An American Folk Story
July 13th, 2011
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The song with the happy ending was based on a true story. A man who had served three years in prison for writing bad checks was returning home on a bus headed south on U.S. 17 in Georgia. He had written a letter to his wife saying that he would understand if she didn’t wait for him, but if she still loved him, she could let him know by tying a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree in the city square of their hometown. As the bus driver rolled into White Oak, Georgia, the driver slowed down so the man—and all the passengers—could see if she had signalled her intentions. When the yellow ribbon was spotted, the man broke down and cried as the passengers cheered.
Source: The Billboard Book of #1 Hits
Tie a yellow ribbon ’round the ole oak tree17 weeks in the top 40 of the Hot 100 in 1973
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree · Dawn · 1973 Play the song. Lyrics (Read the lyrics while you listen to the track.) |
 Dawn consisted of Tony Orlando, Telma Hopkins and Joyce Wilson. Their popular version of Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree was a hit aroud the world. The song, itself, was one of the most recorded songs of the rock era, with well over 1000 cover versions. |
Well, whether or not it is a true story, it is a popular American folk story. The song based on the tale was a #1 hit for four weeks in 1973, in both the U.S. and the U.K. (It topped the Australian chart for seven weeks.) In 1973, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” was the top selling single for the year in both America and Britain.
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Tony Orlando and Dawn’s “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” can be found on the album |
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| TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLE OAK TREE Lyrics Dawn (Listen to “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” by Dawn.) |
I’m comin’ home, I’ve done my time.
Now I’ve got to know what is and isn’t mine.
If you received my letter telling you I’d soon be free,
then you’ll know just what to do
if you still want me.
If you still want me —
Oh, tie a yellow ribbon ’round the ole oak tree.
It’s been three long years.
Do ya still want me? (still want me)
If I don’t see a ribbon ’round the ole oak tree
I’ll stay on the bus,
forget about us,
put the blame on me —
if I don’t see a yellow ribbon ’round the ole oak tree.
Bus driver, please look for me,
’cause I couldn’t bear to see what I might see.
I’m really still in prison.
And my love, she holds the key.
A simple yellow ribbon’s what I need to set me free.
I wrote and told her please —
Oh, tie a yellow ribbon ’round the ole oak tree.
It’s been three long years.
Do ya still want me? (still want me)
If I don’t see a ribbon ’round the ole oak tree
I’ll stay on the bus,
forget about us,
put the blame on me —
if I don’t see a yellow ribbon ’round the ole oak tree.
Now the whole damned bus is cheerin’.
And I can’t believe I see
a hundred yellow ribbons ’round the ole oak tree.
I’m comin’ home, mmm, mmm
(Tie a ribbon ’round the ole oak tree)
(Tie a ribbon ’round the ole oak tree)
(Tie a ribbon ’round the ole oak tree)
(Tie a ribbon ’round the ole oak tree)
(Tie a ribbon ’round the ole oak tree)
(Tie a ribbon ’round the ole oak tree) . . .
[fade]
| Go back to the story. |
