Folklore has it that the inspiration for the 1973 song came from a true incident that occurred on a bus bound for Miami, Florida. It seems that one of the passengers had just been released from prison and he was bound for home. He had written his wife and let her know he still loved her and wanted to be with her. He asked her to tie a yellow ribbon around the lone oak tree in the Town Square of White Oak, Georgia, if she still had feelings for him and wanted him to be with her.

Everyone in the bus asked the Driver to slow down as they approached, there it was! The Driver pulled over and phoned the wire services to share the story. It quickly spread throughout the country.
L. Russell Brown had the inspiration for writing the song. One late spring morning he drove 33 miles to Irwin Levine's house and told him the story of the oak tree, but it had nothing to do with any convict or news story.

It was about a civil war soldier, a stagecoach and yellow handkerchiefs. Irwin changed the yellow handkerchiefs to ribbons so as not to offend anyone with the reality of what makes handkerchiefs yellow! Russell Brown and Irwin Levine updated the story by changing the stagecoach to a bus. Russell Brown picked up a guitar and wrote the first eight or so lines of music and lyrics himself. Irwin picked up the ball and wrote the ending: "100 ribbons round the ole oak tree".

“Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” was released in February 1973. It was the number one hit by April 1973. The song became a hit again in 1981 when the 52 Iran Hostages were returned after 444 days of captivity. The song was played throughout the United States because, by then, the Yellow Ribbon had become a symbol of loyalty

Do you have a loved one deployed overseas? Would you like to send a special dedication to them?

Feel free to post a yellow ribbon, and a special note to them until they return home safely.

No ribbons to display

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