“Well, Well, Well” by Peter, Paul and Mary
(click here to listen)
Well, well, well, who’s that callin’?
Well, well, well, hold my hand
Well, well, well, night is a-fallin’
Spirit is a-movin’ all over this land
Lord told Noah, build him an ark
Build it out of hickory bark
Old ark a-movin’, and the water start to climb
God send a fire, not a flood next time
Well, well, well, who’s that callin’?
Well, well, well, hold my hand
Well, well, well, night is a-fallin’
Spirit is a-movin’ all over this land
God said fire comin’ judgement day
He said all mankind gonna pass away
Brothers and sisters, don’t you know?
You’re gonna reap just what you sow
Well, well, well, who’s that callin’?
Well, well, well, hold my hand
Well, well, well, night is a-fallin’
Spirit is a-movin’ all over this land
World’s not waitin’ for the lord’s command
Buildin’ a fire that’ll sweep the land
Thunder out of heaven, comin’ Gabriel’s call
And the sea’s gonna boil, and the sky’s gonna fall
Who’s that callin’?
Hold my hand
Night is a-fallin’
Spirit is a-movin’ all over this land
Well, well, well
COMMENTS ON PREVIOUS SELECTION – “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
The copyright on this song really belongs to Ecclesiastes (chapter 3, vv.1-8), so Jesus would have known it well. Jesus’ teaching is largely already present in the Hebrew Scriptures, so he is more a ‘genetic’ thinker than an original thinker; that is, he builds upon the ideas of those who have gone before instead of positing something entirely new. This is as it should be when the subject matter is finding the secret of life. The Truth is present in many philosophies and religions, and our understanding is cumulative, unfolding generation after generation. So Jesus repeatedly goes back to his own Scriptures for understanding, and then interprets and expands upon them. In this particular instance, he would sing “Turn! Turn! Turn!” as a song of faith, reassuring his listeners that all is as it should be, and that as the end of the first Genesis creation story says, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” (Gen.1:31)