PETE SEEGER’S LIFE resembles his song “Abiyoyo,” an African folktale he adapted. It’s the story of a boy and his musician father, whom the town banishes for playing too loudly or too late at night. Then the Giant comes, and the boy defeats him. He doesn’t fight him, exactly. Instead of a stone, he uses a ukulele.
The Giant dances until he’s out of breath and falls down. Then the father whisks him away with his magic wand. The boy’s music saves the town.
Now the town’s elders can’t remember why these great patriots shouldn’t be at the head of the parade.
“Come back, bring your damn ukulele!” And the crowds welcome them and sing a song in their honor.
That Pete Seeger’s father was run out of Berkeley’s music department; that his son would bring his banjo to sing to his inquisitors-one doesn’t need to know these things to decipher the parable. That music could help save a community from fascism or McCarthyism; that it’s one of the forces uniting humanity-this has been Pete Seeger’s belief all along.
“Abiyoyo”
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Last weekend Maggie and I babysat our 3 year old grandson Mickey. I was pleased to see that The above record was near the turntable. I have told him the story and sung the song a few times, just as I told it to his dad, his uncle and many groups of children over the years. Of course his dad and uncle had that record when they were his age.
I started to put the record on and MIckey yelled, “Stop!”
Then he hollered into the kitchen, “Grandma, come on! It’s Abiyoyo!”
We all sat and listened to Pete together.
Next time we’ll listen to The Foolish Frog.