Where Have All the Flowers Gone? Pete Seeger – Sanga Music Inc – BMI

We owe thanks to Howard Hight for reminding us that we used to sing this song at Malcolm Campbell High School.

What reminded him was this recent comment, which I shared with him regarding volunteer work:

“Occasionally I work at the limits of my capabilities. Fortunately, I’ve learned to cut back, and from time to time life teaches me that it’s healthy and necessary to really take a step back — to stop and smell the roses, as the expression went from years ago.”

Peter Seeger back story and video

The story behind the song can be accessed here. The link includes a video of Pete Seeger performing the song.

With Pride We Wear the Scarlet and the Silver

We can also note that Tim Hewlings (MCHS 63) has a recording of “With Pride we Wear the Scarlet and the Silver” made at the 2000 MCHS Reunion in Montreal. We owe thanks to him for sharing the recording with us, and to Peter Mearns and Howard Hight for reminding us of its existence.

You can access the file here:

MCHS_Song

Peter, Paul & Mary – Where Have All The Flowers Gone: Lyrics

The lyrics are from the lyricsfreak.com website.

Pete Seeger – Sanga Music Inc – BMI

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 have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, 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 for husbands everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the husbands gone, long time passing?
Where have all the husbands gone, long time ago?
Where have all the husbands gone?
Gone for soldiers everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, 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, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, 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, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, 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 have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

Comment

The reference to graveyards brings to mind, for me, the concept of eco-friendly burials, a practice dating back to pre-industrial times. The lyrics of the song are powerful, and bring to mind many things. What they bring to mind depends upon the person.

Among books I’ve enjoyed recently, with regards to living and dying, is Opening Heaven’s Door: What the Dying May Be Trying to Tell Us About Where They’re Going (2014). A journalist’s account of near-death experiences and the like can be of interest. I note, however, that a couple of pages of the latter study are devoted to the work of a particular best-selling Tibetan Buddhist author. A small amount of browsing on the Internet would indicate that the latter individual’s qualifications may not be what they are purported to be. That being said, the Opening Heaven’s Door overview, and interviews such as on CBC Radio connected with it, are nonetheless of interest and value, in my view.

With regard to these topics, speaking solely for myself and in the context of my own way of seeing things, I also enjoy reading work by David Spangler. His book Apprenticed to Spirit (2011) addresses a range of topics that I find of interest.

One can add, with regard to these topics, that at least one recent best-selling account of a near-death experience has given rise to scepticism.