To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven
Farewell David. Crosby's passing brings back memories of the song Turn, Turn, Turn, a number one hit in 1965 when he was a member of the Byrds. It was written by Pete Seeger who took it from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, in the Bible. We sang it with a sense of urgency as American troops were arriving in Vietnam, we were burning our draft cards, black activists were overcoming fire hoses and police dogs, and President Johnson was promoting civil rights reforms. We pressed the nation to “turn, turn, turn” and accept that change is inevitable, life is a cycle, and to everything there is a season. The song is an emblem of the era, though its words of wisdom are timeless.
A time to build up, a time to break down A time to dance, a time to mourn A time to cast away stones A time to gather stones together To everything turn, turn, turn There is a season turn, turn, turn And a time to every purpose under Heaven A time of love, a time of hate A time of war, a time of peace A time you may embrace A time to refrain from embracing To everything turn, turn, turn There is a season turn, turn, turn And a time to every purpose under Heaven A time to gain, a time to lose A time to rain, a time of sow A time for love, a time for hate A time for peace, I swear it's not too late