Scarlet Ribbons

The song tells of a parent who hears a child pray for scarlet ribbons, then discovers that none can be bought because every shop is closed. The parent feels distressed at being unable to fulfill this small wish. By morning, the ribbons are lying on the child’s bed, and the parent is left amazed. The feeling shifts from tender concern and helplessness to wonder and gratitude.

The ribbons are more than a pretty gift: they represent the child’s simple desire and the parent’s wish to make her happy. The dark, empty streets emphasize how impossible it seems to find them that night. The phrase “just before the dawn was breaking” marks a change from worry toward hope, though the song does not explain how the ribbons appeared.

The ending invites a sense of mystery. The parent says they will never know where the ribbons came from, so the event may be understood as a miracle, a dreamlike moment, or simply an unexplained kindness. The lyrics leave that question open. Their focus is less on solving the mystery than on the wonder of receiving something beautiful when it seemed impossible.