The above was clipped from Japan Live (japanlive.blogspot.com)
Do
Poplar Lyrics
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And daddy's morning coffee came from ol' left over ground
My mama wore no jewelry or any store bought stuff
And home was on a hillside forty miles from Poplar Bluff
Forty miles back in Missouri there's a different way of life
Where a man thinks of his neighbor and not his neighbor's wife
Life is far from fancy sometimes mighty rough
But contentment makes it worth it forty miles from Poplar Bluff
But it took us to the places where we knew we'd never go
We never had much money but we always had enough
Cause money never mattered much forty miles from Poplar Bluff
Forty miles back in Missouri
Well nearly every winter when the snow is on the ground
And the roads would all be closed and we couldn't get to town
But if daddy had his tobacco grandma had her snuff
Then the winters didn't seem so long forty miles from Poplar Bluff
Forty miles back in Missouri
Forty miles from Poplar Bluff
The lyrics to Poplar's song DO narrate the simple yet satisfying life of a family from forty miles away from Poplar Bluff in Missouri. The song details how the family never had luxurious items such as expensive shoes or brand new jewelry; instead, they made do with hand-me-downs and homemade items. The father's morning coffee was made from old leftover coffee grounds, and the mother never wore any store-bought jewelry. Despite living without material possessions, the family found contentment in their lives. They cherished their only family treasure, a beat-up radio, which took them places they could only dream of.
The song highlights the self-sustaining nature of the family who lived in a different way of life, where they valued their neighbor over material possessions. The lyrics go on to describe how difficult winters could be. The snow would cover the ground, and the roads to town would be blocked. However, the family found solace in the little things, like the father's tobacco and the grandmother's snuff, which made the long winters seem shorter.
In essence, the song DO highlights how the simple things in life can bring joy and contentment, even when material possessions are limited. It celebrates the idea of living life on one's own terms, away from the rush and noise of big cities.
Line by Line Meaning
I've never had a pair of shoes that weren't all hand-me-downs
I have never owned a pair of brand new shoes; all my footwear was given to me by someone else.
And daddy's morning coffee came from ol' left over ground
My father drank coffee made from reused coffee grounds.
My mama wore no jewelry or any store bought stuff
My mother did not own or wear any jewelry or items that were purchased from a store.
And home was on a hillside forty miles from Poplar Bluff
We lived on a hillside that was 40 miles away from the town of Poplar Bluff.
Forty miles back in Missouri there's a different way of life
The way of life is different in Missouri, especially 40 miles away from Poplar Bluff.
Where a man thinks of his neighbor and not his neighbor's wife
People in our community focused on helping their neighbors rather than being interested in matters that were not their own.
Life is far from fancy sometimes mighty rough
Our life was not glamorous and was often difficult.
But contentment makes it worth it forty miles from Poplar Bluff
Despite the hardships we faced, we were content with our lives 40 miles away from Poplar Bluff.
Our only family treasure was a beat up radio
The only valuable possession in our family was a radio that was in poor condition.
But it took us to the places where we knew we'd never go
Listening to the radio allowed us to experience places and events that we were not able to physically visit.
We never had much money but we always had enough
Although we did not have a lot of money, we always had what we needed to survive.
Cause money never mattered much forty miles from Poplar Bluff
Money was not a priority or a significant factor in our lives 40 miles away from Poplar Bluff.
Well nearly every winter when the snow is on the ground
During the winter months when it snowed heavily.
And the roads would all be closed and we couldn't get to town
Due to the heavy snowfall, the roads leading to town would be closed off, preventing us from traveling there.
But if daddy had his tobacco grandma had her snuff
My father would smoke tobacco and my grandmother would use snuff during these times.
Then the winters didn't seem so long forty miles from Poplar Bluff
Despite the harsh winter conditions, we were able to find comfort in the small pleasures of life while living 40 miles away from Poplar Bluff.
Forty miles back in Missouri
We lived in Missouri, 40 miles away from Poplar Bluff.
Forty miles from Poplar Bluff
We lived 40 miles away from the town of Poplar Bluff in Missouri.
Contributed by Vivian S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tedkaczynski5099
Your family dynamic makes you richer than most wealthy people.
@dozer1642
This could be your most poplar episode. đ„ž
@genem2768
No You Didn't!
@dennisdevore1648
Emerald, you may not be "rich" in money, but you are certainly blessed with a wealth of knowledge, and other aspects that matter so much more. Money does not make you.
@carvingeden
Love seeing more women taking the front and center in this field. More of this!
@tony-ps4qw
Poplar is used quite a bit to make moldings like crown molding because it mills well and also has a good surface to paint with not a lot of knots, checks or voids. It is usually not a wood to stain due to the many color variations it has. It also sands easy and has a smooth surface
@ascienceguy-5109
Ditto. As a woodworker I love poplar because it is easy to work and it is stable. Plus the price. Usually I use it for "paint grade" projects, but some boards are fine for clear-coated furniture
@sawmilldan
It takes walnut stain well.
@johnsonpaul1914
I disagree about the staining. As a stainer and painter in a 20 year period I probably did 50 homes with stained poplar. As long as the color is dark and the stain is a heavy bodied wiping stain such as Zar it stains quite well. I did about 600 homes over a 20 year career and most of those 600 was both supplying and finishing the millwork package. I did not install.
@marklambert4793
I used it to build an entire new fireplace mantle.
Painted it afterwards, and you couldnât tell it from solid oak.