An Alternate Ending to the Story

On a couple of social media platforms, I reposted the link (https://www.apirateontheprairie.com/post/tie-a-yellow-ribbon-round-the-ole-oak-tree-tony-orlando-and) to a previous blog post in which I shared the Tony Orlando and Dawn song, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Ole Oak Tree.” A while back I decided to reshare some of my previous posts, particularly on days where I didn’t have something original to post. And I enjoy sharing music that I have enjoyed.

But a funny thought occurred to me as I listened to this song after I got home from work. What if the soon-to-be released convict in the song that is coming home was serving time for stalking and other related offenses? What if he is kind of delusional or even batshit-crazy insane? What if he imagines that the object of his affection is pining for him while she, her new husband, and their family are actually dreading his release?

No doubt that he has been cautioned by his lawyer and prison officials to stay away from her and her family and yet he can’t be convinced to let her go. He isn’t violent and he hasn’t threatened anyone, but he is trapped in his own little world that is untethered to reality. I visualized a music video for this song ending with our convict protagonist being apprehended by a number of stern-faced law enforcement and correctional officials in front of some very confused and surprised bus passengers, a similarly confused and surprised bus driver, and a visibly relieved family. And this little scene at the end of the song plays out with a lot of flashing red and blue lights in front of an attractive home with a big oak tree in the front yard. And contrary to the lyrics being sung, there is not a yellow ribbon in sight. Well, except for all those yellow ribbons in the mind of our delusional protagonist. 😄

I once had a young woman tell me while we were lounging around in her bed that if she were to lie to the police and tell them that I had assaulted her, they would believe her. That was a little ominous to hear and I don’t know what brought that idea to her mind. She never did actually threaten to do such a thing and she never did prove her assertion by lying about me to the police. On another occasion, I did have a woman threaten me with “legal activities” when I pressed her to talk with me and to stop giving me the brush-off. As you might imagine, I took the threat seriously and took steps to protect myself from a legal standpoint. Both of these occurrences came to mind when I thought about this alternate outcome that contradicts the happy ending portrayed by the lyrics.

Here’s the link to the song if you want to imagine the alternate ending or you can stick with the happy ending. 😁