How can this video be close to expiring? Where are your hearts people?

These folks have been childhood sweethearts to the last three generations (of Americans, at the very least). Give 'em a bit of respect...

No, "Puff, the Magic Dragon" is not about marijuana, or any other type of drug. It is what its writers have always claimed it to be: a song about the innocence of childhood lost.


The poem that formed the basis of the song "Puff, the Magic Dragon" was written in 1959 by Leonard Lipton, a nineteen-year-old Cornell student. Lipton was inspired by an Ogden Nash rhyme about a "Really-O Truly-O Dragon," and, using a dragon as the central figure, he came up with a poem about the end of childhood innocence. Lipton passed his work along to a friend, fellow Cornell student (and folk music enthusiast) Peter Yarrow, who put a melody to the words and wrote additional lyrics to create the song "Puff, the Magic Dragon." After Yarrow teamed up with Mary Travers and Paul Stookey in 1961 to form Peter, Paul & Mary, the trio performed the song in live shows; their 1962 recording of "Puff" reached #2 on the Billboard charts in early 1963.


The 1960s being what they were, however, any song based on oblique or allegorical lyrics was subject to reinterpretation as a "drug song," and so it was with "Puff." (For Peter, Paul & Mary, at least, the revelation that their song was "really" about marijuana came after the song had finished its chart run; other groups were not so fortunate, and accusations of "drug lyrics" caused some radio stations to ban songs such as the Byrds' "Eight Miles High" from their playlists.) "Puff" was an obvious name for a song about smoking pot; little Jackie Paper's surname referred to rolling papers; "autumn mist" was either clouds of marijuana smoke or a drug-induced state; the land of "Hanah Lee" was really the Hawaiian village of Hanalei, known for its particularly potent marijuana plants; and so on. As Peter Yarrow has demonstrated in countless concert performances, any song — even "The Star-Spangled Banner" — can be interpreted as a "drug song."


http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/puff.asp

As a child of the 60's, I remember this as being one of the first songs I learned. I think "Happy birthday" and maybe "Twinkle Twinkle little star" came first. That being said, none of these are, or ever will be on my Ipod.

*livemusic of the audience!

Adding video to channels (Livemusic) - requested by ant.

puff the magic what?

*[edit]

Adding video to channels (Drugs) - requested by Trancecoach.

oh, and *kids

Adding video to channels (Kids) - requested by Trancecoach.

*nochannel

*kids *livemusic *music *vintage

This video has been removed from all channels (Kids, Livemusic, Music, Vintage, Drugs) due to invalid channel assignment - nochannel invoked by Trancecoach. Please review the FAQ to learn about appropriate channel assignments.

Adding video to channels (Kids, Livemusic, Music, Vintage) - requested by Trancecoach.

*promote

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 12:00am PDT - promote requested by lucky760.