Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! - Wikipedia Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! This article is about the song. For the Byrds album, see Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! ( album ). For other uses, see Turn, Turn, Turn. `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '', sometimes known as `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! ( To Everything There Is a Season ) '', is a song written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s. The lyrics, except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the final two lines, are adapted word - for - word from the English version of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. The song was originally released in 1962 as `` To Everything There Is a Season '' on folk group the Limeliters ' RCA album Folk Matinee and then some months later on Seeger 's own The Bitter and the Sweet. The song became an international hit in late 1965 when it was adapted by the American folk rock group the Byrds. The single entered the record chart at number 80 on October 23, 1965, before reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 4, 1965. In Canada, it reached number three on Nov. 29, 1965, and also peaking at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. Contents 1 Lyrics and title 2 Renditions 2.1 Early folk versions 2.2 The Byrds ' version 2.3 Other cover versions 3 See also 4 References 5 External links Lyrics and title 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 ''. The song was published in illustrated book form by Simon & Schuster in September 2003, with an accompanying CD which contained both Seeger and the Byrds recordings of the song ( ISBN 978 - 0 - 689 - 85235 - 0 ). Wendy Anderson Halperin created a set of detailed illustrations for each set of opposites which are reminiscent of mandalas. The book also includes the Ecclesiastes text from the King James version of the Bible. Handwritten lyrics to the song were among the documents donated to New York University by the Communist Party USA in March 2007. 45 % of the royalties for the song are donated to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions because, in Seeger 's own words, `` ( in addition to the music ) I did write six words. '' Renditions Early folk versions The song was first released by the folk group the Limeliters on their 1962 album Folk Matinee, under the title `` To Everything There Is a Season ''. The Limeliters ' version predated the release of Seeger 's own version by several months. One of the Limeliter 's backing musicians at this time was Jim McGuinn ( aka Roger McGuinn ), who would later work with folk singer Judy Collins, rearranging the song for her 1963 album, Judy Collins 3. Collins 's recording of the song was retitled as `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! ( to Everything There Is a Season ) '', a title that would be used intermittently by McGuinn 's later band the Byrds, when they recorded the song in 1965. In 1963, Marlene Dietrich recorded `` Für alles kommt die Zeit ( Glaub ', Glaub ), '' Max Colpet 's German translation of the song. Dietrich was backed by Burt Bacharach conducting a studio orchestra, and the song was released as monaural single. Australian folk singer Gary Shearston also recorded a version of the song for his 1964 album Songs of Our Time, with the title `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! ( to Everything There Is a Season ) ''. The Byrds ' version `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' 1965 German picture sleeve Single by The Byrds from the album Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! B - side `` She Do n't Care About Time '' Released October 1, 1965 Format 7 - inch single Recorded September 1, 10, 14 -- 16, 1965, Studio Columbia, Hollywood, California Genre Folk rock, jangle pop Length 3 : 49 Label Columbia Songwriter ( s ) Pete Seeger ( words from the Book of Ecclesiastes ) Producer ( s ) Terry Melcher The Byrds singles chronology `` All I Really Want to Do '' ( 1965 ) `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' ( 1965 ) `` Set You Free This Time '' ( 1965 ) `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' was adapted by the Byrds using a folk rock arrangement. Columbia Records released it as a single on October 1, 1965, with the Gene Clark original composition `` She Do n't Care About Time '' as the B - side. The song is included on the band 's second album, Turn ! Turn ! Turn !, which was released on December 6, 1965. The Byrds ' single is the most successful recorded version of the song, having reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts and number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. The book of Ecclesiastes was written between the 3rd and 10th centuries BC, thus `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' is the number one pop hit with the oldest lyrics. The song had first been arranged by the Byrds ' lead guitarist Jim McGuinn in a chamber - folk style during sessions for Judy Collins ' 1963 album, Judy Collins 3. The idea of reviving the song came to McGuinn during the Byrds ' July 1965 tour of the American Midwest, when his future wife, Dolores, requested the tune on the Byrds ' tour bus. The rendering that McGuinn dutifully played came out sounding not like a folk song but more like a rock / folk hybrid, perfectly in keeping with the Byrds ' status as pioneers of the folk rock genre. McGuinn explained, `` It was a standard folk song by that time, but I played it and it came out rock ' n ' roll because that 's what I was programmed to do like a computer. I could n't do it as it was traditionally. It came out with that samba beat, and we thought it would make a good single. '' The master recording of the song reportedly took 78 takes, spread over five days of recording, to complete. The song 's plea for peace and tolerance struck a nerve with the American record buying public as the Vietnam War escalated. The single also solidified folk rock as a chart trend and, like the band 's previous hits, continued the Byrds ' successful mix of vocal harmony and jangly twelve - string Rickenbacker guitar playing. Pete Seeger expressed his approval of the Byrds ' rendering of the song. During 1965 and 1966, the band performed the song on the television programs Hollywood A Go - Go, Shindig !, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Where the Action Is, as well as in the concert film, The Big T.N.T. Show. Additionally, the song would go on to become a staple of the Byrds ' live concert repertoire, until their final disbandment in 1973. The song was also performed live by a reformed line - up of the Byrds featuring Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and Chris Hillman in January 1989. In addition to its appearance on the Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! album, the song also appears on several Byrds ' compilations, including The Byrds ' Greatest Hits, History of The Byrds, The Original Singles : 1965 -- 1967, Volume 1, The Byrds, 20 Essential Tracks From The Boxed Set : 1965 - 1990, The Very Best of The Byrds, The Essential Byrds and There Is a Season. The recording has been featured in numerous movies and TV shows, including 1983 's Heart Like a Wheel, 1994 's Forrest Gump, and 2002 's In America. Following Joe Cocker 's cover of `` With a Little Help from My Friends '', the song was the first to play on the first episode of the television series The Wonder Years. It was also used in a Wonder Years parody, during The Simpsons episode, `` Three Men and a Comic Book ''. In 2003, it was used in the closing sequence of the Cold Case episode `` A Time to Hate '' ( Season One, episode 7 ) and for the closing credits of episode 3 of Ken Burns ' 2017 documentary The Vietnam War. Other cover versions The song has been covered by many other artists : The Seekers recorded it in 1966 for their Come the Day album. A video was also recorded for the song. Dolly Parton recorded it in 1984 for her The Great Pretender album, and again in 2005 for Those Were the Days ; on Parton 's 2005 recording of the song, she was joined by McGuinn, who played guitar and provided harmony vocals. McGuinn, Parton, Marty Stuart, and Kathy Mattea performed the song together in the 2003 movie Our Country. Norwegian singer Kari Rueslåtten covered the song as `` Turn, Turn, Turn '' and released it as the lead single for her 2015 album To the North. A video was also recorded for the song. McGuinn, Emmylou Harris, and Ricky Skaggs cut a new version for the soundtrack and ending credits of the 2014 film, The Song. See also List of anti-war songs References ^ Jump up to : `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! -- Byrds Version ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 30. Jump up ^ `` King Solomon 's Writings ''. United Church of God : An International Association. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 21. Jump up ^ `` About the Book of Ecclesiastes -- its author, date and purpose ''. Usefulbible.com. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 29. Jump up ^ Cohen, Patricia ( 2007 - 03 - 20 ). `` Communist Party USA Gives Its History to N.Y.U. '' New York Times. Retrieved 2007 - 08 - 02. Jump up ^ Hasson, Nir ( 2009 - 11 - 08 ). `` Pete Seeger 's role in ending Israeli house demolitions ''. Haaretz. Retrieved 2009 - 11 - 08. Jump up ^ `` Folk Matinee review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 05. Jump up ^ Barclay Records # 10 278 AU. Jump up ^ `` Release, Für alles kommt die Zeit ( Glaub ', glaub ' ) ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2014 - 04 - 19. Jump up ^ `` 45.com Record Details, Für alles kommt die Zeit ( Glaub ', glaub ' ) ''. Retrieved 2014 - 04 - 19. Jump up ^ `` Gary Shearston -- Songs of Our Time ''. garyshearston.com. Retrieved 2011 - 12 - 01. ^ Jump up to : Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. pp. 543 -- 545. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel. ( 2008 ). Top Pop Singles 1955 -- 2006. Record Research Inc. p. 130. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 172 - 1. Jump up ^ Brown, Tony. ( 2000 ). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. p. 130. ISBN 0 - 7119 - 7670 - 8. Jump up ^ `` Fun Facts ''. Music Madness. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 05. Jump up ^ Fricke, David. ( 1996 ). Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! ( 1996 CD liner notes ). Jump up ^ Hjort, Christopher. ( 2008 ). So You Want To Be A Rock ' n ' Roll Star : The Byrds Day - By - Day ( 1965 - 1973 ). Jawbone Press. pp. 47 -- 50. ISBN 1 - 906002 - 15 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. p. 128. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. Jump up ^ Hyde, Bob. ( 1987 ). Never Before ( 1989 CD liner notes ). Jump up ^ Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. p. 619. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. Jump up ^ Show 33 -- Revolt of the Fat Angel : American musicians respond to the British invaders. ( Part 1 ) : UNT Digital Library Jump up ^ Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. p. 616. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. Jump up ^ Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. pp. 591 -- 615. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. Jump up ^ `` The Byrds Bootleg CD List ''. Byrds Flyte. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 28. Jump up ^ `` Forrest Gump Soundtrack ''. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 22. Jump up ^ `` In America Soundtrack ''. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 22. Jump up ^ `` In America Soundtrack review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 22. Jump up ^ `` The Wonder Years : Music From Each Episode ''. The Wonder Years fansite. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 22. Jump up ^ `` Mmm... Television : A study of the audience of The Simpsons ''. The Simpsons Archive. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 22. Jump up ^ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross detail their score to Ken Burns ' new Vietnam War documentary. https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/08/trent-reznor-and-atticus-ross-detail-their-score-to-ken-burns-new-vietnam-war-documentary/ Consequence of Sound. 2017 - 08 - 20. Retrieved 2018 - 08 - 07. Jump up ^ `` Our Country - Soundtrack Credits ''. IMDb.com. Retrieved 7 May 2018. Jump up ^ Craig Shelburne ( 2014 - 09 - 17 ). `` '' Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' Returns in New Feature Film ``. Cmtedge.com. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 29. External links Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 King James Version Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Pete Seeger Studio albums American Folk Songs for Children God Bless the Grass Dangerous Songs ! ? Rainbow Race At 89 Pete Remembers Woody Live albums We Shall Overcome Songs `` The Bells of Rhymney '' `` God 's Counting on Me, God 's Counting on You '' `` Gotta Travel On '' `` If I Had a Hammer '' `` If You Miss Me at the Back of the Bus '' `` Little Boxes '' `` My Rainbow Race '' `` Pittsburgh Town '' `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' `` Waist Deep in the Big Muddy `` We Shall Overcome '' `` Where Have All the Flowers Gone ? '' Almanac Singers Songs for John Doe Talking Union Deep Sea Chanteys and Whaling Ballads Sod Buster Ballads Songs of the Lincoln Battalion Dear Mr. President The Weavers The Weavers at Carnegie Hall The Weavers at Carnegie Hall Vol. 2 The Weavers : Was n't That a Time ! Other Precious Friend ( with Arlo Guthrie ) Related Discography People 's Songs Rainbow Quest Sing Out ! Pete Seeger : The Power of Song Hudson River Sloop Clearwater The Great Hudson River Revival We Shall Overcome : The Seeger Sessions Family Toshi Seeger ( wife ) Mika Seeger ( daughter ) Tao Rodríguez - Seeger ( grandson ) Charles Seeger ( father ) Ruth Crawford Seeger ( stepmother ) Mike Seeger ( half - brother ) Peggy Seeger ( half - sister ) Alan Seeger ( uncle ) Ewan MacColl ( brother - in - law ) John Cohen ( brother - in - law ) Kirsty MacColl ( stepniece ) The Byrds Roger McGuinn Gene Clark David Crosby Chris Hillman Michael Clarke Kevin Kelley Gram Parsons Clarence White Gene Parsons John York Skip Battin Studio albums Mr. Tambourine Man Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! Fifth Dimension Younger Than Yesterday The Notorious Byrd Brothers Sweetheart of the Rodeo Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde Ballad of Easy Rider ( Untitled ) Byrdmaniax Farther Along Byrds Live albums ( Untitled ) Live at the Fillmore - February 1969 Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 Compilations The Byrds ' Greatest Hits Preflyte The Byrds ' Greatest Hits Volume II The Best of The Byrds : Greatest Hits, Volume II History of The Byrds The Byrds Play Dylan The Original Singles : 1965 -- 1967, Volume 1 The Original Singles : 1967 -- 1969, Volume 2 Never Before In the Beginning 20 Essential Tracks from the Byrds Box Set ( 1965 - 1990 ) The Very Best of The Byrds The Preflyte Sessions The Essential Byrds Box sets The Byrds There Is a Season Tribute albums Time Between -- A Tribute to The Byrds Singles `` Mr. Tambourine Man '' / `` I Knew I 'd Want You '' `` All I Really Want to Do '' / `` I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better '' `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' / `` She Do n't Care About Time '' `` Set You Free This Time '' `` It Wo n't Be Wrong '' `` Eight Miles High '' / `` Why '' `` 5D ( Fifth Dimension ) '' `` Mr. Spaceman '' `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' `` My Back Pages '' `` Have You Seen Her Face '' `` Lady Friend '' / `` Old John Robertson '' `` Goin ' Back '' `` You Ai n't Goin ' Nowhere '' `` Lay Lady Lay '' `` Was n't Born to Follow '' `` Ballad of Easy Rider '' `` Jesus Is Just Alright '' / `` It 's All Over Now, Baby Blue '' `` Chestnut Mare '' `` Full Circle '' Other notable songs `` You Showed Me '' `` Spanish Harlem Incident '' `` Here Without You '' `` The Bells of Rhymney '' `` Chimes of Freedom '' `` Lay Down Your Weary Tune '' `` He Was a Friend of Mine '' `` The World Turns All Around Her '' `` If You 're Gone '' `` The Times They Are a-Changin ' '' `` Triad '' `` Hickory Wind '' `` Nothing Was Delivered '' Associated people Bob Dylan Jimmi Seiter John Guerin Terry Melcher Gary Usher Jacques Levy Kim Fowley Derek Taylor Johnny Rogan See also : Discography Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Turn!_Turn!_Turn!&oldid=854623543 '' Categories : Pete Seeger songs Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles 1962 songs 1965 singles Judy Collins songs The Byrds songs Jan and Dean songs Dolly Parton songs Jim Witter songs Nina Simone songs Anti-war songs Songs written by Pete Seeger Music based on the Bible Columbia Records singles Song recordings produced by Terry Melcher Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from January 2014 Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Brezhoneg Čeština Deutsch Español Français Italiano עברית Latina Nederlands Norsk nynorsk Português Suomi Svenska ไทย 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 12 August 2018, at 17 : 58 ( UTC ). 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Question: who wrote the byrds song turn turn turn
Answer: Pete Seeger