“To Everything There Is a Season”
Judy Collins & Pete Seeger – Turn! Turn! Turn!
I was surprised that this song based on Ecclesiastes 3 and a song that I loved in my young adult years was written by Pete Seeger in 1959 but was made famous in 1965 by the American folk rock group, the Byrds. By the end of 1965 it was nearing the top to the popularity charts. I was in college. These words from the beginning of Ecclesiastes 3 are often used at funeral services. King Solomon, son of KIng David by Bathsheba, is credited with writing these words possibly around the 10th century BC.
We looked at Ecclesiastes 1 this week that the author opens with the declaration “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” V.2. The author then looks at the “circles of life” seen in nature and history. The lyics based on chapter 3, add depth as we ponder life.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
“A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.”
Seeger’s song presents these verses as a plea for world peace with the closing line: “a time for peace, I swear it’s not too late.” This line and the title phrase “Turn! Turn! Turn!” are the only parts of the lyric written by Seeger himself. The song is notable for being one of a few instances in popular music in which a large portion of the Bible is set to music. Because the lyrics can be dated back to the ancient texts in the Bible, the Byrds‘ 1965 recording of the song holds the distinction in the U.S. of being the number 1 hit with the oldest lyrics according to the Internet. An illustrated book by Simon and Schuster was published in 2003.
On the Way to Wonder 