Lyrics for Father And Son as interpreted by Novartza

Father And Son Lyrics
It's not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.

I was once like you are now, and I know that it's not easy,
To be calm when you've found something going on.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything you've got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.

How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.
It's always been the same, same old story.
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.

It's not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to go through.
Find a girl, settle down,
if you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.

All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it.
If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them you know not me.
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.

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mercanfat
01-09-2002

Rated 0 
A wonderful song about a conversation between a father and his son. The son is just beginning to realize the world and he is very unhappy to see the world as it is. The father is experienced so he tries to calm down his son. A wonderful piece of art.

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Deb
01-09-2002

Rated 0 
I agree with mercanfat to a degree, but I also believe that the son is frustrated by never being heard. feeling as though his feelings, thoughts, and needs don't matter to his Father.

I have also at times, when listening to this song wondered if the son meant suicide when he says, "Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go."???

When you listen to the song and the passion with which he's singing the lines, "All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it.
If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them you know not me.", it's obvious that he is highly frustrated by the way his life has been to date...

He doesn't sing...keeping all the things I "THINK" inside...but rather..."keeping all the things I knew inside", referencing that he isn't swayed in what he knows by his father's words, nor attitude...only hurt and frustrated at never being heard.

Anyway...that's my thoughts on it!


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drunkrob
05-17-2002

Rated 0 
I like to think the son is telling his dad he needs to go away to grow and become his own man and not anything to do with suicide. The good things about songs though is you can take your own meaning out os special songs such as this one.

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BtownMeggy
08-05-2002

Rated 0 
No, I definitely don't think it's about suicide. It's about the classic story of parent and child. Living, loving, but eventually the child has to leave the nest. The father knows this, though it hurts, and it's just advising his son, who is still young and prideful.

I'm moving thousands of miles away to college this fall. This song makes me teary-eyed.

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BrainDamage
08-24-2002

Rated 0 
The classic story of the younger generation who are ready to take on the world with their ideals and what they know inside their hearts vs the older generation that have lived enough to understand what the world is about and that living a simpler life, away from the true pains of the world, would be a better path to take than tackling the world head on.

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rootsrockreggae
09-14-2002

Rated 0 
Cat Stevens is so amazing, he has sush a great voice and unbeleivable lyrics. this is one of my favoreite songs by him. I think this song is about a father telling his son about the world.

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AshenCharm
04-07-2003

Rated 0 
I think this song is about a young man and his father. The father wants him to go the same way he went. to the family life. The son want to go out and do something with his life that his father doesn't approve of. it seems to me that the father is scared for his son that his sons dreams may not come true so he don't even want him to take a chance and end up with heartbreak.

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Pharabus
04-24-2003

Rated 0 
I think the son is telling his father how different he will treat his child. the line "From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen" really talks to me. We teach kids to talk yet don't let them express opinions, it really is a frustrated kinda song. I love it

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ylva-li
04-11-2004

Rated 0 
Did you understand, what the son sing during the second "It's not time to make a change..."?
It's something like "[don't know] why must I doing this decision alone."
And then the father sings during the son's "All the time that I've cried...": "Stay, stay, stay, why must you doing this decision alone."
(I have to admit: I didn't understand it myseld, I just read it in a book and forgot the son's first line.)

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ZeroOne
10-23-2004

Rated 0 
I think its about neither Father or Son understanding each other as well as they think they do, and both of them getting the messages wrong. The Father keeps telling the Son to relax and settle his life down, but the Son doesn't want his Father's life (which his Father can't see) and gets angry when he feels like his Father isn't listening to what he wants in life.

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damian9389
11-13-2004

Rated 0 
"All the times i cried.. keeping all the things i new in side" its hard not having one to express to. the therapeutic conversing between a father and his child is a much needed activity in a child's youth. I think Cat Stevens may have been deprived of a healthy father figure when he was younger. Just a thought.

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robman_84
12-08-2004

Rated 0 
Such a beautiful song, and very thought provoking when you are a father! Anyway, the meaning of the song can be found on Cat Stevens' (nee Yusuf Islam) own web site - http://www.yusufislam.org.uk/fatherandson.shtml

So it is about a son wanting to leave home and join the Russian Revolution. I'm glad I know that now!

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moonshadow158
12-18-2004

Rated 0 
I don't know why this is the only song everyone is commenting on. If you think this song is great, then you should listen to other stuff by Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam. Everything he touches is great!

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nitsirhc
12-19-2004

Rated 0 
I'm pretty sure that this song is about a father AND a son. Way to speak to multiple generations at once, Osama!

I like Cat and all, but I mean, if he sends some anthrax to somebody or bombs some building SOMEBODY owes me a dollar.

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nitsirhc
12-19-2004

Rated -1 
I'm pretty sure that this song is about a father AND a son. Way to speak to multiple generations at once, Osama!

I like Cat and all, but I mean, if he sends some anthrax to somebody or bombs some building SOMEBODY owes me a dollar.

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Jaymz_
12-23-2004

Rated 0 
This song is amazing art. Cat Stevens is a beautiful and passionate soul. I am troubled and saddened that he is seduced and deluded by a patriarchal religion. He could have become truly enlightned.

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mo_dhia_oir
03-03-2005

Rated 0 
I think it great that Ronan Keating covered the song once again with Cat Stevens. Once he said that Cat was his childhood idol. oh my, it must be strange to sing this song with your idol, and even more strange with someone who said he will never sing these songs again.

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Caesar22
03-30-2005

Rated 0 
Islam sucks!

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Novan01
04-11-2005

Rated 0 
Im of the Islam faith and I don't care what you think about Islam, but rather than religious criticism, how about we just discuss this song? I really love this song, it means so much to me. Brings me to tears

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Comrade_Liar
04-16-2005

Rated 0 
Bloody Anti-Islamic fools. I'm a Catholic but I can still see how stupid it is to come onto a message board saying "Islam sucks!". It also amazes me that the U.S goverment was stupid enough to treat him as a potential terrorist. Could they have played into the hands of the militants saying the U.s hates Islam any more?

Could this song be about Cat Stevens talking to his Orthodox Dad about his conversion to Islam?

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chunkymonkey102
04-23-2005

Rated 0 
I think its a father on his death bed and this is where he has finally reconsiled this is what i find it to be.

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burntfire
04-30-2005

Rated 0 
When i listen to it i hear it as the Father saying he has to leave his sons life alone. The line "From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen" to me is the Father saying that as soon as he could tell his Son about the world, the Son would tell him he knows nothing (as many teenagers do).

I can't listen to this song without getting sad and almost crying. I hear it as my dad talking to me. He loves this song and told me to listen to it because I love this kinda music. To me it was hmy dads way of talking to me without actually talking to me (cause everyone knows teenagers don't listen). Just makes me sad.

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c.s lover
06-14-2005

Rated 0 
im only 15 myself and ive been brought up listening to cat stevens. i really like him he has inspired me alot through his singing. this is one of the many great songs by cat. the best song are featured on the album 'the very best of cat stevens'. i dont care what my friends think about him. he'll always b good ol' cat to me. i really feel wen i listen to his songs i can sing every song off by heart, i would love to meet up with him, he is my hero.it brings me to tears listening to his album and it brought me to even more tears when my sister scratched the C.D.

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c.s lover
06-14-2005

Rated 0 
im only 15 myself and ive been brought up listening to cat stevens. i really like him he has inspired me alot through his singing. i never get bored of listening to his songs.this is one of the many great songs by cat. the best songs are featured on the album 'the very best of cat stevens'. i dont care what my friends think about him, they are all into gay gangsta raps n pop r n b that sort of stuff. he'll always b good ol' cat to me. i really feel wen i listen to his songs. i can sing every song off by heart n it would be a dream come true to meet up with him, he is my hero.it brings me to tears listening to his album and it brought me to even more tears when my sister scratched the C.D

Edited by random_monkey on January 27 2006, at 04:33PM



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weslyharding
07-02-2005

Rated 0 
Ive somtimes thought that the was about a young man about to join the military and his dad trying to disueade
him. ive also thought the son might be gay and his dad is in total deniel telling him if you want you can marry.The part when he says "all the times that ive tried keeping all the things i knew inside" well you know the rest. anyone agree?

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