Turn, Turn, Turn by Pete Seeger (acoustic cover)
 

I have always wanted to do an acoustic cover of "Turn, Turn, Turn" the way the Byrds played this song in 1965 when I was in high school, so today I took the time to record this, including the iconic Byrds harmony -- well, as best as I could do it, anyway. :) The 12-string is a Guild F-512 in standard tuning.

I broke the high G string in the early part of the recording process, so I put on a whole new set of strings. The ones on the guitar were over a year old and really held up very well (coated D'Addario PB). It was time for new strings, though the guitar has a little extra zing now. ;)

In refreshing my memory on how to play this song with Roger McGuinn on YouTube, I noticed that he has his Rickenbacker 12-string tuned about a half step flat. So I may be singing this a tweak higher than the Byrds sang it.

I hope you like this -- thanks for listening! :)

- Glenn

That was awesome Glenn, thanks for sharing!

Hi Bob,

How great to hear from you! I'm glad you thought this came out okay! Thanks for listening and especially for taking the time to comment here in this thread, Bob!

- Glenn

INCREDIBLE! Simply gorgeous Glenn. Not only are your musical skills wonderful, but your recordings and films keep getting better. Bravo.

Thank you for sharing, 1965 I had just become a teenager, this music of my youth has had a wonderful effect in shaping my character. Well done.

Glenn = consummate artist/engineer 👍

Love that song. Great job Glenn.

Mike

Hi Toby!

Well, thank you so much! Toby, you have absolutely made my day! Such high praise from a musician of your skills! Thanks so much just for watching, let alone taking the time to comment and encourage me! I appreciate your support very much!

- Glenn

Hi Skypeace,

Thank you for commenting! And yes, I was 17 in 1965, a junior in high school, and this song had a huge impact on me, as well. I am so glad for modern multi-track recording so that I could actually do something like this. I'm glad you enjoyed this!

- Glenn

Hi Mike,

Thank you! Yes, I love this song, too! When I think of the great music of that era, one of the groups I think of are the Byrds. And when I think of the Byrds, I think of "Turn, Turn, Turn" and "Mr. Tambourine Man."

I very much appreciate your commenting, Mike!

- Glenn

Hi Bob!

Thank you again! I sure appreciate your support over the years here in Show & Tell, Bob!

- Glenn

I'm a big Byrds fan and I love this song.
Most people don't know the lyrics were taken directly from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible.
I like what you do with your vocals and how you finish the notes. A lot of singers don't do that very well.

Hi Jamie,

Thank you for your comments and for your compliments! Much appreciated.

I love this song, too, since I first heard the Byrds' recording back in 1965. I have never felt good about singing this song solo because I love the sound of the harmony so much. So, I am very grateful for today's multi-track recording technology so that I could do this. :)

From Wikipedia:

The lyrics are taken almost verbatim from the book of Ecclesiastes, as found in the King James Version (1611) of the Bible (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), though the sequence of the words was rearranged for the song. Ecclesiastes is traditionally ascribed to King Solomon who would have written it in the 10th century BC, but believed by a significant group of biblical scholars to date much later, up to the third century BC.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The Biblical text posits there being a time and place for all things: laughter and sorrow, healing and killing, war and peace, and so on. The lines are open to myriad interpretations, but Seeger's song presents them as a plea for world peace because of the closing line: "a time for peace, I swear it's not too late." This line and the title phrase "Turn! Turn! Turn!" are the only parts of the lyric written by Seeger himself.

The song is notable for being one of a few instances in popular music in which a large portion of the Bible is set to music, other examples being the Melodians' "Rivers of Babylon", Sister Janet Mead's "The Lord's Prayer", U2's "40", Sinead O'Connor's "Psalm 33" and Cliff Richard's "The Millennium Prayer".
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Thanks again for your comments, Jamie! :)

- Glenn

Great version !!!!! Great job !!!!!!! and what a wonderful guitar, so beatuful !!!

Outstanding cover Glenn! Besides the excellent music, I love what you’re doing with the over-dubs. If I lived close by, I’d ask you to produce my first album. :-)