Grateful Dead Family Discography: Wasn't That a Time!

Wasn't That a Time!

Composer: Lee Hays / William Lowenfels / Thomas Paine

Wasn't That a Time! was probably played by Bob & Jerry (Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia) at a private function in May 1961.

Wasn't That a Time! was published in the late 1940s in The Peoples' Song Bulletin. It was credited to Lee Hays and William Lowenfels. The song was probably written for the Henry Wallace presidential campaign in 1948.

Some recordings credit just Lee Hays. Some credit Hays and Lowenfels. Thomas Paine gets an occasional songwriting credit as his words are quoted in the original version of the song. The lyrics are changed on some recordings to fit with the political climate of the times.

Recordings

no info The Weavers on Tour, The Weavers, 1957
no info With Voices Together We Sing, Pete Seeger, 1957
no info The Great New Sound Of The Crew-Cuts, 1963
no info A Song Will Rise, Peter, Paul & Mary, 1965
no info Clear Creek Singers, Clear Creek Singers, 1966
no info Wimoweh And Other Songs Of Freedom And Protest, Pete Seeger, 1968
no info Together Again, The Weavers, 1988
no info Wasn't That a Time!, The Weavers, 1993
no info Songs of Conscience and Concern, Peter, Paul & Mary, 1999
no info Headlines & Footnotes: A Collection Of Topical Songs, Pete Seeger, 1999
no info Goodnight Irene: 1949-1953, The Weavers, 2000
Washington Square Memoirs: The Great Urban Folk Boom, 1950-1970, Various Artists (The Weavers), 2001
no info Carry It On, Peter, Paul and Mary, 2004
no info If I Had A Hammer, Pete Seeger, 2004
no info Wasn't That a Time!, The Weavers, 2006
no info America's Folk Heroes, Various Artists (The Weavers), 2006
Jefferson's Tree of Liberty, Jefferson Starship, 2008
no info American Folk Anthology, Various Artists (The Weavers), 2008
no info Children's Songs, Lehto and Wright, 2010
no info The History Of American Folk: Songs Of Hope And Struggle, Various Artists (The Weavers), 2010
Tales From the Mothership: Roswell UFO Festival July 3, 2009, Jefferson Starship, 2012
no info Troubadours (Folk And The Roots Of American Music Part 1, Various Artists (The Weavers), 2013
no info Eight Classic Albums Vol. 2, Pete Seeger, 2014
no info Wasn't That a Time?: Retrspective, Pete Seeger & The Weavers, 2016
no info At Newport 1963-65, Peter, Paul & Mary, 2018
no info The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, Pete Seeger, 2019