When cycicism became the fashion

You're probably going to think I'm writing this because I'm old. There may be some truth to that.

I'm watching a Pete Seeger concert recorded in Melbourne in 1963. I will point out that I was only 8 years old at the time this recording was made.

My father was a folk music fan. We used to sit around the kitchen table after dinner and sing folk songs while Dad played guitar. Naturally I grew up being a 'folkie' too. Of course I went through my rebellious phase with rock and roll and all things 'cool' but every few years my life would return to the purity and simplicity of the single guitar or banjo, the simple song that stood the test of time.

In this concert, Pete is playing all the old ones. He even does 'Kumbyah' Cue disdain. Except Pete is doing it and telling the story of the song's history from Angola and encouraging the audience to sing along. Cue more disdain. Except they DO sing along. And the swell of a thousand voices from 40 years ago rings with sincerity and warmth. Pete sings 'Ain't Gonna Study War No More' and the place roars with harmony and passion. He says 'Let's sing it so loud the generals all over the world can hear it!' and, by God, they try for Pete.

Pete is still here. He's 90 but still plays and still creates hope and peace and a swelling of the heart, a determination that we CAN do better. Mary Travers from Peter, Paul and Mary left us last week.

Sometime over the last few decades, hope and determination for a better world went out of fashion. It's become 'cool' to despair, 'cool' to deprecate, 'cool' to wallow in negativity. We're oh so clever. We've given up. We share snide grins at the few naive who still think music can grow out of a people and unite them in yearning.

Not me, I'm still singing 'Kumbyah'.

Peter, Paul and Mary

The three of them stood on a stage
Two guitars
Sometimes a bass player
And harmonies that would weave in and out of magic
An alchemy of voices
Singing strong
Singing what was true
Singing for civil rights before it was comfortable
Taking Dylan to the mainstream
Where he could detonate in people's minds
Talking, marching, singing, playing
With a mix of passion and professionalism rarely matched

Mary's gone
But the music still sounds across the years
If I had a song
I'd sing it in the morning
I'd sing it in the evening all over this land

Justice, freedom, love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land
All over every land