Scarlet Ribbons

“Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)” is a popular song. The music was written by Evelyn Danzig and the lyrics by Jack Segal. The song has become a standard with many recorded versions and has appeared on several Christmas albums.  “Scarlet Ribbons” was written in only 15 minutes in 1949 at Danzig’s home in Port Washington, New York after she invited lyricist Segal to hear her music.  The song tells a miraculous tale: a father hears his little girl pray before she goes to bed for “scarlet ribbons for her hair”. It is late, no stores are open in their town, nor is there anywhere the father can obtain the ribbons so he is distraught throughout the night. At dawn he again peeps in and is amazed to see beautiful “scarlet ribbons” in “gay profusion lying there.” He says that if he lives to be a hundred, he will never know from where the ribbons came,  The song was released  by Jo Stafford in 1949, Harry Belafonte In 1952, The Browns In 1959 and Cliff Richard In 1991