The Great Mandella

 

The decade of the 1960’s were turbulent times in America and the rest of the world.

It was also the time of great music, culminating in the Woodstock music festival in 1969 – and a lot that music is still being played today.

For some reason, those old songs have a habit of creeping into my head for no apparent reason, and today’s “hit parade” was “The Great Mandella” a song that was released by Peter, Paul, and Mary in 1967, and was track #6 on their album titled “Album 1700”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Album_1700

Here are the lyrics:

So I told him that he'd better shut his mouth

And do his job like a man.

And he answered "Listen, Father,

I will never kill another."

He thinks he's better

than his brother that died

What the hell does he think he's doing

To his father who brought him up right?

 

Take your place on The Great Mandala

As it moves through your brief moment of time.

Win or lose now you must choose now

And if you lose you're only losing your life.

 

Tell the jailer not to bother

With his meal of bread and water today.

He is fasting 'til the killing's over

He's a martyr, he thinks he's a prophet.

But he's a coward, he's just playing a game

He can't do it, he can't change it

It's been going on for ten thousand years

 

Tell the people they are safe now

Hunger stopped him, he lies still in his cell.

Death has gagged his accusations

 

We are free now, we can kill now,

We can hate now, now we can end the world

We're not guilty, he was crazy

And it's been going on for ten thousand years!

 

Take your place on The Great Mandala

As it moves through your brief moment of time.

Win or lose now you must choose now

And if you lose you've only wasted your life.

 

A Florida musician named Joseph Hollen has provided a good analysis of the song, which you can read at the link below:

 https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-the-great-mandella-the-wheel-of-life-by-peter-paul-and-mary/

We were fortunate to see Peter, Paul, and Mary in concert at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois a few times in the 1970’s. In addition to popular music groups, Ravinia also had hosted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1936. It originally opened for concerts in 1904.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravinia_Festival

Peter, Paul, and Mary first started performing together in 1961, and performed in public until 2009, the year that Mary succumbed to leukemia.

Peter Yarrow celebrated his 86^th birthday on May 31 of this year – and he is still performing today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Yarrow

Noel Paul Stookey will be 87 in December, and he is also still active. Here some thought that I wrote about him nearly 12 years ago;

https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2012/12/his-name-is-noel.html

Since I work with teenagers most days of the week, I have to admit that I don’t listen to music as often as I used to, and the drive to and from school is normally with the radio off, since I really cherish that brief period of silence on my trips to and from my destinations.

Having said that, though, I’ll have to admit that I still miss the peaceful songs by Peter, Paul, and Mary, a group that brought a respite from some crazy times in our history.