“The Andy Griffith Show” was not only popular from 1960 to 1968, the years it aired on CBS, but it also ranked as the 60th most-watched show in 2016, according to Outsider.
With the old episodes still available on streaming services such as Roku and the cable channel MeTV, it’s a safe bet that it is still popular today.
In the show, Sheriff Andy Taylor, a widower, lives with his son Opie and Andy’s Aunt Bee in Mayberry, North Carolina. Since Andy does not have a lot of crimes to solve, he spends his time philosophizing, fishing and calming down his cousin, Deputy Barney Fife.
Even those who aren’t familiar with the show might recognize its theme song. But do those who are familiar with the show know the lyrics to the tune?
Here are the lyrics so you can sing along:
Well, now, take down your fishin’ pole
and meet me at the fishin’ hole.
We may not get a bite all day,
but don’t you rush away.
What a great place to rest your bones
and mighty fine for skippin’ stones.
You’ll feel fresh as a lemonade,
a-settin’ in the shade.
Whether it’s hot,
whether it’s cool,
oh what a spot
for whistlin’ like a fool.
Do you miss shows like “The Andy Griffith Show”?
What a fine day to take a stroll
and wander by the fishin’ hole.
I can’t think of a better way
to pass the time o’ day.
We’ll have no need to call the roll
when we get to the fishin’ hole.
There’ll be you, me, and Old Dog Trey,
to doodle time away.
If we don’t hook a perch or bass,
we’ll cool our toes in dewy grass.
Or else pull up a weed to chaw,
and maybe set and jaw.
Hangin’ around,
takin’ our ease,
watchin’ that hound
a-scratchin’ at his fleas.
Come on, take down your fishin’ pole
and meet me at the fishin’ hole.
I can’t think of a better way
to pass the time o’ day.
Why the continued popularity? The show hearkens to a time when people looked forward to the simple things in life, like fishing and spending time with family and friends It was a world unencumbered by social media, cell phones and the clamor that has become the hallmark of contemporary life.
One could go so far as to say that “The Andy Griffith Show” portrayed a Golden Age in American life, an ideal to be treasured in the tumult of the 1960s.
In a word, the program showcased an America that people loved and fought wars to preserve. It was devoid of the self-loathing portrayed by those Americans who have drunk the poison of radical leftists — both then and now.
The “Andy Griffith Show” was and is patriotic.
Sheriff Taylor was good at spreading his brand of patriotism. In one episode, he tells the story of the “shot heard around the world” to some schoolboys and Barney Fife.
“The Andy Griffith Show” captured the spirit of small-town America. Though some might bemoan the simplicity of its message, the perennial popularity of the program suggests that the traditional virtues of honesty, wisdom and family are a permanent aspect of American culture.
According to Joey Fann, author of “The Way Back to Mayberry,” a popular study guide for small groups in churches, “Andy Griffith insisted that each show have a moral. And religion is portrayed the way it fits into the life of people of faith: just as part of everyday affairs and conversation. It’s a secular show, but you know these are church-going, God-fearing people,” Fann told The State Journal-Register.
We could use a lot more of that old-time religion today.
If you’re feeling ground down by the constant attack on traditional virtue engineered by leftists, sit down and watch a few episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Not only will it make you feel better, it will remind you what conservatives are fighting for.
