TAVENNER: Has New York been your headquarters for a considerable period of time? SEEGER: Well, I have worked at many things, and my main profession is a student of American folklore, and I make my living as a banjo picker-sort of damning, in some people’s opinion. TAVENNER: What is your profession or occupation? TAVENNER: When and where were you born, Mr. I would be very glad to tell you my life if you want to hear of it.” I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this. Much of the hearing can be summed up in this reply: “ I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. Pete appealed not to the Fifth Amendment but-as he said in an interview later-to the First: freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly. He was sentenced to 10 concurrent one-year prison terms (for contempt of court) but only served a few hours while his lawyer sorted out the bail. You know who your heroes are, and God help you.Įxcerpts from Pete’s hearing before the Committee follow. One of the last great American heroes, and if you’d like to argue with me on that I shall walk away. If you know its whereabouts, let me know. I know I’ve watched it, but it’s not to be found. I’m trying to find a video of Pete Seeger before the House Un-American Activities Committee in August 1955. Remember me in heaven, the man you hung beside. Goodbye and good luck to you our ways will soon divide. “I wish that a carpenter had made the world instead. “To hell with Jehovah,” to the carpenter I said ”It’s God they ought to crucify instead of you and me,”
With a million angels watching, and they never move a wing. Now Barabbas was a killer, and they let Barabbas go.īut you are being crucified for nothing that I know.Īnd your God is up in Heaven and He doesn’t do a thing It was God that made the Devil, and the woman and the man.Īnd there wouldn’t be an apple if it wasn’t in the plan. You can blame it on the apple, but that I can’t believe. You can blame it on to Adam you can blame it on to Eve.
I said to the carpenter, a-hanging on the tree. “It’s God they ought to crucify instead of you and me,” You can blame it on the Devil, but it’s God that I accuse. You can blame it on to Pilate you can blame it on the Jews. It was on a Friday morning that they took me from the cellĪnd I saw they had a carpenter to crucify as well.