Turn! Turn! Turn!

Turn! Turn! Turn! is a song adapted entirely from the the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible (with the exception of the last line) and composed to music by Pete Seeger in the 1950s. Seeger waited until 1962 to record and release it.

The lyrics are taken almost verbatim from the King James version of the Bible (Ecclesiastes 3, verses 1–8).

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

In the closing line: "a time for peace, I swear it's not too late," the latter phrase is the only part of the lyric written by Seeger himself.

Although Pete Seeger was trying to send a message of World Peace, the true meaning behind the verses is about the sovereignty of God. I searched the Internet for a good sermon or reference and found this: http://www.raystedman.org/eccles/3808.html. It is interesting.

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