Music in Our Schools Month: Vocabulary from the Lyrics of Pete Seeger

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!
-"Turn,Turn, Turn"

The Sergeant said, "Sir, are you sure,
This is the best way back to the base?"
"Sergeant, go on! I forded this river
'Bout a mile above this place.
It'll be a little soggy but just keep slogging.
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were—waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.
-"Waist Deep in the Big Muddy"

The Sergeant said, "Sir, are you sure,
This is the best way back to the base?"
"Sergeant, go on! I forded this river
'Bout a mile above this place.
It'll be a little soggy but just keep slogging.
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were—waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.
-"Waist Deep in the Big Muddy"

When I found tarnish on some of my brightest dreams
When some folks I trusted turned out not quite what they seemed
Then I got to start the job of separating false from true
Then once more I know, I know I need the love of you
-"False from True"

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
-"Turn, Turn, Turn"

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same
When a wise man and a wise guy are very different?
To overlook something and to oversee something are very different,
But quite a lot and quite a few are the same.
How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English is cuh-ray-zee!
-"English is cuh-ray-zee!"

You have to marvel at the lunacy of a language in which your house can burn down
While it is burning up. You fill out a form by filling it in.
In which your alarm clock goes off by going on.
If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of progress?
-"English is cuh-ray-zee!"

I never was one to try and shirk,
And let the other fellow do all the work,
So when the time comes, I’ll be on hand,
And make good use of these two hands.
Quit playing this banjo around with the boys,
And exchange it for something that makes more noise.
-"Dear Mr. President"

I bet this tank will look mighty fine,
Punching holes in Mr. Hitler’s line,
And if Adolf wakes up after the raid,
He’ll find every piece of shrapnel says “Union made.”
-"Deliver the Goods"

When we entered the storage yard down on the bay
We saw the loading ramp and the bombs
Little did we know the consternation we’d be causing
For the folks who’d rather not discuss Napalm.
-"The Housewife Terrorists"

Old age is golden so I’ve heard said
But sometimes I wonder as I crawl into bed
With my ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup
My eyes on the table until I wake up.
As sleep dims my vision I say to myself:
Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?
But though nations are warring and business is vexed
I’ll stick around to see what happens next.
-"Get Up and Go"

“If we’d only stick together, we’d not be here!
“If we could learn to love each other’s lives, we’d not be sitting here!
“And if only this we could believe,
“We still might, we still might be reprieved.”
-"Walking Down Death Row"