Anatomy of a Song: "Puff The Magic Dragon" Quiz

Answer: By the sea

"Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea"

Who out there is suggesting that ocean should also be correct? There is a technical difference between a sea and an ocean, although many of us tend to interchange the words. For example, when referring to the ocean: "lost at sea", "gone out to sea" etc.

Theoretically, a sea is a distinct area of an ocean, or a relatively large body of landlocked water. So, what's the difference between an ocean and a lake? Let's not go there. Puff, the magic dragon, he lived by the sea, and that's that!

Answer: Honnah Lee

"And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honnah lee"

Honnah Lee was the mythical setting for the boy's adventures with Puff. Hannah Leo may well be someone's name, I made it up for the need for an answer! Jindalee is a suburb of Brisbane, near where the Author lives. Many a time in my youth I went swimming at the Jindalee Pool. Little Lee was my pet name for my son when he was a toddler. He is now 6 feet tall and attends University. Every so often I trot out the name to annoy him (or me, I'm not sure which)!

Answer: Jackie Paper

"Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal puff"

Good old Jackie! The song is just as much about Jackie as it is about Puff, but the dragon got top billing in the title, something I'm sure Jackie complained about bitterly to his agent! After all, without Jackie's imagination, Puff didn't exist. Get used to it kid, it's a tough world, this is disappointment number one of many...

Answer: Rings

"And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff"

One can only imagine what these items were used for!

Answer: On Puff's tail

"Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail,
Jackie kept a lookout perched on puffs gigantic tail"

As a child hearing this song, I remember being worried: "What if he falls off?" In retrospect, it appears this line is about the complete trust that existed between Puff and his little friend.

Answer: They would lower their flag

"Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came,
Pirate ships would lower their flag when puff roared out his name"

As only they should! "Puff, The Magic Dragon" has been covered by well known artists such as John Denver, The Seekers, Roger Whittaker, The Irish Rovers, Patsy Biscoe, Dolly Parton, The Kingston Trio, The Chipmunks, Trini Lopez, Bing Crosby and Seal. Marlene Dietrich also had a version performed in German: "Paff, Der Zauberdrachen".

Answer: A grey night

"A dragon lives forever but not so little boys,
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys,
One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more,
And puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar"

"Puff, The Magic Dragon" was written by Peter Yarrow in 1962. It was greatly influenced by a poem written by his friend Leonard Lipton, which in turn had been inspired by a poem by Ogden Nash titled "Custard The Dragon".

Answer: Green

"His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain,
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane"

When faced with coming up with some alternative answers for this question, I asked my 17 year old daughter what colour she would associate with a dragon. Without hesitation, she said "red". This shows her progression from Puff to watching Hannibal Lecter movies. Fitting, given the song is about the loss of childhood innocence.

Answer: His cave

"Without his life-long friend, puff could not be brave,
So puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave"

How sad. Or rather, how metaphoric. What are we saying here, that Puff went back from whence he came? Is the cave a dark recess of the boy's mind? Was there really a dragon that lived under his bed, and was so obedient that it would only appear if summoned? This and many other questions will never be answered.

Answer: Marijuana

Peter, Paul & Mary have always denied the song had anything to do with marijuana. Allegedly, these rumours gained momentum when Newsweek ran an article about hidden drug messages in pop music. The myth was introduced to a younger generation when Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro had a disagreement about it in the movie "Meet The Parents".

What are the bases for these rumours? The boy's surname is something in which you can roll a joint; "dragon" is similar to draggin (on a smoke); "autumn mist" is said to be a reference to smoke; and "the land of Honah Lee" suspiciously resembles Hanalei (Hawaii), which was said to have been famous for its marijuana plants. Of course, there are also the nonsensical lines about the items that the boy brought to Puff (though, they are not nonsensical if in a child's imagination) and some of the basic general imagery of the song's lyrics.