Where Have All The Flowers Gone? (Remastered) – English Lyrics

• By: The Kingston Trio
• Album: The Capitol Collector's Series

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the timeless anti-war message of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" by The Kingston Trio. This iconic folk song uses simple yet powerful language to express deep emotions about the futility of war, offering a poignant lesson in peace and the cyclical nature of history.

[English]

Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?

Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?

Where have all the flowers gone?

Young girls pick them, every one

When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the young girls gone, long time passing?

Where have all the young girls gone, long time ago?

Where have all the young girls gone?

Gone to young men, every one

When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the young men gone, long time passing?

Where have all the young men gone, long time ago?

Where have all the young men gone?

Gone for soldiers, every one

When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

And where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing?

Where have all the soldiers gone, a long long time ago?

Where have all the soldiers gone?

Gone to graveyards, every one

When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing?

Where have all the graveyards gone, long time ago?

Where have all the graveyards gone?

Gone to flowers, every one

When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
flowers /ˈflaʊ.əz/ A1	noun - the part of a plant that is often brightly coloured and has a pleasant smell, or the type of plant that produces these
gone /ɡɒn/ A2	adjective - having gone away; no longer present
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the continuous period that is measured in minutes, hours, days, etc.
passing /ˈpɑː.sɪŋ/ B1	adjective - temporary; not lasting verb - present participle of 'pass'
ago /əˈɡəʊ/ A1	adverb - before the present time
young /jʌŋ/ A1	adjective - having lived or existed for only a short time; not old
girls /ɡɜːrlz/ A1	noun - a female child or young woman
pick /pɪk/ A2	verb - to take some flowers, fruit, etc. from a plant or tree
learn /lɜːrn/ A2	verb - to gain knowledge or skill by studying, from experience, by being taught, etc.
men /men/ A1	noun - an adult male human being
soldiers /ˈsoʊl.dʒərz/ A2	noun - a person who is a member of an army
graveyards /ˈɡreɪv.jɑːrdz/ B1	noun - a place where dead people are buried

Key Grammar Structures

• Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?

  ➔ Present Perfect, Past Participle as Adjective

  ➔ "Where have all the flowers gone?" uses the present perfect to ask about a past event with present relevance. "Passing" is a present participle functioning as an adjective modifying "time."

• Young girls pick them, every one

  ➔ Simple Present Tense, Pronoun Reference

  ➔ "Pick" is in the simple present tense, indicating a habitual action. "Them" refers back to "flowers". "Every one" emphasizes that each flower is picked.

• When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

  ➔ Future Simple, Emphasis with 'ever'

  ➔ "Will learn" is the future simple, expressing a question about future understanding. "Ever" adds emphasis to the question, implying doubt that they will learn.

• Gone to young men, every one

  ➔ Past Participle as Adjective, Ellipsis

  ➔ "Gone" is used as an adjective describing where the young girls are. There's an ellipsis of the verb "have/are." "Every one" emphasizes each girl. The full sentence could be 'They have all gone to young men, every one.'

• Gone for soldiers, every one

  ➔ Preposition 'for' indicating purpose, ellipsis.

  ➔ "Gone for soldiers" indicates that the young men have left to become soldiers. "For" indicates the purpose or destination. An ellipsis hides the missing verb, 'They are'.