And When I Die

Peter Paul And Mary · Other Songs - Peter Paul And Mary

And when I die and when I'm dead, dead and gone,

there'll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.



I'm not scared of dying and I don't really care.

If it's peace you find in dying, well, then let the time be near.

If it's peace you find in dying, when dying time is here,

just bundle up my coffin cause it's cold way down there,

I hear that's it's cold way down there, yeah, crazy cold way down there.

And when I die and when I'm gone,

there'll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.



My troubles are many, they're as deep as a well.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell.

Swear there ain't no heaven and pray there ain't no hell,

but I'll never know by living, only my dying will tell,

only my dying will tell, yeah, only my dying will tell.

And when I die and when I'm gone,

there'll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.



Give me my freedom for as long as I be.

All I ask of living is to have no chains on me.

All I ask of living is to have no chains on me,

and all I ask of dying is to go naturally, only want to go naturally.

Don't want to go by the devil, don't want to go by the demon,

don't want to go by Satan, don't want to die uneasy,

just let me go naturally.

And when I die and when I'm gone,

there'll be one child born, there'll be one child born.

When I die, there'll be one child born.

When I die, there'll be one child born.

When I die, there'll be one child born.

When I die, there'll be one child born.

About And When I Die

"And When I Die" by Peter, Paul and Mary stands as a haunting centerpiece in the folk-rock canon, originally recorded in 1963 for their album *Peter, Paul and Mary*. The song's narrative follows a young woman who, after being abandoned by her lover, decides to end her life rather than face a life without him. Its enduring power lies in the group's distinctive harmonies and the raw emotional vulnerability displayed in the delivery, which helped define the sound of the early 1960s folk revival. The track remains a staple of the trio's discography, often cited alongside other signature works like "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff, the Magic Dragon." While the lyrics depict a tragic romance, the song transcends its specific story to explore universal themes of heartbreak and the desperation of youth. It continues to be celebrated for its melodic beauty and the way it captures the spirit of an era that prioritized storytelling and acoustic integrity in popular music.