His name defines American folk music. His songs and words are as easily recollected as our own family reminisces. “If I Had a Hammer”, “Where Have all the Flowers Gone”, “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore” . . . they roll off the tongue of so many of us. We know the lyrics well, for we sang along with him, and the many artists who recorded his songs, for as long as we can remember. I thought about Pete Seeger, his music and his legacy as I wandered the internet, looking for something to post in honor of him at his passing this week. There are so many songs, but, the one song, a simple tune that Pete Seeger put to music from the book of Ecclesiastes, that I think embodies him and his music in the final season of his life.
Thank you, Pete Seeger, for making the world a little bit of better place through your music. Rest in peace.
(Source of this version for YouTube here. Thank you.)
Penny, this is amazing synchronicity, because I’ve just been listening to Pete Seegar on Youtube and remembering him very fondly. Your choice is beautiful. It’s so touching to hear him still singing when he was so old, and such an appropriate song. The extra verses at the end are a real treat and your new header made my eyes moisten as well. I first discovered Pete Seegar through listening to the Weavers when I was a student. Thank you so much for this post.
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Oh, Juliet, you know I love these moments when we find each other connecting from so far away. We were probably listening to Pete Seeger at the same time. Isn’t it an amazing video? It was just last year and he was still singing – and inviting everyone to sing along. I was so pleased to have discovered it and that you just saw it. Now, I’m off to see what I can find from the Weavers.
Thank you for noticing the header, Juliet. Tom and I are waving at you.
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Well said Penny. Pete Seeger, a good, long life well lived! This was a great choice of the many videos to choose from. If you haven’t seen it yet, “Pete Seeger: The Power of Song” was an excellent documentary about his life that was made in 2007.
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It seems we are both up in the wee hours tonight, Janet.
Thank you. There is such a great body of his work to choose from, but this felt right for me. I have seen the documentary, and it is, as you say, excellent. I think his grandson, Tao, produced it. I hope PBS airs it again.
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A full life well-lived for sure. I miss that music. Thank you for the video. You Tube is lovely for reminiscing. (I try to live in the present, but sometimes …..)
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He lived a full life, indeed, Sallie. I miss the music, too. I have a feeling that Seeger’s music is resounding across “this land for you and me” this week. Sometimes we do need the past while enjoying the present.
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I always enjoyed the music of Pete Seeger. Thank you so much for sharing this. I believe that this piece from Ecclesiastes was often the first introduction to the beauty of the Bible for some people.
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He was such a part of our childhoods and then on and on, wasn’t he? I think you are right about Ecclesiastes and Turn, Turn, Turn, Janet. Between this, and Peter, Paul and Mary’s “There is Love”, many were singing the Testaments and didn’t even know it. Thank you, Janet.
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What a GREAT video! I was just thrilled to see this. A wonderful song and I haven’t seen him perform it except in very old videos. I think you said it well when you referenced we’ve known his music all our lives. What an incredible man and amazing artist, and oh what a legacy he leaves behind. It really is true that everyone knows his music! I am going to get back to the Grammy Museum very soon and see what they may be doing to honor him. Thank you, Penny. This was a lovely tribute.
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Oh, do let us know if there is something honoring Pete Seeger at the Grammy Museum, Debra. I would think there would be.
Isn’t it a great video? I was surprised to see it myself; he was 93 at the time, still full of energy and purpose, and still having a sing-a-long with his audience. I think most of us sang “This Land is Your Land” for grade school performances, and made up silly verses to “If I Had a Hammer”, all-the-while hearing a message and being taught. Thank you, Debra.
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Thank you Penny for saluting one of my favorite people, Pete Seeger. I saw him perform at Orchestral Hall, Chicago in 1960. He was solo on stage and he wore a red sweater, carried a guitar and a banjo and sang and sang and sang. The audience could not get enough of him. The hall was packed, so much so there were bleachers on stage behind him.
I texted my grandchildren and told them that they needed to find out who Pete Seeger was, maybe they could even ask their mothers because they listened to all his songs. I said he was an important American.
Thak you again.
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What a performance that must have been, Marilyn, and here you are recollecting exactly what he wore and how full Orchestra Hall was, in 1960; the heyday of folk music and peaceful protesting! To think of all the people he touched, in so many ways, throughout much of the 20th and part of the 21st centuries, not to mention all the musical artists he influenced. An amazing body of work and legacy.
I hope your grandchildren do look into who Peter Seeger was and I imagine your daughters will have a few songs to sing as well, having listened to their parents sing them and having sung them in school.
You are welcome, as always, Marilyn. Stay warm – and safe from this newly falling snow.
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Everyone will miss Pete, Penny. His songs are almost folklore now: some have forgotten where they began. Lovely post and tribute to an amazing artist.
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Indeed, so many will, Kate, and I agree; his songs have reached the status of folklore and are part and parcel of a singing legacy, which will, fortunately, live on and on (or, at least I hope it will). Thank you, Kate.
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I too felt a huge pang of nostalgia and gratitude when I heard of Pete Seeger’s death. His songs were an unforgettable part of my growing-up also. Thanks for the link to a super video.
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We tend to think of Pete Seeger’s impact as being American, forgetting that his words and songs travelled across the big pond and even further. Thank you for this comment, Perpetua, and the reminder that his music, as all music, is universal. You are very welcome. It was such a pleasant surprise to find it for me and to see Pete Seeger, still performing, just a year ago.
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