In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Every generation
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door
I know that I'm a prisoner
To all my Father held so dear
I know that I'm a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Oh, crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
I'm afraid that's all we've got
You say you just don't see it
He says it's perfect sense
You just can't get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence
Say it loud (say it loud), say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late (it's too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don't see eye to eye
So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
It's the bitterness that lasts
So don't yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you don't give up, and don't give in
You may just be okay
So say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
Because it's too late, it's too late (it's too late)
When we die (oh, when we die)
To admit we don't see eye to eye
I wasn't there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn't get to tell him
All the things I had to say
I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I'm sure I heard his echo
In my baby's new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late (it's too late) when we die (it's too late when we die)
To admit we don't see eye to eye
So say it, say it, say it loud (say it loud)
Say it clear (come on say it clear)
Say it loud
(Don't give up, don't give in and don't look away 'til it's too late)
Say it clear
Say it loud (say it loud, say it loud)
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door
I know that I'm a prisoner
To all my Father held so dear
I know that I'm a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Oh, crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
I'm afraid that's all we've got
You say you just don't see it
He says it's perfect sense
You just can't get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence
Say it loud (say it loud), say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late (it's too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don't see eye to eye
So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
It's the bitterness that lasts
So don't yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you don't give up, and don't give in
You may just be okay
So say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
Because it's too late, it's too late (it's too late)
When we die (oh, when we die)
To admit we don't see eye to eye
I wasn't there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn't get to tell him
All the things I had to say
I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I'm sure I heard his echo
In my baby's new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late (it's too late) when we die (it's too late when we die)
To admit we don't see eye to eye
So say it, say it, say it loud (say it loud)
Say it clear (come on say it clear)
Say it loud
(Don't give up, don't give in and don't look away 'til it's too late)
Say it clear
Say it loud (say it loud, say it loud)
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This song made me cry as a kid with the thought of my Mom dying. Now that she's gone, it makes me cry even more.
@filmgirl79 same here the song reminds me of my dad and how I wasn't there when he died. And all the things I never found the time to tell him.
As a child, I always hated this song. My mom always said it was about telling your parents you love them before they're gone. Yeah, not so much.
I heard this song for the first time in years today. I'm still not crazy about it but the lyrics make more sense to me now.
In my mind, it's not about burying the hatchet or making nice with a parent you would rather stayed out of your life. It's about not holding a grudge but getting everything out in the open, and then letting it all go. Tell them exactly how you feel, instead of just letting this cloud of tension hover over everything while you fake being nice to them. Don't let them go to their grave wondering. Air it all out, and then walk away. At least then you both know where you stand.
For all the things my father did to me growing up, I don't wish him any ill. I severed all ties with him a decade ago and I'm a much better person without him in my life. And I have no regrets, I said what I needed to say and gave him a chance to say his peace, and washed my hands of it. I did just what the song said, I told him while he was still alive to hear it.
@Coasterman72 I think you're spot on here. I too always hated this song, couldn't figure out the contradiction between the tone of the music which sounds like "forgive everyone and just get along with your parents because they are owed it" and the actual lyrics which point to what you say. I've also done as you've done but still don't understand what Mike n the Mechanics are pointing at. Why is it necessary to end bad relationships "violently" instead of just let them slip away? Seems like six of one half a dozen of the other.
@Coasterman72 Right on Coasterman72.
This song means so much to me b/c my dad died when I was 7 and this song had come out pretty close to that time. Even though I was only 7 I still have very fond memories of him and videos. Even time I hear I get goosebumps.
I can't find a single line in this awesome song that doesn't strike a chord in my soul. Being the 7th child of my Mom and 5th for my Dad (last child for both) I most definitely was deprived and ignored and misguided growing up. I'm not plying for any sympathy here, Only understanding. I actually thought I had an awesome childhood growing up. Came and went as I pleased. Played hooky from school often, Never punished. Was a total punk and truant. Did some other things that I as a parent would NEVER permit my child to do. In a nutshell, I was forgotten. I didnt get the guidance I needed. The discipline. The mentoring. The love and affection. No fishing trips. No working on a car together. No playing catch. No nothing. I wasn't cared for. I didn't get proper health care. Dental care. Decent clothes to wear. Healthy food and proper meals. I never had my own room. I had only a handful of pictures taken of me by ANYONE growing up. With 4 sisters 2 brothers and a Mother and a father. I could never get close to my father. He was always too busy or unavailable or just flat uninterested in me.. But he is not to be vilified by me for his lack of concern and interest in me. I've never walked in his shoes. That's number one. I failed him as a son in my adult years- when I had opportunity to establish a relationship with him. Now he's gone. I wish I would have told him- all I wanted to say, in his living years. Alabama Boy
@Jbob2bop how honest ! I hear you. If only more people could assess emotional issues in such a fair minded way. Somewhere along the way , SOMEONE had a very positive influence upon you, for I find it hard to believe that you would have arrived at such a mature and unobscured viewpoint of your parents and upbringing without such guidance. Congratulations on doing the heavy lifting both emotionally and mentally that escapes most of us regardless of our upbringing. Godspeed.
this song has been my absolute favourite for over ten years now. I had trouble finding it but a friend knew it was Mike and the Mechanics and I've been a great fan of theirs ever since. The song makes me want to cry every time I hear it and to me it's just saying how important it is to tell people how you feel and get things out into the open, because life is just too short for misunderstanding, and harbouring grudges.
I herd this song when I was little, I always remembered it and sang to it , it was later i started understanding the lyrics, My cousin asked me if I remembered this song, she explained it was played at my dads funeral. I finally understood why this song meant so much to me... I was only 5 when he died , wish I got to know him , I wish I got to tell him all the things I have to tell. And I swear years later when I gave birth to my baby girl I did hear his echo in my babies tears , I really do wish I got to meet him in his living years. My kids speak of him as if they knew him and jump on the trampoline hoping if they jump real high they might just touch him in the sky... I know he never got to meet my kids but my kids sure do know him sometimes i think more than I do. I understand the lyrics to be to listen not just speak. Listen to what people are trying to say instead of speaking what you want, you learn soo much more of hearing. DOnt let things be unsaid, let people know you care. I wish I had a chance with my dad , but I do have a chance with the people whom are here right now!!
@nyzergirl You're in touch with the reality of this song nyzergirl. God bless.
This song is one of my favorites from the 80's. The lyrics are so deep. The music today can't touch this song. One of the best of all time...
The song's meaning is deep, but should be fairly clear. The singer is expressing his regret that he was never able to be close to his father, to express his love for his father, before his father died. Now that his fatehr is dead, it's too late to try and make up for past differences. It is implied that the relationship between the father and son was not good, and the son is now regretting his lost opportunities to make amends.
Worlebird, you are right on track. I'm sure many people can relate to this song. I am 42 years young and my father was never really close to me , but we never argued nor did we ever really have differences. He was a good, hard working man who loved his children but for some reason I just never became close with him, perhaps because when I was young (20) I moved out west and started a family. We would correspond via phone and he became a very loving grandparent to my children. He wasn't much of a talker, but I always fet he truly respected me for who I was and I knew he was extremely proud of me. While I was away starting my family, my two brothers became very close to my father. I always resented them for that because for some ridiculous reason I always felt that they were becoming closer and tighter with our father and since I was away raising a family of my own, I just felt left out, like I was missing out on something. Anyway, to make a long story short, my dad passed away suddenly, when I was 30 years old, he was only 54. This song sums up everything I feel about my relationship with my Dad.
My relationship to my father is very much the same. We don't fight or have any big disagreements, but we aren't really close. Like your father, he is a good, hard working man. However, we don't really talk on any meaningful level. It's always about sports, how work is going, how family members are doing, etc. He never really shares his feelings.<br /> <br /> I'm 31 years old and he is 58. He's somewhat overweight and has high cholesterol. I fear he is going to die fairly young and I'll regret never bringing up how I feel. Yet, I don't have the courage to speak up.
I've heard this song on the radio last week, recognising its familiar 80's sounds. Usually one of those songs considered to be left for granted by others, but yet for the first time then, i actually listened to the lyrics and it was so moving. My father also just passed away about 9 months ago so you can imagine how touched i was feeling listening to the song's obviously deep messages.
My message to fein_mess: If you're reading this, i just want to say that i fully understand your situation. About not being able to be close to your father before he died. I managed my best to to be close to mine, but was closer to mum. Knowing that he wanted it to be the other way around breaks my heart. So i just want you to know, you're not the only one. It's normal for everyone yet i'm pretty sure your dad knows how much you love him.
For all those who also lost their fathers, i also apply this message for them as well. And as for those who hasn't; please love them, cherish them and give them the happiness they deserve. Show it to them too. Before they leave for work or anywhere, tell them 'i love you and take care'. Every single time i'd say that to dad, but on that very day i wasnt able to, since he had to leave for work so early at 5am. The line from the song really hit me hard about that:
"I wasn't there that morning When my Father passed away I didn't get to tell him All the things I had to say"
And finally, for those whose families still feuding; please make peace and amends or you might regret it. My uncles, after over 10 years of quarrel, pride and misunderstandings, have only just patched up because of my dads passing. He was their youngest brother.
It's not just about justice; its about opening your heart towards the people you love. That, i think is probably central to this song's meaning.