 For their third Columbia single , the Byrds initially intended to release a cover of Dylan 's " It 's All Over Now , Baby Blue " ( it was even premiered on the California radio station KRLA ) , but instead they decided to record " Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! ( to Everything There Is a Season ) " , a Pete Seeger composition with lyrics adapted almost entirely from the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes . The song was brought to the group by McGuinn , who had previously arranged it in a chamber @-@ folk style while working on folksinger Judy Collins ' 1963 album , Judy Collins 3 . The Byrds ' cover of " Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! ( to Everything There Is a Season ) " was issued on October 1 , 1965 and became the band 's second U.S. number 1 single , as well as the title track for their second album . The single represented the high @-@ water mark of folk rock as a chart trend and has been described by music historian Richie Unterberger as " folk rock 's highest possible grace note . " In addition , music critic William Ruhlmann has noted that the song 's lyrical message of peace and tolerance struck a nerve with the American record buying public as the Vietnam War continued to escalate . 
