Peter, Paul & Mary - Puff The Magic Dragon (REACTION) WRITER REACTS - First Time Hearing It

[@thomasgriffiths6758]

Peter Paul and Mary's 1963 hit “Puff the Magic Dragon” was banned for its alleged references to drug use, when it was really about the loss of innocence and a child-like imagination of an imaginary friend.

[@SaeedReacts.]

I could see why the title on it's could be seen that way, but once you listen to the song it's clear it is about the loss of that childhood innocence. Really great song!

[@timithius]

Thank-you for that clarification! I'm 66, and I always thought this was about drugs. Not at 5, when this came out, but in my teen years and since. 🙂 Kind of like "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds".

[@wulfgold]

Which *could be* a pretty good metaphor for use. I dig that songs can take on a life of their own I DO very much agree - you're right, but it's also transcended that in ways.

[@threekidzmom04]

@@SaeedReacts.in 1963 drugs were not a problem Like it was in the late 60’s. I was born in 1956 and grew up with this song. We all over it. Great reaction. ❤

[@kennydixson7851]

@@SaeedReacts.😂 Meet the Parents Robert Deniro made reference to this song being about smoking weed. Classic.

[@debrakron9049]

All these years later, this song still brings a tear to my eye!

[@lindalou6105]

Me too

[@robertbunker817]

My mom would sing this to me as she would tuck me into bed at night. Puff holds a very special place in my heart

[@SaeedReacts.]

That is beautiful!

[@trudywolfe2795]

This song makes me smile and cry at the same time. ❤❤❤❤

[@angelado3]

for sure !!

[@deborahvernarelli6394]

This was folk music at its finest. They were truly loved, and they interacted with the audience like they were extended family. We lost Mary several years ago, and we just lost Peter on January 6th of this year. He was 86. He wrote this song. Paul is 87 and still with us. Mary passed in 2009. Thank you, my friend for reacting to this timeless classic.😊❤

[@dagmar.6954]

Love this trio. They were an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961. "Puff, the Magic Dragon" was released in 1963. Despite rumors that the song refers to drugs, it is actually about the lost innocence of childhood. They had a lot of great hits such as "Lemon Tree", "500 Miles", "If I Had A Hammer", "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "Leaving On A Jet Plane", "Day Is Done". They recorded quite a few of Bob Dylan's songs such as "Blowin' In The Wind", "The Times They Are a-Changin'", "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", "When The Ship Comes In".

[@JeanetteFaith]

They also did John Denvers' "Leaving on a Jet Plane".John Denver wanted to be part of their group, but he did okay alone.

[@SaeedReacts.]

@@dagmar.6954 Thanks so much for taking the time to share this! Looking forward to more of their music.

[@brucefrank5556]

Peter was the lead on this song. Paul is the tall guy in the middle. Unfortunately, Peter passed just weeks ago.

[@SaeedReacts.]

Sad to hear abour his passing.

[@MaggieLarocque]

You have become my go-to to hear reactions to music - much of it from my youth.

[@joannerichards1750]

Peter Yarrow (on right), Paul Stookey (center), Mary Travers (on left). RIP, Peter Yarrow d. Jan.7, 2025, age 86.

[@jasonsteuer2237]

Yes was very upset my childhood favorites slowly fading, but at least we had them !!!!!

[@ordiekelleher2641]

My childhood!❤😊❤

[@AP-gb3eh]

It made me cry as a child and it still brings tears to my eyes. Wonderful song. Like so many songs back then people would swear the references were all drugs and all but it’s always been lovely to me

[@MaggieLarocque]

...because they were stupid and refused to learn anything.

[@threekidzmom04]

Paul Stookey's The Wedding Song was sung as I walked down the aisle to get married in 1979. ❤❤

[@angelado3]

oh geeeeh This one always makes me cry for some reason, every time

[@xJRx77]

Hearing this always brings me to tears. My Mom would sing this to me at bedtime when I was small. So speical

[@sharonpeterson5415]

When I was little, they played this song on Captain Kangaroo, with drawings while the song played. At the end, when they sang the chorus nice and loud, the picture showed another little boy coming to the entrance of the cave. I loved that. Puff had a new friend.

[@MaggieLarocque]

How nice. I watched Captain Kangaroo somewhat haphazardly so missed this.

[@Mulavi]

The second commercial of the Captain Kangaroo show was our cue to go out the door and start walking to school. I remember Puff on Captain Kangaroo.

[@flippinpages6550]

My tale is that when I was a kid of 12 a boy in our town had leukemia and many of us kids went out to collect money for The Danny Thomas Foundation that helped families of kids who were sick. Now Saint Jude Hospital. Anyway, he put on a concert for the kids that collected money and Peter, Paul and Mary were the band. Smallish venue like in the video. San Francisco event around 1963. The young boy did die about a year later. I got to sing the song along with the audience. Old memories.

[@trudywolfe2795]

What a sweet memory for you. Thats wonderful. ❤❤❤❤

[@sandralorenz1796]

The fact that teenage boys would admit they knew this song and sang along is amazing.

[@scottdebruyn7038]

I'm 65 (soon 66) and remember singing this song at the top of my voice, over and over when I was just a little guy! Little did I know of its double entendre... 😼😏

[@MaggieLarocque]

THERE IS NO DOUBLE ENTENDRE EXCEPT IN THE MINDS OF THOSE WHO SEE EVIL EVERYWHERE.

[@scottdebruyn7038]

@@MaggieLarocque I didn't see "evil". Did you see it in the double entendre? It just exists and was surprised when I saw it in a beloved song of my childhood... And I still love it! 😏😁

[@KevinRCarr]

This song hit the radio airwaves when I was about 5-6 years old. I didn't really understand all of the words at the time, but I was enchanted every time I heard it, and sad at the end for reasons I wasn't sure about. The song has never left me. Even now, watching you listen to it for the first time, I tear up and choke up, with a big silly grin on my face. Happens every time I listen to it still, six decades later.

[@sonjarussell7332]

❤ Love this song, but it always made me cry. I felt so sorry for Puff. 😢 Please do their “Wedding Song” soon! Another beautiful song. I’ve met Peter. His wife was from the town I grew up in (her father was our family doctor). They had a lake cabin in the area and visited often. I worked in the local bookstore and when his book came out he just stopped in and did an unscheduled signing!

[@leeyaferguson9019]

It's a sweet story, I still cry. Sence a little girl 😪. Innocence.

[@TerryStrain-f1y]

I was 8 in 1963 and distinctly remember when this song came out, never forgot it either....

[@MarkMcLT]

I just learned that Peter Yarrow died just a couple of weeks ago. Sadly only Paul Stookey remains.

[@ed.z.]

You have been awarded points for the witty jokes and play -on words.

[@markoneil2055]

Mary was just the sweetest most beautiful singer of this time. I saw this trio when Mary was ill but still sang like an angel.

[@franchk8372]

I just loved this song, ''Puff the Magic Dragon," when I was a kid of 8 or 9. It fed into my childhood imagination in the most lovely way about this dragon, childhood fantasies and growing up. 💙🕊☮

[@canadian1677]

This Iconic Children's Song reminds me of my childhood and those of my now Adult Children

[@firedoc5]

My late father's favorite group. He met Mary when they came to his college where he was a student advisor, and he gave her a tour of the campus. We probably had every album and record they put out, which we still have boxed up somewhere.

[@achebwahs1111]

I haven't heard this since I was a kid in the late 70's. It was still getting occasional airplay then and I remember being totally enamoured by it. As it turned out I'm a music lover, but have always had a little added something for music/songs that have an air of melancholy about them.

[@maryhampton8686]

Makes me cry every time. Thanks for the reaction

[@lorriredmon8212]

This brought a smile to my face when I saw you were doing this, then a tear as I re-lived this through my childlike ears. Thank you so much and for the patreon who brought it to you. I believe in Puff too! Forever..

[@MarkMcLT]

This is one of my very earliest musical memories...very special. Thanks for reacting to it.

[@darleendionne6403]

One of my all time favourites. We used to sing it during family sing-a-longs.

[@kathleenmathias9134]

For a little background reference, the manager of this group is the infamous Albert Grossman, who also managed Odetta, and another “folk” artists. Early 1960s. He also became the manager of Bob Dylan and nearly did him in with the grueling touring schedule, especially the 1965/66 world tour where he “went electric” with a backing group that would later become The Band. After that tour, Dylan retreated to Woodstock, where he was in the motorcycle accident and stopped touring. He kept the band on a generous retainer and suggested they move to Woodstock where they could live and practice and develop their own futures. Hence the Basement Tapes (1967/68) and their own recording contract, “Music from Big Pink,” which required them to create a name. They chose The Band, as that was how the locals referred to them. They were also initially managed by Albert Grossman, who also lived in Woodstock with his wife, Sally, who was best friends with Dylan’s wife Sara. Grossman promoted the Woodstock festival, 1969. The pieces are all interwoven into music history.

[@SaeedReacts.]

Thank you for sharing this!

[@janhoadley3110]

As a kid I BAWLED at this song!.😊 my mom didn't want it played! This one & The Unicorn got me 😆

[@thomastimlin1724]

Peter Yarrow just passed away January 7, 2025 (age 86 years).He is the writer and the lead singer here. Saw P, P, and M in conert in 1986, they were older than here, but they were marvelous, had an upright bass player with them. Imagine 5,000 people singing this together, note a dry eye in the house, adults singing the song they knew so well as kids. and their kids and grandchildren songing it too. This was the first real big hit song for kids, 1963. Any reference to maijuana is pure Bull. Anyone who believes that rumor is a low class jerk.

[@johnmoreland6089]

Great reaction! So glad you understood it was about the loss of childhood innocence and not drugs. Great trio. You can't go wrong with any of their songs.

[@davidvsr]

Born in 1970, I grew up hearing this many times. What a joyous song for a child to hear. Talk about sparking your imagination!! Haven't heard this in years, and it instantly brought me back. Thanks for the ride.

[@markzimmerman2057]

Paul Stookey's The Wedding Song is a must hear.

[@catlady1956]

was a little kid when this came out. Love it

[@DolaPrice]

I always loved this song. My mother would play it while I was down for a nap. I felt so bad for Puff. I wanted to be his friend. I could have used a magic dragon for a friend!

[@patcurrie9888]

I remember singing this one in grade school, 3rd or 4th grade in music class. I was a modest hit of a simpler time.

[@lozbailey9322]

Peter is the shorter of the 2. The other one is Noel Paul Stookey and he is the only surviving member of the group. Peter passed 7th January this year. I was a huge fan of theirs growing up in the 60’s and had the privilege of meeting Mary and Peter after one of their concerts. Such lovely people. These days I work with small groups of children 4 - 7 years old and I am constantly surprised that children these days have never heard this song.

[@Dee-JayW]

This was such a beautiful song of childhood innocence, we loved it as children! All that childhood imagination captured in one song! Sad when Jackie Paper outgrew Puff 😢 And no, it has nothing to do with drugs at all. Terrible rumour. They have a massive catalogue of hits, gorgeous group! Thank you from 🇨🇦 ❤❤

[@dedehe7582]

Thank you for this , it reminds me of a much simpler time, brought tears to my eyes.

[@elliedogify]

Their "The great Mandella" is the greatest conscientious objector song ever written.

[@jmiltier-pu9dd]

Peter Yarrow does a beautiful song, "Wedding Song (There Is Love)"

[@FloLvsDogs]

'Adulthood ...worst invention ever.' Oh boy, that's a keeper LOL Thanks for the chuckle. Great reaction as usual.

[@tomtortolani8082]

Sadly, Peter passed away a few weeks ago, but the music of Peter, Paul and Mary lives on thanks to reactions channels like yours. "If I had a Hammer" and "Blowing in the Wind" are great next choices.

[@louisegallaway8271]

Love your reaction! My son and I both read a fabulous series about dragons...Eragon. Can never have too many dragons!

[@lovesmusic0845]

If you can find Peter talking about people trying to interpret this song, you will get a good laugh.

[@bobdelp2023]

SO THEY HAD SEVERAL GREAT COVER SONGS SAEED 😊BLOWIN IN THE WIND, IF I HAD A HAMMER, WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE, WELL THERE'S 3 ANYWAY! 👍R.I.P TO MARY AND PETER☹WHO APPARENTLY JUST PASSED ON RECENTLY

[@SaeedReacts.]

Where Have All the Flowers Gone is incredible! Definitely want to explore more. Sad to hear about his passing Thanks for watching and the recommendations!

[@annaandgary1]

In the mid-80s I was on a long road trip (16 hr) with my 3 yr old niece. This was the only song that she would listen to on the cassette player 😊 As you can imagine it was a long trip for me and her older siblings, we tried everything to get her to listen to something else but no success. It is such a legend in our family that it even came up at her wedding 😊 Great memories ❤️

[@BrownMBA]

I can't listen to this song without crying. If it comes on while I'm getting ready for work, I have to turn it off or I'll have mascara running down my face. lol 😭

[@bazkeen]

A true classic of the 60. But just as good now as it was back then

[@bob2shred894]

I must of watched the show a million times as a kid!

[@MaggieLarocque]

What show?

[@lindalou6105]

Loved this as a kid

[@cshubs]

I was a child in the 70s, and mom used to play this for me whenever I asked.

[@kathybwell]

Peter Paul and Mary put out a children’s album, Peter, Paul, and mommy. It had this song along with others like marvelous toy And going to the zoo. Had that album as a child, loved it!

[@deepbluehue3]

It's a great stepping stone ; this song to speak to a child on loss of someone / grief . Was thinking puff shows symptoms of deep depression as well ... Somebody reach out to that dragon !

[@cog4life]

😂 haven’t heard this since the last time I watched Meet the Parents 😅

[@daveking9393]

I have fond memories of going to my grandparents house and them having a children's book called Puff the magic dragon which told the tale in pictures and story with these words...

[@StevenMichals0812]

I always liked their song "I Dig Rock and Roll Music."

[@michaelbeckwith6177]

Peter Yarrow who wrote "Puff" has said any drug references are coincidental sort of like John Lennon saying "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" was about a drawing his son showed him but the lyrics are pure psychedelia!

[@MaggieLarocque]

...and I am one of those who see drugs everywhere because I am uneducated and believe my stupid government about it all.

[@Susan-w2u1j]

Thank you again Alan, I have wanted to see Saeed react to this. Another great song to enjoy again.

[@crazyjohn6130]

Awesome song. Now I fell old I'm older than your mom, if you like story songs try return to phoo corner by kenny loggins

[@daveking9393]

I grew up with their album 10 years together which is the greatest hits LP. I think I've listened to it at least a thousand times I'm not joking it's just something I grew up on as a kid and continue to listen to as an adult...

[@RalphSpoiledsport]

It looks like they had a rough start to this but got a hold of it pretty quickly. Probably a live broadcast. Wonderful video.

[@beckiramsey9561]

I only knew the cartoon a dragon called Puff. I never knew this was originally by them and that there was controversy surrounding the song about a drug meaning!! I guess I can see it and from the time it originated. But I did no know that, just knew the cartoon, I was born in 1968. Great reaction Saeed!!❤❤❤

[@debbers]

Hey Saeed!

[@SaeedReacts.]

Hey Deb! Thanks for watching and i wish you a great weekend!

[@debbers]

@@SaeedReacts. The same right backatcha'! Thank you for the reply!

[@debbers]

Thank you for the heart, I appreciate it!

[@debbers]

Yet another heart, you really are spoiling me! Thank you so much, I appreciate every single one of them!

[@Imhim690]

Rip Peter yarrow❤

[@astral_black]

Also- Puff the Magic Dragon is a 30-minute animated television special based on the song of the same name made notable by Peter, Paul and Mary. First aired October 30, 1978, on CBS and produced by Fred Wolf Films, it features Burgess Meredith as the voice the title character. The special was followed by two sequels: Puff the Magic Dragon in the Land of the Living Lies (1979) and Puff and the Incredible Mr. Nobody (1982).

[@larrywright6214]

Ok, now you need to do “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly….”

[@susansokoloski2233]

Next try Linda Ronstadt...maybe begin with Blue Bayou, but a warning... Linda is so brilliant and versatile that she becomes a very deep rabbit hole you will never want to crawl out of.

[@kweile4339]

Cool! We are getting our Folk on today!

[@SaeedReacts.]

Such a great song! And more folk coming later, although from Australia.

[@doriwiljt]

I've loved this song since childhood. I always well up 🥹. Theres an animated cartoon to this too

[@ColleenCarr-l9w]

Lovely, tender song…..the old stuff is generally the best….

[@kathleenshaw838]

I got to see them twice between 1963 and 1966 in my home town. Mary was quite pregnant at the second performance we saw. We were lucky enough to see Bob Dylan and James Brown during those years, both great performers with their own, very different styles. But no one could match Peter, Paul, and Mary in concert. They had a way of involving the audience that I have never seen. Not just having people sing along; they had the ability to engage with the audience that made it feel like friends getting together.

[@JeanetteFaith]

"500 Miles" is my favorite song they did. John Denver wanted to be part of their group. They said No, but did his song "Leaving on a Jet Plane."

[@michaelearly8097]

I was 9 years old when this was filmed. This was children’s song, I was at that age when I acted too old to like kids songs. I am 68 now and would like to say I loved that song. Four years later I was getting in trouble for playing The Lemon Song by Led Zeppelin. My Dad made me take the album back to the store. Still have that album.😎

[@threekidzmom04]

Children (little boys) grow up and leave a lot of their youth behind. 😢

[@johno1765]

Never too much dragon, just like there's never too much cowbell.

[@SaeedReacts.]

Exactly! 😄

[@glenngunnis6642]

Love you reactions!🤘🎸

[@steveullrich7737]

They were really popular in the 60s mainly doing folk music. You'd probably like "If I Had A Hammer", "500 Miles", "Leaving on a Jet Plane"' and some Dylan covers "Blowin In the Wind", The Times They Are a-Changin'" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" that they did.

[@bob2shred894]

This is the poem that inspired them to write this song. Not sure how they got puff the magic dragon out of this . If i didnt know better I too would think the wacky stuff was the topic . The Tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash (1902-1971) Belinda lived in a little white house, With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse, And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon, And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon. Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink, And the little gray mouse, she called her Blink, And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard, But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard. Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth, And spikes on top of him and scales underneath, Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose, And realio, trulio, daggers on his toes. Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears, And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs, Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage, But Custard cried for a nice safe cage. Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful, Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival, They all sat laughing in the little red wagon At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon. Belinda giggled till she shook the house, And Blink said Week!, which is giggling for a mouse, Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age, When Custard cried for a nice safe cage. Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound, And Mustard growled, and they all looked around. Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda, For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda. Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right, And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright, His beard was black, one leg was wood; It was clear that the pirate meant no good. Belinda paled, and she cried, Help! Help! But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp, Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household, And little mouse Blink was strategically mouseholed. But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine, Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon, With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm. The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon, And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon, He fired two bullets but they didn’t hit, And Custard gobbled him, every bit. Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him, No one mourned for his pirate victim Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate Around the dragon that ate the pyrate. Belinda still lives in her little white house, With her little black kitten and her little gray mouse, And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon, And her realio, trulio, little pet dragon. Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears, And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs, Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage, But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.

[@MaggieLarocque]

No it isn't - according to interviews WITH THEM

[@rayj1011]

Peter just passed away.

[@Whambamm09]

The song contained veiled references to smoking marijuana. The word "paper" in the name of Puff's human friend Jackie Paper was said to be a reference to rolling papers, the words "by the sea" were interpreted as "by the C" (as in cannabis), the word "mist" stood for "smoke", the land of "Honahlee" stood for hashish, and "dragon" was interpreted as "draggin'" (i.e., inhaling smoke). Similarly, the name "Puff" was alleged to be a reference to taking a "puff" on a joint.

[@thomastimlin1724]

The song contains nothing of the sort...that's just something that has been perpetuated by snarky morons since the 1960's because some people want it to be controversial for somthing to snicker about. Yarrow adamantly denied this bullcrap for decades and stood by it. it;s a children's song, period.

[@MaggieLarocque]

...only in the minds of those who see devil drugs everywhere. IT WAS NOT ABOUT DRUGS FFS

[@MaggieLarocque]

I have seen the same idiots try to tell me why I should believe their bible stories. They will convolute anything to feel morally superior because they simply have no more ground to stand on.

[@hopeklemann1]

🌸 I'm sorry but I spit out my drink laughing when you said "I think I can spot which one is Mary out of these three"😅😅

[@SaeedReacts.]

😅😄😄 Oops

[@leonardshevlin7260]

A simpler time.

[@esmeraldapooner751]

If you're an innocent child, you will hear this song differently than an adult with a mid-60's mind set. An adult would wonder what they were puffing.? But I suppose it was met to be an innocent child's song.

[@MaggieLarocque]

As an adult, I call you a fear mongering idiot. It is NOT about drugs. JUST STOP FFS

[@dougca7086]

React to Society's Child by Janis Ian she wrote it when she was 13 years old and it was so controversial at the time that it was banned on half the radio stations in the United States and still was a huge hit!

[@MaggieLarocque]

No, Society's Child by Janis Ian was not banned in the United States, but it did face resistance in some markets. The song was released in 1966 and was controversial at the time.

[@chuckstrunk236]

Can pick out Mary between the 3. Do you mean between Peter and Paul? Hilarious!!!

[@hopeklemann1]

🌸 I love this song but I always get so sad .....

[@lizholewa8881]

Have you done their Blowing in the Wind? The Bob Dillon song. They also do Leaving on a Jet Plane.

[@JustMe-vk4fn]

It's not as easy to play as chopsticks but Puff is fun for kids to learn on the piano.

[@SaeedReacts.]

Such a great song! Definitely one i will be revisiting often.

[@jameslangton-iw2mv]

If you'd like to hear another child's song return to Pooh play Kenny loggins outdoor version

[@Centervillejim]

If you like this one, you should listen to "Goin' Back" by Dusty Springfield.

[@erinhansen2110]

If you've never seen Meet the Parents, you'll enjoy this clip about Puff the Magic Dragon 😂: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIHOgaiId7dmfpo

[@joetallon4968]

When a child loses their innocence and imagination for make believe things, it’s sad!

[@Markrealguy51]

Saeed,I believe you like Dylan? Would like to hear your reaction to his just like a woman,thanks

[@Yowza78]

Eh. Two things can be possible at once.