🎵 Peter, Paul & Mary - Puff The Magic Dragon REACTION

[@THEDEEPDIVE]

to me the song is about the loss of magic to a child as he grows up. It's a sad song. Puff only exists when the children believe he does.

[@3DJapan]

Like Toy Story when the kid goes away to college, leaving his toys behind.

[@Levi_Amongst_the_Watchers]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets it. They were trying to remind adults of their childhood imagination and sense of wonder. It is sad how few of us actually hold on to even a fragment of that as we age. My Dad was one of those few who's imagination could hold it's own in the company of children. I too held a bit of the magic for a long time, but it seems that I lost the last bit of it when my Dad passed away. Or maybe I've just lost the heart to try.

[@armadillotoe]

I had the same reaction to the movie "Hook." We have to grow up, but living in a world full of magic was amazing. I wish I had more of the little boy I remember sometimes.

[@jefftaylor8780]

You are 100% correct.

[@yontron3692]

100% We need them more now than ever

[@zq9m3xh8]

The little boy didn't die, he just grew up. That's what they meant by "not so, little boys" when they referenced some things like dragons lasting forever. They simply grow up, and leave childhood things behind. Then they spend the rest of their lives wishing to have their childhood back.

[@THEDEEPDIVE]

A great thing about being a parent is you get to bring back those lost friends and share in the joy of them with your kids (puff, santa clause, etc). As long as there are children laughing there is hope. Puff does indeed live on.

[@bassage13]

@@THEDEEPDIVE And then your kids become teenagers and it all goes away again. Maybe your grandkids will bring them back.

[@tobiashouse2744]

This song is about the death of innocence. When I, and everyone else, were young. The world was full of possibilities. Unfortunately we grow up in a world that is not acceptable to the minds of the innocent,and is then corrupted to the evils of humankind. Long live Puff! He will live in the minds of the pure forever.

[@daz_n]

Just like CCR's 'Looking Out My Back Door' our cynicism makes us think it's about something else, when it's just about childhood innocence.

[@Calistogakid2u]

For that exact reason, I can't listen to this without tearing up. A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys Painted wings and giant's rings make way for other toys. *sniff*

[@randsimon1313]

Neal Young wrote "Sugar Mountain", another great song about the loss of childhood. It was a response to Joni Mitchell's "The Circle Game", a song about coming of age. All great classics!

[@emilyabernathy952]

​@@daz_n AMEN that's a fact. That's just like a child's laughter , ❤❤ when they laugh they don't hold anything back.😊😊 That's exactly why it makes you smile hearing in a child laugh and laugh with the child. That innocent laughter just brings a smile to your face. But some people are so miserable or degenerate they can't take an innocent song like this and they try to twist it, to turn it into something like they are. This is nothing more and nothing less than a song about children's innocence and how we change when we grow up. We no longer have the pretend friends, we no longer have the teddy bears that protected us from the monsters under the bed or real bad lightning and storms. Unfortunately that's when all the sudden we have to rely on just reality and no more innocent pretending.😢😢😢 THEY say we have to grow up. Sad to say we no longer have that innocence to look at the world with.😢😢

[@danielnewton4094]

This song breaks my heart every single time. It’s about growing up and loss of childhood and leaving behind your imagination. 💔

[@eternallife9786]

This song has many meanings but yes that is the overall message but there's been some interesting lyrics studies at this song is definitely steeped in 60s hippie protest culture

[@unclefido6484]

Simply don't do it"....

[@richardhenderson9767]

"Where Have All the Flowers Gone", "Blowin In the Wind", "Leaving On A Jet Plane", and "Early Morning Rain" are awesome, by Peter, Paul, and Mary...😀❤

[@SearlesHernandez]

Where have all the flowers gone 💯

[@easyrolling]

Legends .. all great suggestions.. but for a different take on them .. love their "dig" on rock and roll music with I Dig Rock and Roll Music .. another big later hit

[@mikecaetano]

"If I Had A Hammer" too, especially as performed at the 1963 March on Washington.

[@carlamcdrummond1249]

Don't forget Lemon Tree.

[@erinhansen2110]

Where have all the flowers gone and Leaving on a jet plane each get my votes.

[@keith6234]

Sometimes you read too much into the songs. It is a child's fairy tail. The Dragon is a toy that the boy plays with. He has imagining all sorts of adventures he would have with him if he was a real dragon. As the boy grows up he outgrows the toy and the Dragon feels sad and goes back in his cave. It is not a cult song it was just so popular back in the sixties that everyone knew it and sang along.

[@seriousnesstv7902]

People from today are so used to sloppy fast and auto tune that they hear an old calm innocent song from back then and immediately think it’s creepy

[@juliapernicka2698]

Always loved this. Sad story. Little boy grows up and stops believing. The end of innocence and imagination.

[@misterx1969]

Wah! my childhood, still makes me cry every time - nostalgia, beautiful harmonies

[@christinewaide5249]

This song still makes me cry. After all these years..

[@MrHws5mp]

As a kid growing up in the '70s and late '60s let me tell you: this song was everywhere and most kids had a 'Puff' toy of some sort. There was no tied-in marketing in those days so you just found something and called it Puff. Mine was a little dragon made of glued-together sea shells that we bought on a family holiday. It got broken SO many times, but it's probably still around the house somewhere.

[@zippymacadoo6336]

Mine looked like Pete's Dragon 😁 in my mind.

[@straycatttt2766]

Yes, Brad is correct. Every kid knew this song back then.

[@briansmith48]

There eventually was a tie-in marketing. There was a cartoon about the adventures of Puff the Magic Dragon. I believe show follows the song pretty closely. I haven't seen it in a while, maybe the early 80's. 🤔

[@gkiferonhs]

This is a song about giving up your imaginary friends, but if the imaginary friends existed in this world, too. Everybody was singing along because this was a very popular song on the radio; there was no tie-ins to products or other programming like there is today.

[@CrayCruz]

Puff only exists in the hearts and minds of little boys and girls. This is a song about the loss of innocence. Puff goes into his cave and will only come out when a little boy or girl come out to play with him. Ultimately it is a sad song, but so bittersweet. Although it's a children's song, it is for the child in all of us. That's why adults shed a tear whenever they hear this song...that child wishes they could go back and play with Puff, without a care in the world.

[@woodchucknation]

Exactly, the older I get the harder it is to listen to it.

[@robertbunting3117]

I remember as a kid there was a cartoon 'Puff the Magic Dragon' based on this song. it was a about a dragon who befriended a kid who didn't talk and Puff helped him get over his fears.

[@Coxy-b34]

I remember that as a young child.It would frighten the life out of me for some reason.

[@xXxBeautifulChaosxXx]

@@Coxy-b34 Jackie Paper 😅

[@Coxy-b34]

@@xXxBeautifulChaosxXx 😧

[@sveinstmobekken2175]

I was today years old when I learned it wasn't the other way around. Always thought the song was made for that show. Oh my...

[@jetfowl]

I remember that cartoon as well.

[@cindyfalstrom7231]

Here I sit, bawling my eyes out - poor Puff. I am now 66 and have loved and cried through this song since I was a little girl. Brad has it correct, it is just a story, I think about growing up and putting aside your childish dreams and toys. That's just my interpretation. Some people have tried to make it into a drug song, but according to the writer, it certainly is not. This reminds me of my favorite children's book "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. Makes me bawl everytime I read it. LOL. Odd request, but thank you.

[@HappierNowe]

It happens to be one of the sweetest and most nostalgic ditties ever and will always touch sentimental people in the feels.

[@gummball]

This is the most memorable song from my childhood. I still get sad when I listen to it all these decades later

[@christinewaide5249]

I think you need to listen to the recorded version. It seems to have more meaning. They’re singing it with fun and joy, but it’s a sad song.

[@surlechapeau]

Brad & Lex, you’ll love their "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)" !!! These are classics!!

[@dr.burtgummerfan439]

👍 to both!

[@corvanna4438]

I got to stand by Pete Seeger with If I had a hammer.

[@cshubs]

This was my favorite song when I was about 5 in Cleveland in the 70s!

[@keithcaserta]

There's an entire genre of "folk music" into which this and many PP&M songs fit. As a popular genre, it lasted from the later 50s into the early 60s; folk songs have been very rare since then. This was a song which appealed to most everyone at the time: a tale of growing out of innocence, which largely applied to the USA and its loss of innocence as a country and a people, because of the social and political upheavals of the 1960s.

[@RobinT-treehugger]

Don't you remember being a kid and dreaming of having a magical friend? Then you grow up and don't believe anymore. This was in innocent 60s.

[@gwumpyolman]

My favorite song as a kid. Along with “Sneaky Snake”. Good memories. I sang it to my nephew when he was young. Today is his birthday, we lost him 6 years ago. Feeling overwhelmed now so I am going to go cry. Have a great day and tell your people how much they mean to you while you can.

[@susanharrah3462]

I'm so sorry for your loss

[@garyarnett1220]

Condolences Ol'Man. It's rough, been experiencing a lot of that myself the last few years.

[@susanharrah3462]

@@garyarnett1220 me too lost my mother in March of this year and my husband father Feb last year been pretty rough and I almost died in oct last year.

[@southernstingray2743]

Best wishes to you mate,n you have a grand day. From across the seas , way down south in West Oz🌊🦘🇦🇺😎👍🌊🤙

[@gwumpyolman]

@@garyarnett1220 Thank you for the kind words. The last few years has been rough on the whole world. I pray daily that it gets better. Have a blessed day.

[@cattuslavandula]

Peter, Paul and Mary singing 500 Miles is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. It's here on KZbin, a haunting live video. Mary's voice is just gorgeous.

[@johnboydTx]

Agreed 💯😋✌️♥️

[@TedC5203]

It was just a song. I don't think it had any particular hidden messages. But recently, the younger people don't know it. EVERYBODY knew this song before. It almost engrained in to everyone's brain, like the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem.

[@anntelford8647]

It's a song about growing up. Puff and Jackie played together when Jackie was little. Once Jackie got older, he found other things to do. Puff was left behind. If you're familiar with the "Toy Story" series of movies. We stop playing with our childhood toys and sometimes friends, who we grew away from, as we grew older. It's something that resonates with most of us.

[@davidcollver6155]

Today's comment 10 March 2023. It's every child's dream to have a pretend playmate you get lonely you need a playmate. Peter Paul and Mary with this song helped fill that Gap. A lot of us ended up having to pretend Playmate name Puff. It was great. But like the song it came to an end. Check out an album of theirs called , Peter Paul and Mommy. That's right Peter Paul and Mommy, the whole album for your little ones. Maybe even you, I don't know.

[@eddieevans6692]

"Puff the Magic Dragon" was based on a poem written by Lenny Lipton, Peter Yarrow's room mate at Cornell University. Lenny had borrowed Peter's typewriter to write out a verse or two and just left the paper in the typewriter, moving on to moire pressing matters like studying for exams. Peter liked the words, added some verses and eventually it became a children's song. Once the song became a hit, Yarrow hunted down Lipton, gave him co-songwriting credit and half the royalties the song generated. Now that you two are going to be parents, you might check out more songs by Peter, Paul and Mary. They have a soft, soothing sound, agreeable to many children. Songs like Stewball, If I Had a Hammer, Where Have All the Flowers Gone and many, many more.

[@scambammer6102]

It's about the loss of childhood innocence

[@77tml]

I think it's a story of growing up and losing the magical innocence of childhood. It saddens me every time i hear it.

[@anonw3829]

Can't believe my eyes dripped! I must be old...I was 8 when this came out and the song was so sad at that age!

[@Rich-pj9wv]

Good memories from my childhood, all the kids were singing this.

[@enuff2u]

Definitely. Used to sing this song as a child a lot from age 9 to 12 from late 60's into the 70's. I just liked it because it was about a dragon. hahahaha

[@perrymalcolm3802]

For me, then, as a child when it came out, it was an appealing song because of the gentle harmonies singing a song I, even as a boy, I could identify with. Play. Toys. Imagination. And growing up. And it was in my imagination I could identify with Jackie but, more importantly, felt compassionate appreciation for the “Puffs” in my own life. Looking back a first lesson in transience n the importance of enjoying the moment. P But it was a hugely popular tune. I even remember it playing once on Captain Kangaroo!

[@stevensprunger3422]

Wow captain kangaroo are used to watch that show but I didn’t remember it being played on there wow what an incredible memory good ole captain kangaroo

[@20sovereign23]

This song is my Kryptonite, it never fails to make me well up😧

[@stoobydootoo4098]

Super, man!

[@jstmez]

I thought I was the only one to cry over a make believe dragon.

[@20sovereign23]

@@jstmez glad to know I'm not alone

[@maritamcnichol8849]

it's really not too deep. It's about a childhood, an imagination & a friend who only can be seen by the little boy. The boy grows up (Jackie Paper) but the dragon remains. Sad song. Life goes on.....

[@3DJapan]

When I was in high school in the early 90s my art teacher Chris was a real hippy type guy. One day almost all of the class was out on trips or something so there were only a few of us. What does Chris do? Rather than teaching art he pulls out a guitar and starts playing this song plus a few others.

[@Spazzmatazzz]

"In 1962, one of the most endearing children’s folk songs was written. Initially penned as a poem, the story of “Puff the Magic Dragon” was of a friendly flying serpent who lived by the sea in a land far away-Honah Lee-and enjoyed frolicking in the autumn mist."

[@tomenrico6199]

Peter Yarrow wrote Puff in 1962, and PP&M released the original recording in 1963. As early as 1964 there was speculation that rage song contained veiled references to smoking marijuana, but Yarrow has consistently denied that was his intent. Yarrow based the lyrics on a poem written by a classmate at Cornell University (with whom he shares royalties from the song). His friend's poem was based on an old children's rhyme by Ogden Nash. The song is really about the loss of innocence and wonder as we transition from childhood to adulthood. It's theme might be compared with Sugar Mountain by Neil Young or with Joni Mitchell's The Circle Game, which she wrote as a response to Young's song.

[@thomastimlin1724]

I was 7 when this was new, 1963, it reached #2 on Billboard 6-7 months BEFORE Vietnam ramped up, before President Kennedy was assassinated and 3-4 months before Dr. Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream Speech." It is important to note that Peter , Paul and Mary famously sang Bob Dylan's “Blowin’ in the Wind,” at Dr. King' s speech that day. Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Marion Anderson also sang songs that day.

[@lizetteolsen3218]

LOVE this song. Grew up with it as a child. My parents would play and sing to myself and my siblings. My brother always cried--he related so much to the boy and his dragon.

[@coffee-xg6my]

One of the first records my mother bought for us to listen to when we were small kids in the 1960s.

[@lizetteolsen3218]

mine did too

[@jamosmcginty]

My childhood, gathered round our record player with my family. Oh how times have changed . .

[@xtiants]

Many authority figures and conservatives were convinced that "Puff The Magic Dragon" contained veiled drug references, back in the 60's when it was a hit, but Peter Yarrow confirmed that the song had nothing to do with drugs. Just a tale of a boy and his dragon, and the loss of innocence.

[@mrkelso]

OK, but c'mon... naming it "Puff" and the kid "Paper" is HELLA suggestive...

[@estoy1001]

@@mrkelso Another bard by the name of Ronnie James Dio- who would have definitely known this song- had a line in a song when he was with Black Sabbath that might focus things a bit more: "There's too many flames with too much to burn, and life's only made of paper." -Over & Over Paper has always been symbolic of the impermanence of things, because anything can go away- a house, a person, a childhood- in a puff of smoke.

[@cmoeller3]

@@mrkelso your interpretation isn’t necessarily how the artist meant it

[@mrkelso]

@@cmoeller3 Of course I agree with that. And I think the best songwriters write on multiple levels. IMO the pot references in this song seem purposeful because they so fit with the tranquil, innocent-mindset tone. Question: do you believe that The Beatles' most hallucinogenic song is called Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds strictly by coincidence? That's what The Beatles say. I find the idea that such masterful writers would have done that, and not noticed that they had, to be doubtful.

[@emilyabernathy952]

​@@mrkelso no that just goes to show you honey that you no longer have an innocent mind.

[@happymethehappyone8300]

Back In The Day,, Children Absolutely Loved It & To Sing Along,, Most Not Realizing The Meaning Till They Got A Little Older & Then Feeling The Real Sadness Part Of The Story.🐉😭

[@Mycroftsbrother]

Yep, it's a story about the end of unfettered childhood play and the imaginative world of small kids. Jackie grew up.

[@dudermcdudeface3674]

"A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys..." That line got me as a little kid. Got me again hearing it now.

[@DannyD714]

this song came out when i was 2 years old,so it's been with me nearly all my life. maybe that's why when i hear it now it breaks my heart. i'm too old to believe in magic dragons,but not so old that i forget what it was like for kids like jackie paper. childhood is so fleeting,and when it's happening we don't know how precious those experiences and memories will be to us 50. 60, 70 years later.

[@IrishKack]

I grew up in a Irish family where folk music was a constant. This song is part of the soundtrack of my childhood. So nostalgic. Love it.

[@barnowl5774]

I LOVE Peter, Paul and Mary!!! They came out of the folk culture music of the 1960s in the USA. Their first record album was the first that I owned. I have all their records and CDs and I've seen them in concert twice when they toured my country. P,P& M were famous, appearing on lots of TV shows. They were in the forefront in the social justice movement in the 1970s. Many of their songs have a message of goodwill for the world. For fun they also recorded a song of the rock and roll genre, showing they could sing it, called, 'I Dig Rock And Roll Music'.

[@happymethehappyone8300]

If We Stay Open Minded Enough & Allow The Inner Child In Us To Remain & Thrive,, Then Puff Can Live On Forever In Our Hearts & Minds.

[@jemmajames6719]

Still makes me cry, the loss of magic I remember it and saw my children go threw it, they are in their twenties and they have told me how they miss the magic of childhood and so do I.

[@ArgonTheAware]

The lyrics for "Puff, the Magic Dragon" are based on a 1959 poem by Leonard Lipton, then a 19-year-old Cornell University student The original poem also had a stanza that was not incorporated into the song. In it, Puff found another child and played with him.

[@barnowl5774]

Yes, I bought a book and CD of 'Puff' etc. for my grandchild with that in it.

[@patswanson2870]

There is a song called the Unicorn by the Canadian/Irish band The Irish Rovers which was a hit in Canada. Kid's loved it.

[@stevensprunger3422]

Oh yes The Irish Rovers oh my goodness the unicorn and the the arc I believe oh yes I remember hearing that for the first time probably pre-1970 laying in the back of the car pre-seatbelts my parents are driving home and the radio was on and I heard that song and a half dream sleep and I thought oh my god what is this song I’ve never heard before and they didn’t announce who was but it wasn’t till years later I figured out Irish Rovers what a beautiful beautiful song

[@stevensprunger3422]

Oh yes The Irish Rovers oh my goodness the unicorn and the the arc I believe oh yes I remember hearing that for the first time probably pre-1970 laying in the back of the car pre-seatbelts my parents are driving home and the radio was on and I heard that song and a half dream sleep and I thought oh my god what is this song I’ve never heard before and they didn’t announce who was but it wasn’t till years later I figured out Irish Rovers what a beautiful beautiful song

[@patswanson2870]

@@stevensprunger3422 They also have a fun party song called Wasn't That A Party. I think you can find it on KZbin. You will probably like that one too. (It's a lot different than The Unicorn)

[@stevensprunger3422]

@@patswanson2870 That gave me a big smile on my face never heard that one because I never bought their albums thanks for that yeah that’s a great one thank you so much👍

[@Dr3amtime]

This was a very popular childrens' song when I was a kid. For children, it's a story about a dragon; for adults, it's about lost childhood innocence. A few years ago, I watched Peter Yarrow sing this song at the Oregon Country Fair Main Stage meadow, along with several thousand adults and children. Many tears were shed.

[@garyzink1927]

These comments nailed it. They had many other hits, I saw them in college and was floored by the power of Mary's voice. I sang puff to my son at bedtime for many years. Love watching you two react. Peace from Michigan

[@gregdavidson670]

Remember driving with my father listening to this. Was 5 or 6 I’m 64 now. My favorite childhood song.

[@blodgettshouseofinsanity]

Peter and Paul are both 84 and still touring. I was lucky enough to see them in September. It was a wonderful night. The whole audience sang along with them, too most of their songs, but this one especially. It was kind of a magical moment.

[@joejackson4202]

A song about growing up and leaving childhood behind. Makes me cry every time. Just because you grow older, doesn't mean you have to forget how to be a kid sometimes.

[@andyfletcher3561]

Though the drug culture co-opted this song, it had nothing to do with drugs. It's the loss of innocence, growing up, putting to rest childish things, and how putting such things to rest completely may not be the best course. That it's actually good to retain a sense of wonderment of the world that surrounds us.

[@janesawyer3495]

Thank you! I get so tired of having to correct those comments. They have said multiple times the song is NOT about drugs, but people want it to fit their narrative.

[@chrisb9577]

Born in '71, this song was still on the radio often when I was in preschool in the mid 70s. I used to sing this with my mother when I was 3 or 4. Didn't realize at the time it was a song about the death of innocence. I still thought Puff was real.

[@yappers2011]

There was a cartoon when i was a kid in early 80s. I wish i could find that again. I can remember being devastated when Puff was dejected and saddened and 'slinked back into his cave'

[@TheSingofKwords]

I have a video of my 4 year old daughter singing this. She is seventeen now. The cutest thing ever. I get teary eyed every time I hear it.

[@scottvanhille5688]

Perfect song for kids. Such a classic. Glad you both heard this timeless song.

[@timothygasper406]

I am glad you listened to this wonderful song. I was a child when I first heard it. This song was banned in Singapore and other places for what they thought were its marijuana influence, but contrary to everyone's belief, this is just a song about a child growing up with his imaginary friend...Puff...and as time went on he grew out of these things. Years later Peter told everyone what the song was about. I love this song.

[@markroybal25]

First written in 1959 as a poem by filmmaker Leonard Lipton and set to music in 1963 by Peter, Paul and Mary's Peter Yarrow, "Puff, the Magic Dragon" tells the story of a boy who outgrows his childhood fantasies. The song also inspired a series of animated TV specials that recast the eponymous dragon as a sort of fantastical child psychologist coming to the aid of some deeply troubled children.

[@JimiBurleigh]

When our kids were little, thirty plus years ago, I would play this song for them as a lullaby. Just me and my acoustic guitar softly singing this tune about growing up and the loss of innocence.

[@frankensteinlives5451]

This was one of my favorite childhood songs. As a child, I never examined the lyrics, but it could be taken several different ways. I just took it at face value. It wasn't anything more than a hit song for Peter, Paul and Mary. And of course one that I listened to as a small child. Peace!

[@aaronarnold7653]

Aloha guys, good morning...a childhood song for me...fun reaction...a hui hou

[@MClunesfan123]

I remember singing this song when I was a kid. Lots of folk songs were very popular when I was a child in the 60’s

[@shadsullivan7817]

I remember as a kid we watched a special on T.V about Peter Paul, and Mary, and they sang this song. My Mom was crying. She told us that she was crying because she was Puff.

[@edmundhenry5095]

Here is an early memory when I was a little kid... I was watching a parade and a float went by with a huge green dragon. It was Puff with smoke coming out his mouth! Everybody knew this song!

[@CoffeeAndPaul]

I grew up to Peter, Paul & Mary, as well as Simon & Garfunkel and Buffy St Marie. Great artists, all of them.

[@cjdesign5700]

A Total Classic...Folk standard about growing up and losing the innocence of childhood.

[@sukie584]

Loss of childhood… when we kind of lose our imagination in adulthood. Puff can’t exist without it. A favorite childhood song for so many of us.

[@victorcowboywest]

The song speaks to the loss of innocent that most of us feel as we age. There is a TV animated movie made 1978 based on this song. Also a great campfire sing-a-long.

[@scottsmith1557]

This was the first record I can remember being mine and I still have it. It would be a great choice for the baby. The song itself is just a look back on childhood - no hidden meanings. Kids grow up and eventually stop believing in their imaginary friends, like Puff It’s sad and yet not sad at the same time.

[@anthonyfoltz3008]

First time hearing this song was on the captain kangaroo show in the sixties, have always loved it

[@jeffdetmer4681]

It was written as a story/poem. It was forgotten about for some time, and the writer found it in his papers, and put it to music. There was a lot of speculation about a drug reference, but they insisted it was not. It was more of a parable of how life goes on and children grow up (Jackie did not die, he just got too old for childish things) and life moved on for him. I would like to think that if the song continued, Jackie would some day be bringing his kids to play with Puff. Guys I have something very different for you to maybe check out. Not a song. It is about an 11 minute video about something that occured on Sept. 11th. It is about the great boatlift that happened on that day to rescue people off of Manhatten. Everyone should watch it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2nPpKt8mKmloNE

[@armusc757]

Puff was lil Jackie's favorite toy/stuffed animal. When Jackie grew up he gave up his childhood games into adulthood.

[@sierra6936]

Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea 💐🌊🌊🌊🤗🥰🥰🥰✨✨✨✨👏 👏👏 loved the cute little show. Happy.

[@kevinerose]

When I was young in the 70s, they did have a cartoon show with this song as the basis. I always think of that cartoon when I hear the song.

[@lightsideofthemoon13]

Like winnie the pooh and peter pan, puff was an imaginary friend of a growing boy. When the boy outgrew puff, puff went onto his cave. Not as popular as winnie or peter pan but this was definitely part of my childhood, minus the imaginary friend.

[@747jumbojet]

It's about the loss of childhood innocence, which we can all relate...very sad...Great song!!

[@redtick79]

An amazing song and every kid went on these trips with Puff.

[@jeremybullwinkle3972]

As a child growing up in the late 60's/70's, this song was right up there with joy to the world and Jeremiah was a bullfrog

[@melaniesweeten5401]

It's such a gentle and beautiful song. Like others, I remember watching the cartoon as a kid.

[@Noelle0026]

You should do Return To Pooh Corner by Kenny Loggins, especially the live version that one will make you tear up. Many of us grew up with that one also.

[@hippiechic6772]

Hi Brad& Lex "Puff The Magic Dragon" is not about drugs but it is a real animated made for television movie . It's about boy born with Autism and Puff was his imaginary friend that he learned to communicate to the real world through. The character "Jacky Paper" is the boys vision of himself braver than the boy actually is . There is an animated version to this video that I feel explains visually better what the song is about.... this is a children's classic animated movie and song . I appreciate very much your reactions for this children's classic ; this is a very beloved song . Thank you both very much for this reaction

[@EpicFrozenMoment]

We grew up with this song when we were little in the 60s. GREAT kids record btw (and the Beatles Octopuses Garden too!) for your baby's playlist!

[@nethrelm]

My mom sang this song to me when I was little, along with another story song... "One Tin Soldier" from the 1971 movie Billy Jack.

[@theresamendoza9143]

I love this song I remember as a kid. It came on the back of a Box of cereal. This was years ago. I'm 63

[@michaelm6948]

As a little kid in Boston getting ready for grammar school in the morning, our local radio morning host, Carl DeSouze, would play this song several times a week. I heard it dozens of times heading out to school in 65, 66, 67.... It's about a kid's fantasy life coming to an end as he grows up.

[@patprescott1818]

Loved singing this song as a child. It's a fun and sad story all in one because the little guy started to grow and leave the fairy tale dragon Puff behind him and Puff was sad and went home to cry 😢 ✌❤

[@russellgtyler8288]

I'm old enough to have been around when this first came out. To me its always been a song about the loss of childhood innocence.

[@pauldover1403]

In a few days, I will be 66 and I used to listen to this song on the radio when I was growing up and loved it. No one had to explain it to us, it was a children's song and we knew that it meant that as we grew older, perhaps in our teens, the childish things that we loved, like imaginary friends, would disappear from our lives as we grew up. But sixty years ago or so I still have tears in my eyes as I think of Puff being abandoned by his friend and wasting away with sadness, although he could never die.

[@alexandraozbourne3937]

Excellent choice. I remember having this record when I was little (5 or 6). My imagination had me right there. Sweet innocence.

[@tomenrico6199]

In 1969 PP&M released an album titled Peter, Paul & Mommy. It was their collection of children's songs, including covers of some nursery rhymes, and several original songs including Puff.

[@taun856]

The boy didn't die, he grew up and lost his childhood imaginary friends. The Pixar movie "Inside Out" touched on this as well.

[@jlr108]

I was a child when this song came out and I was so sad for Puff that Jackie Paper deserted him. Always made me cry. I guess it's not surprising that my family nickname was Waterworks.

[@MarkMcLT]

I love this so much...one of the earliest songs I knew as a young child.

[@thedealer777]

Peter, Paul & Mary were part of the folk singing phenomenon of the early 60s. Others included Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Gordon Lightfoot, Woody Guthrie, Carole King, and The Weavers.

[@janbarriault4494]

i'm an old lady now, almost 60, but when i was little child i would cry every time i heard this song!