I just heard a radio commentator matter-of-factly announce that the tradition of yellow ribbons representing the desire for the return of a loved one dates back to the Civil War! I swear in all my history classes, on the History Channel and in reading about the history of the first and second world wars, I have NEVER heard any mention at any time of yellow ribbons. I was sure that the tradition didn’t start until the Iran hosatge crisis in the 1970’s, based on the old Tony Orlando and Dawn song ("Tie a yellow ribbin 'round the Old Oak Tree…"bleah!) which was still popular at the same time. Is the radio announcer correct? Is the “Yellow Ribbon” tradition older than the 1970’s?
I never saw or heard anything about “yellow ribbons” until the Tony Orlando and Dawn song came out, and seriously doubt if it was ever a big thing before that. There sure as heck weren’t any yellow ribbons on trees during the Vietnam War.
I always thought the song was incredibly corny, and was surprised at how quickly the concept caught on. Another proof of the power of the media, especially when the gesture is a simple and flamboyant one. Thank God TO&D didn’t start a trend on knocking on the ceiling three times.
Civil War song – movie by the same name starring John Wayne
“Around her neck she wore a yellow ribbon,
She wore it in the winter and the merry month of May.
And when they asked her, Why the yellow ribbon?
She said, It’s for my lover who is far, far away.”
The “Civil War era” song was written for the 1949 movie, as noted when The Master addressed the issue of Why do we put up yellow ribbons during wars, hostage crises, etc.?
The late Gerald E. Parsons, folklore historian, said the song Yellow Ribbon is at least 400 years old, was first recorded in 1938, & that the movie took its title from the song. He wrote some interesting pieces about the symbolic use/wearing of different ribbons throughout history.
Then during the Iranian Hostage crisis somebody re-recorded the Tony Orlando and Dawn song with new words written for the situation. So then people went a little funny with the ribbons and put them everywhere and they just won’t stop.
Reading the master I noted that the yellow ribbon has its roots in a minstrel song of 1838 called ‘All around my hat’ which uses green willow instead of ribbon.
You 'Murricans are unlikely to know much about the UK folk music scene in the 1970’s but that song was a fair sized hit for the group
Steeleye Span.
here is a link to the lyrics
http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/steeleye.span/
If there are any Richard Thompson fans among you, then you probably know about this bands links with Fairport Convention, Ashley Hutchings, Sandy Denny and a few others.
Just remembered – my grandfather, born about 1870, taught my father a somewhat ribald for the era parody of Yellow Ribbon:
“Around the block she pushed a baby carriage,
she pushed it in the winter & the merry month of May.
And when they asked her Why the baby carriage?
she said It’s for my lover who is far, far away.”
casdave writes:
> You 'Murricans are unlikely to know much about the UK folk
> music scene in the 1970’s but that song was a fair sized hit for
> the group
>
> Steeleye Span.
They were moderately well known in the U.S.