What makes people say this is about a WWI veteran? I've always assumed Vietnam.
Tenkiller Lake didn't exist before 1947 (it's a dammed river; the dam was built in '47), and the Cadillac DeVille didn't exist until 1949. Not that Tom necessarily did historical research to write this song (and of course he didn't have access to wikipedia, like me), and there's obviously a lot of metaphor in this song... it certainly doesn't qualify as "realism."
But... I don't see any lyrical cues indicating World War I. Why do you think it's about WWI?
What makes people say this is about a WWI veteran? I've always assumed Vietnam.
Tenkiller Lake didn't exist before 1947 (it's a dammed river; the dam was built in '47), and the Cadillac DeVille didn't exist until 1949. Not that Tom necessarily did historical research to write this song (and of course he didn't have access to wikipedia, like me), and there's obviously a lot of metaphor in this song... it certainly doesn't qualify as "realism."
But... I don't see any lyrical cues indicating World War I. Why do you think it's about WWI?
@timodm "Doughboy" was a term for American soldiers in World War I.
@timodm "Doughboy" was a term for American soldiers in World War I.
@timodm it's clearly a WW1 veteran as there is a reference to Doughboys. "Doughboy" was a nickname given to US soldiers in WW1.
@timodm it's clearly a WW1 veteran as there is a reference to Doughboys. "Doughboy" was a nickname given to US soldiers in WW1.