Pete’s Song

[Pete's Song – Pete Seeger sings]
(Pete, speaking:) You working?
(Roger, speaking:) Here we go
There are three things
Most beautiful
In all the world we know
Nay, there are four
So wonderful
For mortals' eyes to behold

A bird on the wing
A snake on a rock
And a man and maid in love
One more thing, yes, one more thing
And a ship under sail
Plowing the waves

We'll never know all the how's and why's
But we know that we're here
And if we believe God gave us gifts
He'd want us to use them now
Today, this year

To build a world where all can share
The big and small, the low and high
We'll never know if we'll succeed
But I believe we must try

[Conversation]
(Roger:) Okay
(Pete:) Any time you want
(R:) You ready?
(P:) Yep

(P:) Oh, okay, yeah. Um, I'm sorry. I hit the wrong chord there. So, um... Maybe I should just lay out. But... No, I'll play along with you. I'll get it right. Okay
(R:) Yeah, play along. Yeah

(R:) Okay
(P:) Any time you want
(R:) You ready?

[In the Evenin' – Roger McGuinn sings]
Well, in the evenin'
In the evenin', mm
Baby, when the sun go down
In the evenin'
Baby, when the sun go down
Ay-ay-ain't it lonesome!
Ain't it lonesome
Ain't it lonesome
When you're not around –
When the sun go down?

When the fun
The fun is all over
And the liquor's all gone dry
Oh, baby you get to thinking
A man is born to die
I-i-in the evenin'!
In the evenin'
In the evenin'
When the sun go down
When the sun go down

Well, the sun rises in the east
Sets down in the west
Sun rises in the east
Sets down in the west
Ay-ay-ay-ain't it hard to tell
Ain't it hard to tell
Hard to tell
Which one will love you the best –
When the sun go down?

Goodbye my friends and relations
I've got to sing that verse again
I'll get back to it
Now let me try it...

Well, goodbye my old sweetheart and pals
I-I-I'm, I'm goin' away
I'll be back to see you all again
Some old rainy day
I-in, in the evenin'
In the evenin'
In the evenin'
When the sun go down
When the sun go down

[Conversation]
(P:) I can fix up that part
(R:) I realize, I'm used to slightly different chords, along with that last line – and they're not logical chords

(Unknown 1:) Wrapped up in a suitcase... It's a computer appointment, which I've never seen. No tapes, no nothing... So that he could go – so that he could go and help be in spirit with the [inaudible]. Which was, upset. So we rented a bus, and took fifty people down. For the weekend. July 1st and 2nd... Hmm? I don't think so – the [inaudible] people are still running that. And I'm not really there, you know? I mean, you know. I'm cooking for two thousand people. Who knows what they're up to. So...

(R:) I sang at an interesting school in New York yesterday
(U1:) Are you ready Roger? Are you ready?
(P:) Mm, almost
(U1:) Okay
(R:) It's, uh, because of the crisis in the New York schools, uh
(Unknown 2:) Mm...
(U1:) There are the chords, and I'll say bye-bye
(R:) They were becoming nothing but jails, uh, with...
(U1:) And keep yourselves well
(U2:) Yeah
(U1:) And happy as you can, and call, okay?
(R:) And, uh, a k-kid couldn't learn anything there
(U2:) Yeah
(R:) So, there they tried various possible solutions
(U1:) I'll have to get under here, and poke this

(R:) Some school, is now called The Renaissance School has five hundred kids. I think? Maybe not that many. Four hundred – from kindergarten to twelfth grade. And they mix them up at various times, purposely. Uh, and the older kids have given this sense that they can help teach the younger ones. But the main thing is – the, is they have a sign saying: "The Renaissance School – Training leaders for the renaissance of New York.'
(U2:) Ah
(R:) No, it's – we're not training you to get – uh – skills, so you can get rich, and move out of New York...
(U1:) Right
(U2:) Yeah
(R:) We're training you to stay here, and, and lead New York
(*Door swings in background.*)
(U2:) Yeah
(R:) And, what is leadership anyway? You know, how do you? Well, you get an idea. And you pass it onto others? Uh, do you try and do it all yourself? Go on
(*Sound of something falling over.*)
(R:) And... It was a tiring morning. I spent four hours, going to about six different classes
(*Pete laughs.*)
(R:) Uh, maybe it was more than that. Little kids here, big kids there. Sometimes mixed up. Sometimes I was talking more than singing. Sometimes I was singing more than talking. But at the end of four hours... I was, I was, I was pretty hoarse...
(P:) Sure, long day...

(Unknown 3:) This is what – R-Roger posts these songs, folk songs on the internet every month. And this is, I – I sent you some of the other ones. But this is 'Dink's Song' he did last month, on the internet. He posted it. See, he tells the story of the song, and then puts the words. And then sings the song...