Lyr Req: Searching for a Pete Seeger song

Subject: Lyr Req: Searching for a Pete Seeger song
From: GUEST,Jester2023
Date: 03 Oct 23 - 04:55 PM

I’m watching the Pete Seeger documentary “A Song and a Stone.” There’s a clip of Pete singing a song, and I can’t find anything about it.

The lyrics featured are:

Here I am, here I am, here I’ll stand
Though I’m told it’s stolen land
Too long, too long I’ve been a rover
The time for stealing is over

Here I am, here I am, here I am
Till I have no more to give
Too long, too long I’ve been a rover
The time for stealing is over

Anyone know what this song is? Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Searching for a Pete Seeger song
From: Helen
Date: 04 Oct 23 - 02:30 AM

Hi Jester2023,

I tried searching for this song.

The nearest I can get is a song called The Wild Rover, which appears to have a vaguely similar idea to the lyrics you posted.

There is a video of him performing it in Melbourne, Australia in 1963: Wild Rover Pete Seeger 5 24 1963

Someone on Mudcat will probably know it, but it would also help if we could get an idea of the tune. Do you know if the video of the documentary available online?

On the funny side, when I did an internet search for some words in the song, i,e, "stolen", "land", "rover" the search returned pages about stolen Land Rovers. How silly of me!! LOL

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Searching for a Pete Seeger song
From: Helen
Date: 04 Oct 23 - 02:40 PM

FreddyHeadey, thanks for finding the song in the video. I had tried using the scan feature (i.e. run the cursor along the play line to see the mini screen images) and listened to it each time he was singing on stage. I now know that I didn't find it because he sang the song while chopping wood. LOL

Just before that on the video, he introduces a song using the words "perpetual hobos" and "exiles"so that might be a clue too.

Thanks cnd for your useful information.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Searching for a Pete Seeger song
From: Helen
Date: 04 Oct 23 - 03:34 PM

A list of Pete Seeger Songs

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Searching for a Pete Seeger song
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 04 Oct 23 - 08:48 AM

Here's the link with a timestamp to the song

https://youtu.be/u0pyjei_c_Y?t=7m48s

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Searching for a Pete Seeger song
From: cnd
Date: 04 Oct 23 - 11:06 AM

I've found a reference to Pete Seeger singing a song with those lines on October 12th, 1969, a concert at Trinity College (source). The lyrics were reported to go "Here I am, here I'll stand, though I'm told it's stolen land. I've been too long a rover The time for stealing is over." According to the report, the song was an "enigmatic, unfinished closing song" to his set.

You can see an image of him performing on page 1 of the weekly edition of The Trinity Tripod (link), while the preceding week's paper noted that the concert ran from 3-5 PM in the Ferris Center (link).

I haven't been able to turn up anything else, but will keep looking. May be worthwhile to find and listen to as many live performances from 1969/1970 as you can to try and find it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Searching for a Pete Seeger song
From: GerryM
Date: 04 Oct 23 - 05:46 AM

The documentary, A Song and a Stone, is here: https://youtu.be/u0pyjei_c_Y?si=AN5BJs0TKzcBhNeM