Hi there,
we've had a discussion on the German subforum which we'd like clarification on from native speakers:
The German common term for Redbud Tree is "Judasbaum" which literally translated is "Judas tree." According to wikipedia, the term "Judas tree" (named after a legend in which Judas took shelter under such a tree) most commonly is associated with the European version of Cercis (the botanic term), the American species of which is normally referred to as simply redbud.
Now if Mark had had an association with Judas tree when writing "Redbud tree," it would certainly add a different dimension to the tune as well as some food for thought. Thus the question: Would native speakers of (in this case in particular American) English expect to have biblical connotations when talking about redbud trees? Needless to say, the fact that Mark is a European English native speaker as well as a very well read individual makes the question even more interesting, but I believe that in his song writing, he would take the perspective of the character so intimate that he may very well shun out his own associations with it and focus on whatever the character would associate with it.
Thanks for responding!
Btw, I'm new here & a refugee from the markknopfler.com forum which is currently being evicted against the outspoken will of its tenants... I've looked into some of the discussions here and found that the crowd here is apparently as cool as the one in the "red page area." Looking forward to discussing things with you!
Edit: The original stimulation for this interpretation is courtesy of user chris.
