Delta Dawn
Tanya Tucker - Topic
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The main chorus of Delta Dawn is much like any old hymn:
Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
Whereas 'Amazing Grace' has a very clear Christian meaning; 'Delta Dawn' is much more open to interpretation. The rich and open-ended symbolism leave the door wide open for metaphor. Could there be an aspect or experience of your own life within it? Someone else you know? A phantom-type metaphor for something else... perhaps a plurality? One thing is for certain, it's a very American song; and would easily fit pretty much anywhere or any experience within America. Of course, being a great song--with its subtle ebbs and flows--helps. I prefer the original Tanya Tucker version over the Helen Reddy one which became a #1 hit the following year.
The flower/rose symbol could represent many things... anything you wish. From a Neopagan perspective, it could represent a red rose, sub rosa, a black rose, a vehme star rose, or the Rosa Camuna... and many other symbols and concepts such as Rosicrucianism. It could simply be a metaphor for a concept or anything lost or faded in time... such as "a love." In my mind, something faded isn't an absolute or permanent condition. A portrayal of something faded, missing, lost, or dead could be the start of a process of revival I would think. Sometimes a construct or dynamic---which had failed in its initial effort---could hold much more lasting power than if it had had quick, easy, and short-term success when it had it's period of opportunity. Think about that.
The observance or memory of a past failed construct, even if it wasn't specifically your thing, could still hold great inspiration if applicable to a certain individual or collective in some manner. In other words, losing is part of the game of life... or history; or as the old saying goes "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Getting back to the song, even just the word "dawn," could represent a new beginning.... or the concept of an "ending and beginning"... which seems to conflate with the ancient three-fold European pagan concept of the cycle of life, "birth..... life.... death and to a new arising."
As to whether or not the character of Delta Dawn herself would just remain in a state of wallowing in the past or go onto something greater, while using her defeat as an inspiration, we don't know. It could be interpreted that she is in "that place"... the fork in the road. A major defeat in life can cause a person to destroy themselves; although I'm really not talking about a simple idea of learning a lesson, but something more deeply spiritual... or perhaps even ritualistic. The sting of defeat can linger for a long time because it's so personal to the individual or collective. It takes some time and effort to see it as an inspiration.
Unless the happening was just totally devastating, or the subject has not physically gotten away from the particulars yet, there's no reason that it couldn't be an inspiration or at least a type of acceptance or acknowledgment that fosters a certain inner strength. The subject doesn't necessarily have to accept defeat; but they could acknowledge the event as part of their story; even to the point of creating a legend of sorts from it, and even still to the point of turning it into a type of ritual.... repackaging it, owning it.
'Delta Dawn' is rich with symbolism and imagery, which could be stand-ins for anything you want them to be. "Brownsville" could be anywhere; the "mansion in the sky" could be anywhere, or anything. Changing the words would be missing the point I think; however in thought-form certain aspects could be changed. "Prettiest" seems to suggest a strong positive aspect, while "crazy" seems to suggest a strong negative trait. It could all be relative. The "suitcase" could be a metaphor for something. The beauty of metaphor is that you determine what it all means. "Delta Dawn" could be a metaphor for a male, with a woman standing-in as a spiritual representation, or a symbol for a certain collective. The symbol of the fading rose gets my attention more than anything else.
There are only three sets of lines--three short poems--in this song. The song ends with the initial main chorus repeated four times. The first one quicker, a bit louder, and with the full background. The second with a faded background, sung a little slower and clearer, but emanating with an air of power. Then it repeats the first version twice more. This song, to me, could be thought of in the same way as with the song 'Rhiannon' being adopted by some Neopagans after the way it was featured in the tv-series 'American Horror Story: Coven' in 2014. Of course, one doesn't need to wait for a song to be featured in some capacity in order to apply some deeper personal meaning into it. Just the fact that these songs are great works of musical art, really makes the metaphors work within the soul.
Tanya Tucker - Delta Dawn
John1948TwelveC
Tanya Tucker had her first country hit in 1972, when she was just 13 years old. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood without losing her audience, and during the course of her career, she notched a remarkable streak of Top Ten and Top 40 hits.
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'Delta Dawn' lyrics
Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
She's forty-one and her daddy still calls her "baby"
All the folks around Brownsville say she's crazy
'Cause she walks dowtown with a suitcase in her hand
Looking for a mysterious dark-haired man
In her younger days they called her Delta Dawn
Prettiest woman you ever laid eyes on
Then a man of low degree stood by her side
And promised her he'd take her for his bride
Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
Song Meaning
The title character of "Delta Dawn" is a faded southern belle from Brownsville, Tennessee who at forty-one is obsessed to unreason by the long ago memory of an errant suitor. The song's lyrics describe how the woman regularly "walks downtown with a suitcase in her hand/ Looking for a mysterious dark haired man" who she says is "meeting her…today/ To take [her] to his mansion in the sky".
The song is said to have been inspired by a woman named Dawn Parsworth who waited aimlessly for days for a man who had stood her up after promising to marry her.[citation needed] She would walk up to the bus-stop every day slowly becoming more and more mentally-ill. She was later admitted to a Brownsville asylum where she died in a ward cell.
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Delta Dawn
"Delta Dawn" is a song written by former child rockabilly star Larry Collins and songwriter Alex Harvey, best known as a 1972 top ten country hit for Tanya Tucker and a number one hit for Helen Reddy in 1973.
The co-writer more often goes by the name Alexander Harvey today, not to be confused with Glaswegian rocker Alex Harvey.
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The title character is a faded former Southern belle from Brownsville, Tennessee who, at forty-one, is obsessed to unreason with the long-ago memory of a jilting suitor. The song's lyrics describe how the woman regularly "walks down town with a suitcase in her hand / looking for a mysterious dark haired man" who she says will be taking her "to his mansion in the sky."
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Tanya Tucker - Delta Dawn (song with lyrics)
Delta Dawn (all of the songs from the Delta Dawn album by Tanya Tucker)
Tanya Tucker - Delta Dawn (another live version, after she became an adult)
Tanya Tucker YouTube channel (with all of her music)
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