If I had a Hammer

Diane Thiese

Guttenberg, IA

We were in the car going out to eat with my parents in Decorah. I remember so well because we didn’t do that often.

This song had been written and performed much earlier than when I fell in love with it. I’m sure it was the rendition of Johnny Cash that we heard on the radio driving to Nob Hill Supper Club with my parents. It would have been in the late spring of 1975 and Myron’s Mom took care of Kaia when we went to eat. The car would have been a forest green Chrysler with beige leather seats. I learned to drive in that car and maybe that is why this song touched me. My step-father was always generous and fair when it came to driving incidents. I prefer the Peter, Paul, and Mary version. Myron and I did and still do listen to artists like Simon and Garfunkel, Chad and Jeremy, etc. My first album was The Supremes and I remember my parents listening to Charlie Pride so the lyrics of this song felt very natural. Singing verbally has not been a gift of mine but I like to think when a song naturally resonates in your heart it sings on its own. My Grandmother also believed everyone needed to be respected and loved. Always a listener for what was right and had the respect of all social classes. Many times working for favorable resolutions for all parties.

If I Had a Hammer