Blowin' in the Wind

Blowin' in the Wind is a popular song written by Bob Dylan in 1962, most famous in the version sung by Peter, Paul and Mary. Its light, engaging melody was taken from an old Negro Spiritual, and its lyrics pose several philosophical questions. It has been used as a theme song for several social activism movements, most famously the Civil Rights Movement, the antiwar movement and the anti-nuclear movement (The refrain, "the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind," was used as a reference to the windmill as a source of safe, renewable energy.)

Blowin' in the Wind has also been used in a spiritual context, as an allegory for the wind of the Holy Spirit. It was frequently heard in the 1970s, both in Protestant church services and Roman Catholic "folk masses."

The song established Bob Dylan as a songwriter and was covered in a well-received version by Sam Cooke, but it was Peter, Paul and Mary's version that established it as a worldwide hit. It was originally considered by the Kingston Trio, another enormously popular folk-group of the era, but, to their subsequent regret, rejected.