Nobody ripped anybody off. I remembered that the label of the Byrds single very clearly cited that the song was written by Pete Seeger and was based on Ecclesiastes. Just Google an image of it and the Columbia single with the red label will appear with all due attribution. It is an excellent remake of a great song. Nothing wrong with that.
Google “Joshua Light Show” and “Pig Light Show.” A gift from my evenings at the Fillmore East, back when dinosaurs walked the earth.