Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) by The Byrds Lyrics Meaning – Unveiling Time’s Symphony
Lyrics
Music-Pete Seeger
To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven
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
To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven
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 rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late
In the annals of music history, there are songs that transcend the era of their creation to become timeless anthems, echoing the universal truths of the human experience. ‘Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)’ by The Byrds is one such track that takes listeners on a profound journey through the cyclical nature of life, embedding within its chords and lyrics a message as relevant now as it was upon its release over half a century ago.
Built upon the age-old wisdom of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes and set to music by folk legend Pete Seeger, ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ was masterfully rearranged by The Byrds to harmonize the folk-rock soundwave of the 1960s. This piece explores the depth and beauty hidden in the simple yet profound lyrics of the song, seeking out the threads of meaning that tie the human experience across time and space.
Riding the Timeless Tides of Change
Change – it is the only constant, and ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ serves as an anthem acknowledging this perpetual flux. Each verse, a poetic couplet, narrates the duality of existence. Life and death, planting and reaping, weeping and laughing – these are the oscillations that define our journey. The Byrds took this notion and crafted a melody that supports the weight of these transitions, a melody that soars as it contemplates the dance of life.
With their signature jangly 12-string guitars, The Byrds achieved more than just a hit record; they captured the spirit of the age, an era calling for change. As much as it is about the turns life takes, the song is also a mirror reflecting the cultural revolutions of the 1960s, carrying whispers of the civil rights movement, the anti-war protests, and the burgeoning counterculture.
A Time to Heal: The Song’s Hidden Meaning
While the lyrics, adapted from scripture, are explicit in their embrace of life’s seasons, there remains a layer of hidden meaning that The Byrds infused into ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ – a call to action for peace and understanding. Amidst the turmoil of its times, the song became an anthem of reconciliation, gently nudging its listeners towards empathy and the healing of a nation divided.
In one of the song’s most resonant messages, ‘A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late,’ there lies an evergreen call to all who hear it. It is a reminder that, despite the apparent tumult of the present moment, there is always an opportunity for peace; always a chance to reverse the tides of hate and war that too often overwhelm the shores of humanity.
Harmonic Archetypes: Celebrating Human Connection
The masterstroke of The Byrds was to take an ancient text and make it sing anew. The reasons for its enduring resonance are manifold, but perhaps most poignant is the recognition of shared humanity. ‘A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together,’ this line unfurls a tapestry of community and solitude, asking listeners to consider the moments of togetherness and separation that punctuate their lives.
Contrasts between building up and breaking down, moments of embrace and distancing, tap into our collective unconscious. These are not merely actions but archetypal experiences that unite everyone. In a time when sociopolitical forces often emphasize disconnection, ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ speaks to the connective tissue of society, celebrating those times when we come together to build something greater than ourselves.
The Echoes of ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ in Modern Times
It’s a testament to the song’s power that its messages continue to resonate in contemporary culture. Whether it’s the inevitable transformations of the digital age or the social and political upheavals that dominate headlines, ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ seems to provide a soundtrack to both personal and global metamorphoses. The same questions and challenges presented in the lyrics are faced by new generations, seeking balance and understanding in a rapidly changing world.
The Byrds reminded their listeners that there is ‘a time to every purpose, under Heaven.’ This recognition, that all experiences serve a purpose in the grand design, offers a form of solace and perspective. It’s an invitation to embrace the moment, whatever it may bring, while also understanding that it’s merely a part of a larger, cyclical narrative of existence.
Memorable Lines That Capture the Collective Soul
Certain lyrics from ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ have embedded themselves into the cultural consciousness, perhaps none more than the title phrase itself. The repetition of ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ echoes the inexorable passage of time, the rotational essence of life’s experiences. But one other line, ‘A time to be born, a time to die,’ is equally indelible, for it exposes the alpha and omega of our existence with disarming simplicity.
The song’s framing of such stark realities alongside everyday opposites—sowing and reaping, laughing and weeping—serves as a poetic affirmation of life’s complexity and the beauty found within it. They’re not just lyrics; these are statements of fact and emotion, which capture the essence of being and encapsulate the universal journey we all travel. In these lines, The Byrds caught that ineffable quality of music’s power to speak through time, connecting us not only to the past and future but to each other as well.
