedom
Refers to the bell's significance in declaring freedom and liberty
It's the song about love between My brothers and my sisters
The song is about unity and love among community members
All over this land
Every place or location
All over this land
Every place or location
All over this land
Every place or location
All over this land
Every place or location
All over this land
Every place or location
All over this land
Every place or location
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lee Hays, Pete Seeger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@freeguy77
One of the most memorable songs (to a pre-teen kid) in early 1963, played repeatedly on my little 6-transistor radio! The song was so good, it hit the Billboard Hot 100's Top 10 for two different artists! Peter, Paul and Mary hit #10 with it in 1962, and Trini Lopez hit even bigger with it in 1963, in the middle of the civil rights movement, at #3. Trini was 26 then, 82 now in Jan. 2020. What a timeless standard for love and peace, "all over the world."
@arnaldogomez9146
And ...Rita Pavone made an Italian version
@ricardomafiosobelmontcassi734
Original song of Pete Seeger
@freeguy77
Trini Lopez lost his life on Aug. 11, at 83. He celebrated his final birthday on May 15. He was born in Dallas, TX, died in Palm Springs, CA. In 1955/56 Trini Lopez and his band worked at The Vegas Club, a nightclub owned by Jack Ruby, the nightclub owner who assassinated Lee Harvey Oswald on Nov. 24, 1963.
@burcinakaln4732
😔👏👏👏😚
@burcinakaln4732
😍😔👏👏👏👏👏
@stevepotocin9501
When Trini sings that "Bell" part, and the drummer hits the middle of that ride cymbal, the Holy Spirit of rock action enters my soul!
@d1i2a3n4n5e6
Me too and I'm a drummer
@bhodges00
That drummer was Mickey Jones who was the drummer for Kenny Rodgers and First Edition. He was also an actor. He guest star on Home Improvement.
@jimmypeters
@@bhodges00 Also a member of the group eventually known as The Band, backing Dylan on his 1966 world tour when Levon Helm took a hiatus.