"Heretic, Rebel, a Thing to Flout" Gets its own Theme Song

A rare archeological find.  From their 1976-77 ABC Television series The Captain & Tennille, of all people, perform Toni Tennille’s song Circles inspired by the same Edwin Markham poem that gave title to this blog.  Bingo!  We have a theme song!

Universalist Markham (1852-1940), once a hugely popular “poet of the people” included a short poem in his 1913 volume The Shoes of Happiness, and Other Poems.  It became so popular that it merged into folk culture and was often reprinted with the attributions “anonymous” or “traditional.”  It was widely used by the Girl Scouts among others. 

  

Alabama born Tennille knew the poem from childhood.

 

Here it is in its original form.

 

Outwitted

 

He drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him In!