Activist/Musician Pete Seeger turns 90 on May 3nd.

Rather than write in sentence form I decided to write in verse.

90 90 on May three
Brethren payin' tribute to you from sea to sea
Concerts all around the land
Biggest in Madison Garden NYC
Couldn't get a ticket
To pay tribute Pete
So I did what you did so many times
And write some thoughts on you in rhyme

Grew up in a house
In a suburban land
Your words came through
The hi-fi speakers downstairs
I looked around
But you weren't anywhere!

You see my mother Dorothy
Was kinda a folky
She liked Peter, Paul and Mary and Joan Baez
And she played those records
Over and over again
Where have all the flowers gone was asked
And we shall overcome all this will past
And all those folksingers of that day
Were indebted to you
In an immeasurable way

But there was one that one folky singer
That my mother didn't like
Because of his voice
I heard his songs but not his vocal tone
Until I was in college
And the Dr. Hippie zone
In Dissent in America class he said to me:
"John, you're a singer-songwriter
And you don't listen to Bobby?
Get Freewheelin', 61 and Blonde on Blonde."
And after that I listened to all his songs
But Pete I think we'd all agree
If it wasn't for you
There would have been no Bobby
So thank you, Pete, for giving us
Someone not just for his generation
But for all of us

"I'd cut the cable
If I had an axe"
Famous words at Newport '65
Because you couldn't understand
The words coming from Bob's mouth
So many in the movement
Didn't like the electric guitars
But it's like he said a year before:
"The times, they are-a changin'"

There are many stories and thoughts
I could share about you
But I will only mention two:
Student teachin' at Norristown High
First lesson at 8 AM the day
The towers fell
And all the dust
Enveloped us
Whether or not we lived in Manhattan

Each one of us
To graduate
Had to have a final unit
Mine was called The American Mosaic
It was about music
We listened to songs like John Brown's Body
Only a Pawn
And We Shall Overcome
But the teacher man didn't like it none
But Dr. Kopa musta taken him aside
And said "Mike you offered
To do student teaching this time
So work it out."

He rearranged his curriculum
He wasn't pleased at all
No doubt from anyone
So for the end project
We did The March on Washington!
We did posters and presentations
Of all the people and musicians there
And I still have some of them
Somewhere
We also watched videos of the day
I was there with you in spirit
And for all of those who heard it
People like you who worked so hard
Gave your blood sweet tears and song
Made it possible for me to stand
In that same spot
January 20 of this year
I was there where Dr. King's Dream became clear

Progress doesn't come easy
Progress doesn't come free
But thanks to people like you, Pete Seeger
We have had and have
People who lead

A dissenter
An activist
A musician
A national treasure

Happy 90th birthday
Pete Seeger