Peter Yarrow died insisting ‘Puff, the Magic Dragon’ was not a drug song

Peter Yarrow, of the 1960s-era musical trio “Peter Paul and Mary,” performs during a memorial tribute concert for folk icon and civil rights activist Pete Seeger in New York in 2014. (Kathy Willens/AP)

By Herb Scribner

Spend any time listening to Peter Yarrow, the folk musician who died Tuesday at 86 years old, and you’re bound to discover “Puff, the Magic Dragon” ― a ballad performed by the trio Peter, Paul & Mary that has long been interpreted to be about marijuana use, even though Yarrow himself long insisted against the idea.

The song, sometimes referred to as simply “Puff,” was based on a poem by Yarrow’s Cornell University roommate Leonard Lipton. While in school as an undergrad, Yarrow took the poem, which told the story of a dragon, and set it to music. The song was later featured on the 1963 album “Moving” by Peter, Paul & Mary, with Yarrow sharing songwriting credit with Lipton.

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１月７日、PPMのピーター・ヤーロウがニューヨークの自宅で亡くなりました。８６歳でした。

“Puff, the Magic Dragon”は大ヒットだったが、”Puff”という言葉はマリファナを使っていたのでは？と憶測された。ピーターは小さな子供の成長期に耳に入った言葉だという説明をしていた。

安らかにお休みなさい。　Ｒ．Ｉ．Ｐ．

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