<P> "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)", or simply "Turn! Turn! Turn!", is a song written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s . The lyrics, except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the final two lines, are adapted word - for - word from the English version of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes . The song was originally released in 1962 as "To Everything There Is a Season" on folk group the Limeliters' RCA album Folk Matinee and then some months later on Seeger's own The Bitter and the Sweet . </P> <P> The song became an international hit in late 1965 when it was adapted by the American folk rock group the Byrds . The single entered the record chart at number 80 on October 23, 1965, before reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 4, 1965 . In Canada, it reached number three on Nov. 29, 1965, and also peaking at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart . </P>

To everything there is a season under heaven