March 8, 2008
Sweet Cherry Wine
I must have been a hippie in a previous life. The song Sweet Cherry Wine by Tommy James and the Shondells is one of my favorites, and I’ve got an old 45 record of it on my jukebox (for real, I have a jukebox in my dining room).
When listening to the song today, I started to realize the lyrics are almost timeless.
Sweet Cherry Wine
Come on, everyone we gotta get together now
Oh yeah, love’s the only thing that matters anyhow
And the beauty of life can only survive
If we love one another
Oh yeah, yesterday my friends were marching out to war
Oh yeah, listen now we ain’t a marching anymore
No we ain’t gonna fight
Only God has the right
To decide who’s to live and die
He gave us sweet cherry wine
so very fine
Drink it right down, pass it all around
So stimulating, so intoxicating
Sweet cherry wine
To open your mind
And everybody’s gonna feel so fine
Drinking sweet cherry wine
Yes they will
Watch the mountain turn
To dust and glow away
Oh Lord, you know there’s got to be a better way
And the old masquerade is a no soul parade
Marchin’ through the ruins of time
To save us He gave us sweet cherry wine
Sweet cherry wine, so very fine
Drink it right down
Pass it all around
So stimulating, so intoxicating
Sweet cherry wine
Drink it with your brother
Trust in one another, yeah, yeah
He gave us sweet cherry wine
Sweet cherry wine
Drink it right down
Pass it all around
People don’t you know the cup is running over
Or maybe, I’m just a Catholic hippie. Tommy James wrote this song to express is Christian beliefs, as the “sweet cherry wine” represents the blood of Jesus Christ. This song was also released during the height of pychedelia, so that could explain the ‘brotherly love” feeling of the song. Sweet Cherry Wine is also the closest that James ever got to a protest recording (of the Vietnam war).
The song could definitely fit the Iraq war, I think.
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March 8th, 2008 at 7:00 PM, Sweet Cherry Wine · The Spin Doctor Says:
[...] Read the rest of this great post here [...]
March 10th, 2008 at 7:04 AM, Amber Says:
You just confirmed I am neither hippie nor Catholic – I’ve never heard of it before. Of course, all I seem to be listening to are nursery rhymes these days. Someone shoot me now…
March 16th, 2008 at 10:50 AM, Leslie Says:
I love, love, LOVE this song! It’s one of my favorites.