“Sweet Cherry Wine,” 1969, from Cellophane Symphony

 By Tommy James and the Shondells.

 Songwriters: Richard Grasso, Tommy James.

.

I recently received a request from our friend and author StandingBear,

an avid reader of this series, to analyze “Sweet Cherry Wine” by

Tommy James and the Shondells.  StandingBear, I’m so happy you

asked me to look at the words to this wonderful poem/song, and I

gratefully dedicate this line by line analysis to you.

.

 Readers, I have the song’s video posted for your listening pleasure,

 and the lyrics in their entirety below.

.

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

.

“Sweet Cherry Wine” has been classified in the Psychedelic

 Rock genre.  The music in this timeframe by Tommy James

 and the Shondells among other artists and groups all seem to

 be categorized so.  I remember the song well, and at first blush

 I thought so as well.  It has been documented as a “quiet protest

 of the Viet Nam War.” I took at these lyrics now, and I find this

 beautiful song has been sadly over-simplified and underestimated.

.

 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

.

The first verse, I’m sure, is where the song sounds like a war

 protest, “…everyone…get together now,” for “love’s the only

thing that matters anyhow.”  “Yesterday my friends were marching

out to war…listen now we ain’t a marching anymore. No we ain’t gonna

fight.”  The lyrics then tell us “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

.

The chorus seems to say that everyone should drink wine

 and “to open your mind,” because it’s “so stimulating” and

“so intoxicating.”  Everybody will “…feel so fine drinking sweet

 cherry wine.”  However, this passage follows “only God has the right

to decide who’s to live and die,” and because of that He gave us, God

gave us wine, yes.  He also gave us his Son, Jesus, who gave His

body; shed His blood on the cross.

.

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

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

.

The last passage refers to bombing nuclear war, as we “watch the

 mountain turn to dust and glow away.”  The desperation of the line

“Oh, Lord you know there’s got to be a better way,” tells us that “the

 old masquerade is no soul parade marchin’ through the ruins of time.”

Therefore, “to save us He gave us sweet cherry wine.”  Jesus shed his

 blood to save our souls, the wine being the classic symbol for the blood

of Christ.  The words urge us to “drink it with your brother, trust in one

another…pass it all around.”  The last line, a Biblical allusion, “People

don’t you know the cup is running over” says that we need to realize how

blessed we are for our lives, that our salvation is ours for the taking, the

partaking of the “sweet cherry wine.”

.

“Sweet Cherry Wine” is a song rich in images of destruction, love,

brotherhood and trust.  But the heart of the words is about faith,

having faith in God to show us the “better way.”