I can figure out from the context what “harpoon” means, but this song is the only time I’ve heard that instrument called that.
Note: The song came out in the sixties, 1970 at the latest. Thanks to McGehee for telling me how to post the ghosted answer, which is below.
“Me and Bobbie McGee,” sung by Janis Joplin.
see here for an explanation of the category
Me and Bobbie Magee? Drag queen?
I don’t think Janis Joplin was a drag queen…
Skanky, maybe…
McGehee,
It’s not what I’d expect a drag queen to be listening to either. No where near glam enough. On the other tenticle, it’s a pretty gender-neutral name. After all, it could be either “Bobby” or “Bobbi”… So, is the subject of the song any kin of yours?
TW: Elements41. Niobium, if memory serves. And by memory, I mean wikipedia.
Heh. Possible, but not likely. The overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. who spell their surname “McGee” are probably descended from Irish immigrants who arrived much later than my McGehee ancestor (documented to be in Virginia in the 1650s) whom family lore insists was Scottish.
If Kristofferson had chosen to spell Bobby’s name “McGhee,” there would have been a much greater chance of cousinhood.
That said, there are cousins of mine scattered around whose lines wound up with variants on the “McGee” spelling. The 1600s to 1700s were not a prime time for consistency in such matters. I could write a whole post.