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Pete Seeger composed this folk song in 1955, drawing inspiration from a traditional Cossack folk song and incorporating an Irish melody. The initial three verses were published in Sing Out! magazine, with Joe Hickerson expanding it with additional verses in May 1960, transforming it into a circular composition. The song gained recognition as a significant political work, appearing on the New Statesman's list of top political songs in 2010.
Lyrics ↗What the lyrics are about
The song employs rhetorical questioning and reflects on mortality, situating itself within the ubi sunt literary tradition.