He was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He began his musical career in Los Angeles in his teens and migrated around to wind up in New York City in time to take part in the folk music revival of the early 1960s. He is best remembered for his activity in the Greenwich Village area. He performed with Bob Dylan soon after Dylan's arrival in New York City, was a contributor to Broadside Magazine and recorded a number of albums for Folkways Records and other labels.
Raised as a Quaker, Spoelstra's career was put on hold from 1963–1965, when he performed alternative service as a conscientious objector in Fresno, California. In the mid 1960s, he frequently performed at the Ash Grove in West Hollywood—where a man from New York who had reinvented himself as Taj Mahal comprised the house band—and was known for his contemplative compositions, which sometimes reflected incidents in his part-time career as a school bus driver. He later settled in Northern California, where he lived, primarily near Stockton, until his death. He withdrew from the touring life in the early 1970s to raise a family. In the mid 1970s, he became a minister and used his musical talents as a means to preach his spiritual messages. He worked for a number of years as a tour bus driver in Yosemite National Park. Throughout, Spoelstra remained in touch with his music. In 2001, he recorded an album entitled, Out of My Hands for the Origin Jazz Library label; the first record he'd made in 20 years. The album is a mix of new songs written for the album and some of his old favorites. In his later years he returned to the stage to perform on a limited scale. In any event he performed until the summer of 2006 when illness forced him to stop. Several of his albums recorded for Elektra Records, long out of print, have also recently been reissued on compact discs. Another album, self-produced, of original gospel music, Gospel Trucker, is planned for reissue.
Spoelstra died from complications of pancreatic cancer at his home in Pioneer, California on February 25, 2007.
White Winged Dove
Mark Spoelstra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm old enough now in this country to vote
So I wrote me a song ‘bout the white winged dove
And a toy gun for Christmas in place of love.
I hear the children yell with their hands on a gun
I'm better than you are ‘cause I got one…
My playmates respect me, my Mommy does too
Cause she bought it for me to shoot whenever I choose.
Sometimes I wish this gun it was real
But I can pretend that it's made out of steel.
Bullets and powder and a trigger to pull.
Then I'd be grown-up like the rest of the world.
Just a toy, just a toy, just a toy,
Just a toy, just a toy, just a toy,
A real one, a steel one, just a toy.
When I grow up it will be okay
To join the army and to vote someday
Like my Mommy, my country will give me a gun
To use like I did my old toy one.
Nobody is born with the urge to kill
You learn it as you live and you live as you will
So buy your kids a toy gun so they will have the right
To kill mankind like a dove's last flight.
The blood of this world is mixed with tears
Guns have been around for hundreds of years.
If that's the way you want it then that's the way it is
‘Cause the world is what you make it and we made it blood red.
Daddy, oh Daddy, buy me some love,
I dreamed last night I killed a white winged dove.
Everybody was dead except for three things:
Me, my gun and the dog-gone dream.
In my dream the dove she tried to fly,
My toy gun killed her and I watched her die.
Then the wind sang soft like a tear from above
Your Daddy cannot buy back the white winged dove.
Just a toy, just a toy, just a toy,
Just a toy, just a toy, just a toy,
A real one, a steel one, just a toy.
The song "White Winged Dove" by Mark Spoelstra is a powerful commentary on the issue of gun violence in America, specifically the culture of giving toy guns to young children. In the first verse, Spoelstra describes how he can play guitar and sing, and is old enough to vote, but chooses to use his music to speak out against the prevalent use of toy guns. He mentions a toy gun he received for Christmas in place of love, which becomes a recurring motif in the song.
In the second verse, Spoelstra describes how he hears children boasting about their toy guns and competing with each other. He wishes that his toy gun was real so he could be a grown-up like the rest of the world, but recognizes that it is just a toy. He acknowledges that no one is born with the urge to kill, it is something that is learned as we live. He ends the verse by challenging the audience to buy their kids a toy gun so they can have the right to kill like a dove's last flight.
In the third verse, Spoelstra tells a story about a dream he had where he killed a white winged dove with his toy gun. He regrets the loss of the dove's life and understands that his Daddy cannot buy back the white winged dove. The repetition of the line "just a toy, just a toy, just a toy" throughout the song emphasizes the theme that the toy gun is just a symbol of the larger issue of gun violence that has plagued America for centuries.
Line by Line Meaning
I can play this guitar, I can sing a few notes,
I have the ability to play guitar and sing a little bit of music.
I'm old enough now in this country to vote
I am now of legal age to vote in this country.
So I wrote me a song ‘bout the white winged dove
I penned a song about a white bird, the symbolism of which I will reveal later on.
And a toy gun for Christmas in place of love.
I received a toy gun as a present during the holiday season instead of a more affectionate gift.
I hear the children yell with their hands on a gun
The children shout as they hold their toy guns.
I'm better than you are ‘cause I got one…
I feel superior to others because I possess this toy gun.
My playmates respect me, my Mommy does too
My friends and my mother admire me because I have a toy gun.
Cause she bought it for me to shoot whenever I choose.
My mother purchased this toy gun for me so that I could shoot it whenever I want.
Sometimes I wish this gun it was real
I harbor occasional desires for a real weapon.
But I can pretend that it's made out of steel.
I can imagine that this toy gun is actually a steel firearm.
Bullets and powder and a trigger to pull.
The toy gun has bullets, powder, and a trigger that can be pulled.
Then I'd be grown-up like the rest of the world.
If I had a real gun, I would feel like an adult like everyone else.
Just a toy, just a toy, just a toy,
This gun is merely a plaything, nothing more.
Just a toy, just a toy, just a toy,
This gun is just a child's toy.
A real one, a steel one, just a toy.
While I desire a real gun, what I have is nothing but a toy.
When I grow up it will be okay
Once I am an adult, it will be acceptable for me to possess a real gun.
To join the army and to vote someday
In the future, I may become a soldier or engage in voting.
Like my Mommy, my country will give me a gun
My country will provide me with a weapon, just like my mother did with a toy gun.
To use like I did my old toy one.
I will use my actual weapon just as I used my toy gun in the past.
Nobody is born with the urge to kill
No one is inherently wired to have the drive to kill.
You learn it as you live and you live as you will
The desire to kill develops through life experience and personal choices.
So buy your kids a toy gun so they will have the right
Parents should purchase toy guns for their children so that they may have the option to bear arms in the future.
To kill mankind like a dove's last flight.
I mention the white winged dove in the song title to metaphorically represent humanity, which people can kill like I killed the bird in my dream.
The blood of this world is mixed with tears
The planet is infused with human suffering.
Guns have been around for hundreds of years.
Weapons have existed for centuries.
If that's the way you want it then that's the way it is
If people desire weapons, society will continue to produce and nourish that desire.
‘Cause the world is what you make it and we made it blood red.
The world is what humanity has shaped it to be, which includes a great deal of violence.
Daddy, oh Daddy, buy me some love,
I implore my father to demonstrate his love for me with a different, more caring gift.
I dreamed last night I killed a white winged dove.
In my dream I murdered an emblematic bird to represent the death of mankind as a whole.
Everybody was dead except for three things:
In the dream, excluding me, everything perished.
Me, my gun and the dog-gone dream.
The only things that remained were me, my toy gun, and the dream itself.
In my dream the dove she tried to fly,
The white winged dove tried to take off in the dream.
My toy gun killed her and I watched her die.
The toy gun ended up killing the bird after my character shooting it, and I witnessed this happening.
Then the wind sang soft like a tear from above
Following the bird's death, the wind produced a mournful song.
Your Daddy cannot buy back the white winged dove.
My father cannot bring the bird, which represents the loss of humanity, back to life with an alternative gift.
Just a toy, just a toy, just a toy,
The weapon in question is as much a toy as it was before.
Just a toy, just a toy, just a toy,
The toy gun is not a real weapon, and this point continues to hold.
A real one, a steel one, just a toy.
Ultimately, the only difference between this toy gun and a real steel weapon is that the toy gun has a less severe impact.
Contributed by Annabelle D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.