Now the whole damned bus is cheerin'
And I can't believe I see
A hundred yellow ribbons 'round the old oak tree
Tie a ribbon 'round the old oak tree
--Tony Orlando and Dawn, 1973
This song came on the radio yesterday as I was composing an email to the folks (who by the way are on an Antartic Cruise.) It is just one of those songs for me. It was a hit in 1973 but it regained popularity when Americans tied yellow ribbons all over for the Iran hostages. The song was played everywhere on January 20, 1981, when the hostages were released. What I didn't know until I really listened yesterday is that the song is about a guy getting out of jail. When I was searching for the lyrics today, I found out that it's based on a real guy, who passed bad checks, was in jail for three years and had written a letter to his wife that she didn't have to wait for him, but if she still wanted him, to tie a yellow ribbon around the oak tree in the center of town. She did, and the rest is history.
Hey, I'm a sucker for a happy ending...but you knew that already.
2 years ago
5 comments:
but don't you think it's kind of funny that Americans use yellow ribbons now for soldiers?
I mean, the original story is about a guy who went to JAIL, not someone serving their country.
I know I am cynical, but I think Americans should tie blue ribbons or red ribbons for soldiers...
I'm only saying.
Yeah, I thought it was wierd too...but I think it must have started, like I said, when the hostages came back from Iran, they just transferred the idea of someone coming home, which then blossomed out to the military.
It's nice to remember that even convicted felons need love too.
-J., Mr. Scarcasm
So true, J., so true! it's that last bit that gets me, 100 yellow ribbons round the old oak tree (which is a fictionalization, but it is a device to amplify the truth.)
...that some people really, really love other people in spite of the other people being convicted felons?
However, gauging by Tony Orlando (& Dawn's) career, and the absence of a song along the lines of "I Tied All Those STUPID Ribbons ANd You Ran Off With That Waitress" therefrom, it seems the guy went straight and all's well that ends well.
-J.
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