There were two very good candidates I had in mind for todays "Drippin' with Cheeze" installment. I deliberated them both carefully, but the weather here in the Northeast made up my mind for me.
It's rainy and cold and dreary, so why not a sad, sappy, depressing song to go with it?
When you think about the year that this song came out, 1971 and the history that was happening during that time you can see what inspired it. It also became the theme song for a popular movie "The Legend of Billy Jack"
The song was recorded originally by the group "Original Caste" and it was a semi-hit for them, but it was the group Coven's cover of the song that became the most popular. There was some controversy over the song and it's intended meaning, but to me it's always been a very simple message about war.
I think even as a child the imagery that it evoked and the message it delivered stayed with me for a really long time.
It is definitely one of my favorites.
Ladies and gentlemen:
One Tin Soldier
Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley folk below
On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath a stone
And the valley people swore
They'd have it for their very own
Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of Heaven
You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away
So, the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill
Asking for the buried treasure,
Tons of gold for which they'd kill
Came an answer from the kingdom,
"With our brothers, we will share
All the secrets of our mountain,
All the riches buried there
"Now, the valley cried with anger,
"Mount your horses, draw your swords!"
And they killed the mountain people
So, they won their just reward
Now, they stood beside the treasure
On the mountain dark and red
Turned the stone and looked beneath it...
"Peace on Earth" was all it said
Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of Heaven
You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away
Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of
HeavenYou can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day
On the bloody morning afterOne tin soldier rides away
Friday, February 01, 2008
Drippin' with Cheeze
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8 comments:
I only know the Joan Baez version of the song, which is pretty strong too, me thinks.
That reminds me...I wanted to put some new stuff on my ipod.
That song's not as bad as one listed on the link you posted: "I've never been to me."
That is the pukiest song EVER written!
Finn...I think pretty much anything Joan Baez sings is pretty strong, so I agree with you there.
VC - I LOVE that song! Thanks for the idea!
I was in junior high when I first heard this one. I remember my big sister, dancing to it and singing to it in her bedroom.....
Wow. And there were SO MANY drippy songs back then....
I keep thinking of that Rod McKuen song about, "we had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun..."
God.
I'll have to add that one to my list as well Maria!
I know I've only touched the surface with these, so it should be an interesting journey.
The biggest problem is that once I listen to them...I end up with an earworm and sing them for the rest of the freakin' day!
Embarassing. I just bought this song on iTunes about a month ago.
Wow..I'd forgotten One Tin Soldier & like Maria, I was thinking of Seasons in the Sun too.
I remember singing along without even thinking about what the lyrics meant.
i have the lyrics to that song printed out on my bulletin board.
j.
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