Sometimes I wonder if Christians who want to defend people from the evils in the media of the world, are not in themselves the ones creating such evil. It makes me wonder where the evil really is, if Christians are finding evil meanings in even the most mundane or ordinary of things.

Recently I heard of a Christian elementary school that taught the students that the Song “Puff the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul, and Mary was a song about smoking. Really? I thought it was a simple song about the growing up of children and the imaginary friends and things they leave behind in their youth.

Origin of Song

Originally the lyrics to this wonderful song were written by a young man named Leonard Lipton. He was inspired after reading the poem by Ogden Nash titled: Tale of Custard the Dragon, to write a poem/lyrics of his own. Custard the Dragon was about a fierce looking dragon that was really quite cowardly until a pirate came and broke into his master’s house, it was then he courageously protected the house before lapsing back into his cowardice.

Lipton wrote the most of what is now Puff the Magic Dragon with the intent on it being innocent. It was supposed to a tale of boyhood and how “little boys” grow up and childhood fantasies fade away as they age.

Leonard left his poem in the hands of Peter Yarrow, who made some revisions and turned it into lyrics. The group Peter, Paul, & Mary made it a popular and well known song.

You can find a video statement of Peter from Peter, Paul, and Mary, live in front of an audience on YouTube in which he states the actual meaning of the song as the loss of children’s innocence as they grow up in contrast to the unfortunate misinterpretations of drug referencing.