PETER PAUL AND MARY PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON

youtube music ^ | June 14, 2015 | Peter Paul and Mary

[Morgana]

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee

Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff

And brought him strings, and sealing wax, and other fancy stuff

Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee

Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee

Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail

Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail

Noble kings and princes would bow whenever they came

Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name

Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee

Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee

A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys

Painted wings and giant's rings make way for other toys

One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more

And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain

Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane

Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave

So Puff, that mighty dragon, sadly slipped into his cave

Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee

Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee

[metmom]

There was already a thread on the songwriter.

Why another one?

[metmom]

Yeah, but there’s already a thread on that and this could have been posted there instead of what looks like looking for attention with a *me too* post.

[ArtDodger]

My PPM Story:
I was working at an English school in Tokyo in the 90s, training new teachers and developing material. An instructor in a small northern province suddenly quit so I went up there to plug the slot until a new teacher could be trained. She had left the school in a mess and hadn’t been doing her job well, so I was busy organizing the materials and getting the classes in order. There was a student who hadn’t been coming to class. The notes said he was ‘wild and unkempt’. Unusual for a Japanese kid. Finally, he showed up and peeked in the windows and doors, finally, gliding in through an open window, wary and ready to flee at a moment’s notice. It took 3 months, but I got him into the circle of youngsters and doing homework. Eventually, he even wrote, memorized, and delivered a speech in English at a contest and won an award.
The replacement teacher came, and I went back to Tokyo and my old job at the main office. One day, there was a commotion in the reception area as there was a blustery Yakuza (mafia) type that had come in wanting to talk to me. He introduced himself as the father of the boy that had won the speech contest! He said the boy had really turned himself around and was doing well in school and was staying out of trouble. The father wanted to thank me by giving me 2 front row tickets to see Peter Paul and Mary, who would be performing in Tokyo the following week.
The show was awesome, as you would expect. Later the Yakuza guy took me back to the green room to meet the 3 performers. Come to find out, he was a good and longtime friend of Paul Stookey. They had attended the weddings of each other’s children.
It was a fine memory for me and capped a successful episode in my efforts as a teacher.

[Jamestown1630]

A lot of us remember this song fondly. Maybe Morgana just thought it would be nice to post the song itself.

People post songs here all the time.

[Jamestown1630]

Nice story.

[Jane Long]

Wonderful story.

Thank you for sharing.

What a blessing you were to that students life.

[Skooz]

Saddest song ever.

[Locomotive Breath]

“After the theory that it was about drugs came out the author denied it. And continued to deny it.

The fact that someone sat down and decided all the lyrics were symbolism for drugs does not make that the intent of the composer.”

Well that’s just what he would say now isn’t it? Wink, wink, nod, nod, know what I mean, know what I mean? Maybe that “someone” was the person who wrote it. Snickering while a bunch of innocent kids sang his druggie song.

Even if the song somehow wasn’t originally about smoking pot, he should have been savvy enough to realize that in the drug infused culture of the day it would be “misinterpreted”. Change “Puff”and “Paper” to something else and viola no problem.

Next you’ll try to tell me that H.R. Pufnstuf wasn’t about a psychedelic drug trip.

[Jane Long]

The supposed inspiration ... Bali Hai, Princeville Kauai.... shaped like a dragon laying down ...

[Jamestown1630]

The author of the original poem wrote it in 1959, when he was 19 years old, and based it on a much older poem by Ogden Nash. I very much doubt he wrote it about marijuana, and he denied that whenever asked.

Of course there were songs about drugs. That doesn’t mean that all fanciful lyrics of the time referred to drugs.

[metmom]

There’s still another thread on it.

I liked the song a lot. That’s not the objection.

This could have been added to the existing thread instead of creating a new one.

[Jamestown1630]

I don’t think anyone is worried about bandwidth anymore...

[metmom]

One of them.

I rate that right up there with the *The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald*

[Waverunner]

In a small Japanese city, out on business , taken to dinner and a karaoke bar by my host company, the only song I new in their selection list. I sang it reggae style.

[No name given]

That’s right.

[John Milner]

There is actually a family with the last name “Paper” in the area I grew up. One was a prominent realtor with yard signs commonly seen, so I never found that name particularly odd.

I remember John Lennon laughingly commenting during the composing/recording of I Am the Walrus - words to the affect that “this one will drive them all nuts looking for the hidden meanings.”

[odawg]

“this one will drive them all nuts looking for the hidden meanings.”

Hemingway thought all those people looking for hidden meanings in his writings were wasting their time.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

When I hear or read about Puff,the magic dragon I think of an AC-47 gunship of the Vietnam war.The birds were transfered to the SVAF upon our conclusion of involvement and were captured by the NVA around 75.Shame non are in the states now..

[Ancesthntr]

We had the 45 when I was a kid. My brother played it incessantly, and it got a scratch…

Puff the magic dragon
gic dragon
gic dragon
gic dragon
gic dragon

The worst part was deciding whether to throw something heavy at him, or shut the record player, because each left something important undone.

That STILL goes through my head whenever I hear it …or someone posts about it. Thanks a friggin’ load!

[OldGoatCPO]

You are entirely off base; there is no reference, veiled or otherwise, to drug use, and the poem it is based on was written in 1959. Not during the hippie era. The song uses the poem almost verbatim. Leonard Lipton wrote the poem lamenting the loss of innocence. Only a child could see Puff because only a young boy's imagination could create Hanalee. Yes, it is about little boys and our imagination at play.

The whole drug use angle was a write-up in a paper based on some anonymous hippie reporting the real meaning of the song. Peter, Paul, and Mary, along with Lipton, have denied any references to drugs until their deaths.

I love the song but hate it as well. Knowing the real meaning behind the song is sad. Puff represents innocence lost.

They made a TV movie based on the poem and song. In the poem, Puff finds another playmate and does not die. Innocence never dies. That is how the TV Show ended. There will always be another child.