Posted by Article about song on June 22, 2008, 3:31 pm
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Underneath The White Flag
Relationships between a father and son come in all sizes, shapes and forms and are probably one of the hardest emotions a son will ever have to deal with in his life and when he does figure it all out, if he ever does, it is usually too late to do anything about it.
I can’t say I am an exception to the rule but an off the cuff statement from my co-writer Tom Mitchell who it turns out pretty much shared the same relationship with his father as I did mine led us to write “Underneath The White Flag”
As was the obligatory thing to do by Nashville songwriters at the time and probably still is we were ripping apart the current hot artist on the “Row” and discussing how he was doing everything wrong as far as we were concerned. The “Hot Artist” at that time was Paul Overstreet and we pretty much agreed we thought his songs sounded like fairy tales and just a little bit too much fluff for our taste.
Tom said “If you believe ol Paul everyone’s father was this great philosopher spitting out words of wisdom but I don’t remember it that way at my house. “ I just laughed and said “Tom, did you ever hear these words at your house ? “As long as you live under my roof you’ll do what I say” Tom just laughed and said “Now that sounds more like what I remember. We ought to write that song” so we did.
We set the song up so it sounds like you are listening in on a telephone conversation between the father and the son but you are only hearing the son’s side of the conversation.
We never got a “Cut” on this song but I have heard that writing songs can be therapeutic and I am sure the truths we uncovered about ourselves and our respective fathers while writing “Underneath The White Flag” would have cost us a lot of money if we had been lying on a couch telling our story to some psychiatrist for a hundred bucks an hour.
"Underneath The White Flag"
Hey dad I'm glad I got you on the phone
I just called tonight to say I'm coming home
I know it's not Christmas and nothing's wrong
Except something that goes back a long, long time
I just realized I'm older now
Than you were the day we drew these battle lines
Let's not start another argument that's what this whole trip's all about
I'm driving in tonight dad tomorrow you and me will work this out
I'm not gonna try and change you, you know you can't change me
But we don't have to change to do what's right
That day we burned our bridges dad
We both left folks we love on either side
(Chorus)
I'm coming home underneath the white flag tonight
With an olive branch in my left hand a white dove in my right
Well bury this old hatchet and save the family tree
We can't replace the past now that it's gone
But we can face the fact that we're both wrong
And It's been too long Dad I'm coming home
(Bridge)
If someone wants to say I love you
They're gonna get a real good chance
But if that's too much for the both of us
Maybe we can just shake hands
(Repeat Chorus) (Repeat Chorus to fade.......)
Lonnie Ratliff / Tom Mitchell
Copr. Okie Acres Music (BMI) Yabut Music (BMI)
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