I started singing Pete Seeger’s songs from the age of 16 – songs like If I Had a Hammer, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, & Little Boxes (made of ticky-tacky).
In the 50’s as a member of the Weavers he was blacklisted during the McCarthy era because he refused to name his friends and associates. His response was to ceaselessly tour the universities, where he helped to launch the folk movement of the 60s. He became the older statesman of US folk music encouraging the young Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Joan Baez – all early heroes of mine.
In 1994 he said “The key to the future of the world, is finding the optimistic stories and letting them be known.” – something that has inspired me a lot.
He sang of the civil rights movement, justice for all people, against the Vietnam war, and for cleaning up the Hudson River. And in 2011 aged 92 he was still marching with Occupy Wall Street.
This song is one of my favourites, and nicely captures the idea that everything in this world is connected: Somos El Barco, We Are The Boat.
Here it is sung by Pete along with other great singers, all of whom have shaped my ideals of solidarity and justice: Arlo Guthrie, Holly Near & Ronnie Gilbert.
Chorus: Somos el barco, somos el mar Yo navego en ti, tu navegas en mi We are the boat, we are the sea, I sail in you, you sail in me
The stream sings it to the river, the river sings it to the sea The sea sings it to the boat that carries you and me
Chorus
The boat we are sailing in was built by many hands The sea we are sailing on, it touches every land
Chorus
So with our hopes we set the sails, and face the winds once more And with our hearts we chart the course never sailed before
Chorus
The voyage has been long and hard, and yet we're sailing still With a song to help us pull together, if we only will
Chorus
Lyrics by Lorre Wyatt