While the song is most recognized for its lyrics suggesting that everyone in America, “from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters," was welcome in the country, the extended version of the song reveals Guthrie's intention behind the song:Īnd on the sign it said "No Trespassing."īut on the other side it didn't say nothing, In retaliation, he penned “ This Land is Your Land,” a folk song that captured the beauty of the landscape he witnessed in search of employment while highlighting the struggles of the poor people he met along the way. Since his teens, Guthrie spent time hitchhiking and jumping trains throughout the nation in search of work, Woody Guthrie was angered by the blindly patriotic lyrics that seemed to ignore the devastation people all over America were experiencing. When Irving Berlin's “God Bless America” hit radio airwaves in 1939, the country had been suffering from financial depression for nearly a decade. I liked the song (a lot)… My cousin said (Lela) left a star. They just drove away…” I liked it, really. You could tell by the way it sounded… I thought “that's exactly what happened. Lela's son from her first marriage, Hal Ray Copeland, later shared: You can see their shadows wandering off somewhere They just drove off and left it all behind 'emīut where were they going without ever knowing the way?Īnyone can see the road that they walk on is paved in gold They left before the sun came up that day While the family was initially unaware that the hit song they heard on the radio was inspired by their loved ones' disappearances, they couldn't help but notice the similarities suggested in the lyrics: Nearly two weeks later, two boys found their vehicle, along with the Howards' remains, at the bottom of a 25-foot cliff near Hot Springs, AK. When the Howards hadn't made it home by nightfall, their family reported them missing.ĭespite multiple sightings throughout the days that followed, no one seemed to be able to pinpoint Raymond and Lela's location. Instead, the couple chose to get behind the wheel and drive themselves. Both showed signs of memory loss, and their families urged them to allow someone to drive them. On June 29, 1997, Raymond (88) and Lela (83) Howard left home to attend the Pioneer Day Festival. When he stumbled across the story of an elderly couple who had gone missing without a trace, Scalzo knew he wanted to capture the sad, mysterious tale in song. Looking for inspiration for the group's second album, lead vocalist Tony Scalzo scoured newspaper headlines. But while fans may know every word of the song, the story of the elderly couple that inspired the lyrics isn’t as well known. I love you so much, but do me a favor and baby don’t reply, because I can dish it out, but I can’t take it.Īs the song that threw the Austin, TX, based band Fastball into fame, “ The Way” became one of the most recognizable songs of the late ‘90s. The bridge, which serves as an angry assertion at the recklessness of drunk drivers, is a quote from Katie's mother, who was heard to murmur the words to her daughter's body at the scene of the incident: Heidgen was initially charged to serve between 18 years to life in prison. While the limousine driver and the rest of her family escaped, Katie perished instantly. The somber ballad opens with the line, “Katie, don’t cry, I know you’re trying your hardest,” before launching into a lament describing the family's immense sorrow and grief instilled by the driver's carelessness.įlynn and her family were riding in a limousine when Martin Heidgen collided with their vehicle in his pickup truck on the fateful night. Marley himself said the song was about seeking justice.īrand New's haunting song, “ Limousine,” retells the story of 7-year-old Katie Flynn, who was tragically killed by a drunk driver on the way home from a family wedding in 2005. Though this occurrence may have led to the initial ideas for the ballad, the idea of “the sheriff” as a person of authority interfering with spiritual beliefs and practices trends to a larger interpretation typical of Marley's lyrical poetry. Hints of this revelation can be heard in the following lines:Įvery time I plant a seed / He said kill it before it grow. The doctor who prescribed them was referred to as “the sheriff,” as they weren't responsible for creating them but were interfering with nature by prescribing them to patients. This led fans to believe the Wailers frontman was poetically alluding to an entirely different topic than what was heard in the song, and one of Marley's ex-flames proved them right.Īccording to Esther Anderson, the song is about her decision to use birth control, which Marley opposed. For Bob Marley, a musician known for his straightforward, peace-inspiring lyrics, “ I Shot the Sheriff” seems to be an atypical song.
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