"...a duo that is both a technical marvel and tastefully perfect"
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Bio / Awards
  • Buy Our Music
  • Press
  • Contact Us
  • Photos & Video
  • Album Notes & Lyrics
  • Radio
  • Workshops
  • Lessons
  • Session Work
  • Links
  • 3Muses

Pete Seeger Travels On

2/8/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Pete Seeger since he died. I took some time to wander back through my memories. I visited my childhood, listening to my parents sing “Where Have All the Flowers gone.” The soundtrack of my youth included Peter Paul and Mary’s version of his song “If I had a Hammer.”  At any significant gathering of family or friends my father could be found with his Banjo singing Pete’s version of “Hobo’s Lullaby.” The kids all knew if they were patient they’d get treated to my dad’s rendition of Pete’s story of the giant Abi Yoyo.

Pete once said in an interview “I lost my heart to the old-fashioned five-string banjo played mountain style.” That happened to me when I pulled open one of Pete’s LP’s I’d found in a dusty box somewhere and first heard him play East Virginia. I decided I had to learn the banjo. My dad loaned me his Seeger style long neck banjo and the banjo instruction book (by Pete Seeger) that he had used. It was the one where Pete included a section on cutting the neck on the banjo and whittling a new piece to insert so you could add three frets.

Over the years I’ve watched Pete sing with everyone, and listened to almost everyone singing his songs with him from all over the place. On his banjo he wrote “This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender.”  He felt the boundaries we erect between us could be removed through music. He said “It's a very important thing to learn to talk to people you disagree with.” And he made that possible by giving us songs we could all sing together. He said “I have sung in hobo jungles, and I have sung for the Rockefellers, and I am proud that I have never refused to sing for anybody.”

Pete once said “I feel that my whole life is a contribution.” He lived according to that motto, giving the country he loved, the planet he loved, the human race that he loved, so much. Thinking of all this, I was keenly aware that for all these ways in which Pete had shaped and touched my life, I had never met him in person. That in fact, although Pete was gone from his body, he was still very much present in my life. Inspired by that, I wrote a song in memory of Pete Seeger, and everyone else… because I think Pete would like it that way.  Travel on Pete! And thanks for showing us the way!

Travel On

When I lay my body down
You won’t find me underground
Won’t be singing praises above
I’ll live on through those I love
Hallelujah! When I’m gone 
That’s how I will travel on.
Hallelujah! As I go
Back from the part into the whole.

When I lay my day to rest
I hope I have done my best
To give my heart to those in need
Like others did for me.
Hallelujah! When I’m gone 
That’s how I will travel on.
Hallelujah! As I go
Back from the part into the whole.

When I’ve said my last farewell
Here’s where I’m going to dwell
I will nestle like a dove
In the hearts of those I love. 
Hallelujah! When I’m gone 
That’s how I will travel on.
Hallelujah! Do your part
Hallelujah! As I go
Back from the part into the whole.

When I lay this body down
You won’t find me underground.
Won’t be missing when I’m gone
I’m going to travel on.

©2014 Otter Creek Music LLC, all rights reserved.

Picture
Otter Creek will be performing tomorrow morning at the South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in Salt Lake City. They will lead a sing along of some of Pete Seeger’s songs and will debut their new song “Travel On” written in memory of him (and everyone else). When: Sun Feb 09 14  10:30 AM
Where: South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society , 6876 Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT, 84121, US

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Otter Creek

    Archives

    September 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    June 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    January 2012

    Categories

    All
    Album
    Announcement
    Arranging
    Ashokan Farewell
    Bagpipes
    Banjo
    Benefit Concert
    Bluegrass
    Blues
    Brigham City Fine Arts
    Bronwen Beecher
    Candle
    Car Trouble
    Castle Dale
    Cd Release
    Celtic Music
    Championship Practicing Techniques
    Climate Justice
    Conservation
    Dads
    David Otterstrom
    Doc Watson
    Driving In The Snow
    Earl Scruggs
    Emery County
    Environment
    Farewell To Ireland
    Fayer
    Fiddle
    Fiddling Around
    Folk
    Fundraiser
    Genera
    Genera-bending
    GoldenGateToPlymouthRock
    Golden Gate To Plymouth Rock Tour
    Grieving
    Hard Times
    Hi Diddle Di
    High Lonesome Sound
    Hobo
    Hobos
    Hucc
    Imaginary Practice™
    Kansas
    Kate Macleod
    Letting Go
    Long Necked Banjo
    Loss
    Low Lonesome Sound
    MacNichol Guitars And Mandolins
    Mary Danzig
    Meadow Green
    Mourning
    Music In The City
    National Banjo Championship
    National Mandolin Championship
    Nine Hundred Miles
    Obituary
    Odetta
    Old Joe Clark
    Otter Creek
    Otter Creek 3.0
    Ottermobile
    Peter Danzig
    Pete Seeger
    Petroglyph
    Photo Shoot
    Pictograph
    Practicing Techniques
    Practicing Tips
    Presales
    Raising Kids
    Resonator Guitar
    RIP
    Rosalie Sorrells
    San Rafael Swell
    Shiver Into Spark
    Sister San Rafael
    Sister Wives
    SLCC
    Tagline
    Take The Climb
    The Fiddle Preacher
    The Three Muses
    This Land Was Made For You And Me
    Tim Dechristopher
    Tour Van
    Trains
    Travel On
    Tyler Clementi
    Utah
    Utah Desert
    Utah Slim
    Utah State Instrument Championships
    Viola
    Walnut Valley Festival
    Wendy Lowder
    When It Goes
    Winfield
    Woody Guthrie
    Yard Concert

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.