I can't say enough about this song. It's absolutely haunting. It tears my heart out and leaves me shaken. The phrasing and the chord progression is unique and disturbing and lovely. But it is the story that is devastating.
A man of principle, a man of peace and dignity, gives up everything he has to effect change. Like so many have. He dies alone in a jail cell for his principles, without a friend, estranged from family, not appreciated or understood, an "enemy of the people". And ultimately there is no indication his sacrifice matters in the least: the killing continues unabated, he not a martyr for his cause. He was never thanked or supported and he will never know if he made the right decisions.
We can feel certain the man was admirably in the right. The songwriter clearly agrees values this man's principles and courage, even if the 3 speakers in the song do not. We see him as a lonely prophet being cut down by the runaway train of cruelty and ignorance and fear that is our society. Like so many have. But he is never celebrated, never martyred. He is forgotten or reviled. An utterly purposeless tragedy.
He has taken his place on the great mandala. For good or ill. The wheel of time doesn't notice.
And so have the others in the song: the father, the jailer, the ruler, and the people. They take their places beside his. And the wheel rolls on, until they aren't even a memory.
Is change even possible? The wheel metaphor suggest that ultimately it is not. As the second singer says, "He can't do it. He can't change it. It's been going on for 10,000 years." From this perspective, the man is misguided. He threw away his life for a hopeless cause. He's has "lost" and wasted his life.
But knowing the songwriter as we do, this is not the intended message. We know he disagrees with the second singer, because he's been fighting for change his whole life. The losers are really the people who choose to rationalize their own views and refuse to accept the man's message, because they are creating exactly the dystopia they think is unavoidable. Like so many have.
So we are forced to ask: what place will we ourselves take on the wheel? Consciously or not, we all choose our place on the great mandala. We have this brief moment to choose who we will be and what we will stand for. And, we are forced to confront the possibility that all our hopes and efforts will amount to nothing. I find it both excruciating and sublime that even the song refuses to reward the man for his sacrifice. Because the great mandala won't reward you either. The song ends on the disturbing thought that "if you lose you've only wasted your life." It's very ambiguous who the loser is here. And as frustrating as that is, that's exactly as it should be. You must decide for yourself.
I have been performing this song since it first appeared on Album 1700 (arguably the best album PP&M produced) and I must admit I was not sure of its meaning. I should have realised that with Peter Yarrows background that this was indeed the meaning.
I have been performing this song since it first appeared on Album 1700 (arguably the best album PP&M produced) and I must admit I was not sure of its meaning. I should have realised that with Peter Yarrows background that this was indeed the meaning.
Many thanks for your explanation - it now makes a lot of sense and I shall perform it with more understanding. My previous understanding was that it related to someone on death row but I couldn't reconcile all the verses - your explanation makes a lot of sense.
Many thanks for your explanation - it now makes a lot of sense and I shall perform it with more understanding. My previous understanding was that it related to someone on death row but I couldn't reconcile all the verses - your explanation makes a lot of sense.
Yes, Peter Yarrow is still alive and lives here in Austin and also has abodes in California and New York. Groujo comments above are very accurate and if you study Peter's writing very much at all you know he often is telling or protesting several stories and points of protest at the same time. When a member of Peter, Paul and Mary their selections often reflected the same philosophies of story telling.
Therefore, the song speaks to me on several levels. Condemns Capitol punishment yes, for sure. War, maybe, but not so much, but taking responsibility for our life . ....
Yes, Peter Yarrow is still alive and lives here in Austin and also has abodes in California and New York. Groujo comments above are very accurate and if you study Peter's writing very much at all you know he often is telling or protesting several stories and points of protest at the same time. When a member of Peter, Paul and Mary their selections often reflected the same philosophies of story telling.
Therefore, the song speaks to me on several levels. Condemns Capitol punishment yes, for sure. War, maybe, but not so much, but taking responsibility for our life . . . yes indeed.
At first I thought it was an interplay between Father and Son because of the first verse material and because the Richie Havens video with Peter has them in an intercourse of story telling but really it is the Father in the first verse telling the story and unlike what others have said about it might be a preist I for one believe that it's the boy's actual father in that story verse that is talking.
Now. Are the other two verses a continuing of the story? It works either way for me. That's what I love about this writing style. Electric chair? no mention of it but it could be or it could be that it's just life in prison or it could be that life itself is the prison and that the subject is neither locked up or actually dies on the prison floor. Dying on the prison floor could easily mean the point the subject gives up on his own life, fails to be a prophet or a moyrter and never really makes any impact with his own life.
Which ever way you view it there is one thing in certain, that the wheel of life/time keeps moving and that if you don't do something with your life your life will run out and the wheel will keep rolling on with or without your impact.
The whole concept is really an amazing attempt to get us all thinking and I'm sure Richie Havens was right when he said that it's the greatest song Peter has ever written probably the greatest folk song ever written period.
@Groujo - Thank you so much for so beautifully interpreting this song. I wish you would do more such interpretations - perhaps of some Cat Stevens songs.
@Groujo - Thank you so much for so beautifully interpreting this song. I wish you would do more such interpretations - perhaps of some Cat Stevens songs.
I can't say enough about this song. It's absolutely haunting. It tears my heart out and leaves me shaken. The phrasing and the chord progression is unique and disturbing and lovely. But it is the story that is devastating.
A man of principle, a man of peace and dignity, gives up everything he has to effect change. Like so many have. He dies alone in a jail cell for his principles, without a friend, estranged from family, not appreciated or understood, an "enemy of the people". And ultimately there is no indication his sacrifice matters in the least: the killing continues unabated, he not a martyr for his cause. He was never thanked or supported and he will never know if he made the right decisions.
We can feel certain the man was admirably in the right. The songwriter clearly agrees values this man's principles and courage, even if the 3 speakers in the song do not. We see him as a lonely prophet being cut down by the runaway train of cruelty and ignorance and fear that is our society. Like so many have. But he is never celebrated, never martyred. He is forgotten or reviled. An utterly purposeless tragedy.
He has taken his place on the great mandala. For good or ill. The wheel of time doesn't notice.
And so have the others in the song: the father, the jailer, the ruler, and the people. They take their places beside his. And the wheel rolls on, until they aren't even a memory.
Is change even possible? The wheel metaphor suggest that ultimately it is not. As the second singer says, "He can't do it. He can't change it. It's been going on for 10,000 years." From this perspective, the man is misguided. He threw away his life for a hopeless cause. He's has "lost" and wasted his life.
But knowing the songwriter as we do, this is not the intended message. We know he disagrees with the second singer, because he's been fighting for change his whole life. The losers are really the people who choose to rationalize their own views and refuse to accept the man's message, because they are creating exactly the dystopia they think is unavoidable. Like so many have.
So we are forced to ask: what place will we ourselves take on the wheel? Consciously or not, we all choose our place on the great mandala. We have this brief moment to choose who we will be and what we will stand for. And, we are forced to confront the possibility that all our hopes and efforts will amount to nothing. I find it both excruciating and sublime that even the song refuses to reward the man for his sacrifice. Because the great mandala won't reward you either. The song ends on the disturbing thought that "if you lose you've only wasted your life." It's very ambiguous who the loser is here. And as frustrating as that is, that's exactly as it should be. You must decide for yourself.
I have been performing this song since it first appeared on Album 1700 (arguably the best album PP&M produced) and I must admit I was not sure of its meaning. I should have realised that with Peter Yarrows background that this was indeed the meaning.
I have been performing this song since it first appeared on Album 1700 (arguably the best album PP&M produced) and I must admit I was not sure of its meaning. I should have realised that with Peter Yarrows background that this was indeed the meaning.
Many thanks for your explanation - it now makes a lot of sense and I shall perform it with more understanding. My previous understanding was that it related to someone on death row but I couldn't reconcile all the verses - your explanation makes a lot of sense.
Many thanks for your explanation - it now makes a lot of sense and I shall perform it with more understanding. My previous understanding was that it related to someone on death row but I couldn't reconcile all the verses - your explanation makes a lot of sense.
Yes, Peter Yarrow is still alive and lives here in Austin and also has abodes in California and New York. Groujo comments above are very accurate and if you study Peter's writing very much at all you know he often is telling or protesting several stories and points of protest at the same time. When a member of Peter, Paul and Mary their selections often reflected the same philosophies of story telling. Therefore, the song speaks to me on several levels. Condemns Capitol punishment yes, for sure. War, maybe, but not so much, but taking responsibility for our life . ....
Yes, Peter Yarrow is still alive and lives here in Austin and also has abodes in California and New York. Groujo comments above are very accurate and if you study Peter's writing very much at all you know he often is telling or protesting several stories and points of protest at the same time. When a member of Peter, Paul and Mary their selections often reflected the same philosophies of story telling. Therefore, the song speaks to me on several levels. Condemns Capitol punishment yes, for sure. War, maybe, but not so much, but taking responsibility for our life . . . yes indeed. At first I thought it was an interplay between Father and Son because of the first verse material and because the Richie Havens video with Peter has them in an intercourse of story telling but really it is the Father in the first verse telling the story and unlike what others have said about it might be a preist I for one believe that it's the boy's actual father in that story verse that is talking. Now. Are the other two verses a continuing of the story? It works either way for me. That's what I love about this writing style. Electric chair? no mention of it but it could be or it could be that it's just life in prison or it could be that life itself is the prison and that the subject is neither locked up or actually dies on the prison floor. Dying on the prison floor could easily mean the point the subject gives up on his own life, fails to be a prophet or a moyrter and never really makes any impact with his own life. Which ever way you view it there is one thing in certain, that the wheel of life/time keeps moving and that if you don't do something with your life your life will run out and the wheel will keep rolling on with or without your impact. The whole concept is really an amazing attempt to get us all thinking and I'm sure Richie Havens was right when he said that it's the greatest song Peter has ever written probably the greatest folk song ever written period.
@Groujo Beautiful explanation. Thank you.
@Groujo Beautiful explanation. Thank you.
@Groujo - Thank you so much for so beautifully interpreting this song. I wish you would do more such interpretations - perhaps of some Cat Stevens songs.
@Groujo - Thank you so much for so beautifully interpreting this song. I wish you would do more such interpretations - perhaps of some Cat Stevens songs.
@Groujo Beautiful...
@Groujo Beautiful...