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The daughter's father watches, quietly we assume
He's no longer with us, but he left this dusty room
And your name and it's an honor
It's a shame but it's your honor
To take it on your shoulder
'Till you can find another
[Chorus]
That's enough for now
He should have never left you broken
He should have held you
Things your father never could do
That's enough for now
He would have never left you broken
He would have held you
Things your father never told you
The century before you, never could turn twenty-one
Years and years he waited, just watching for a son
Someone to go ahead, to take the name instead
Years and years he waited, and a daughter came instead, but
[Chorus]
Breathing comes in pairs
Except for twice
One begins and one's goodbye
Sixty years of sorrow, he got five or six of bliss
Left my mothers' mother
Without so much as a kiss
As a kiss
But that's enough for now
He never wanted to leave you broken
He would have held you
Things your father never told you
That's enough for now
I would have never left you broken
I would have held you
Words your father never told you
Sixty years of sorrow, you got five or six of bliss
Left my mother's mother
Without so much as a kiss.
He's no longer with us, but he left this dusty room
And your name and it's an honor
It's a shame but it's your honor
To take it on your shoulder
'Till you can find another
[Chorus]
That's enough for now
He should have never left you broken
He should have held you
Things your father never could do
That's enough for now
He would have never left you broken
He would have held you
Things your father never told you
The century before you, never could turn twenty-one
Years and years he waited, just watching for a son
Someone to go ahead, to take the name instead
Years and years he waited, and a daughter came instead, but
[Chorus]
Breathing comes in pairs
Except for twice
One begins and one's goodbye
Sixty years of sorrow, he got five or six of bliss
Left my mothers' mother
Without so much as a kiss
As a kiss
But that's enough for now
He never wanted to leave you broken
He would have held you
Things your father never told you
That's enough for now
I would have never left you broken
I would have held you
Words your father never told you
Sixty years of sorrow, you got five or six of bliss
Left my mother's mother
Without so much as a kiss.
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To me, this song is about a father who gives up on a family because of his irrational desires —wanting a son over a daughter in Isaac Slade's case— being left unfulfilled. The father didn't put the interest of his family first —mainly his daughter— and pretty much walked away from them. This could be interpreted as either literally walking out on them; or distancing himself emotionally, which, really is just as bad as not physically being there. It's all relative to the circumstances though.
Although these lyrics are specific to Isaac Slade's family, him having written them (and not by any means how I interpret it), they can be generalized and easily describe many family's situations out there. Yes, there are specifics in the lyrics, but the overall message reveals the sadness that plagues a person and their family when someone as naturally vital as a father figure steps out.
That is my personal interpretation. I know there is more a message of forgiveness within the true lyrics, stopping the blame, letting him go, but I don't like to think of it that way. At least not yet. I prefer the tears of emptiness over fulfillment for now.
However, I feel:
"Breathing comes in pairs
Except for twice
One begins and one's goodbye
Sixty years of sorrow he got five or six of bliss
Left my mothers mother without so much as a kiss"
could potentially be about twins. I mean, maybe the mother had a twin brother (that her father was so desperate for) that passed away when he was 5/6?
Or alternatively, it could be about the grandson himself. Maybe, because he never got a son, the "five or six years of bliss" was the years he got with his grandson before he passed away?
I also feel like this theory could explain the "he never wanted to leave you broken" line. Like perhaps the grandson was close with his grandfather and he, although his grandson was still young, confided with him about why he treated daughter/wife so badly & that's why he knows he never wanted to leave them broken?
"Words your father never told you"
Also "Sixty years of sorrow, he got five or six of bliss
Left my mother's mother without so much as a kiss"
Married to the singers grandmother for 60 years, and passed away (mothers mother) without so much as a kiss.
but the first few times i heard it i thought it was about a daughter who was never accepted by her father because he wanted a son. and i though he left her mother. but as the song goes on Slade says "left MY mothers mother...without so much as a kiss."
I also think the following part, "The century before you never could turn 21", simply emphasizes on how there was a universal culture/custom of favoring having a son (at least as a first born). But in the turn of 21st century a lot of things changed in terms of "gender discrimination".
So my interpretation is that his mother was unfortunate to be born during that period to a man like his grandfather.
I read most of the comments about this song and for the most part, I agree. One thing I did not see is that it appears to me that the grandfather wanted a son so badly, that when he got a daughter, he wrote her off from the very beginning. "Years and years he waited, just watching for a son...go ahead, take the name he said..." The grandfather was more concerned with the family name continuing on to the next generation than to really appreciate his daughter for who she was and who she became, and obviously to appreciate Isaac.
Does anyone have an idea of why the "daughter's father watches" at the beginning of the song? My guess is that there is a portrait of him hanging in the room that the daughter has inherited.
It sounds to me as though this song is written to his (someones) grandmother ('mothers mother' is a reference to his grandmother as a child). There seems to be dating in the second verse.
The first verse talks about the departure of the father. We assume he's watching, "he's around", "he cares" about the child, much as most children with absentee parents fantasize about. Despite his absence this child has his father name, a burden as it reminds her (the kid) of the father who is not present. This would have been customary during the period I suppose. 'Take it on your shoulder 'til you can find another'. You're stuck with the name until the greatgrandmother or the grandmosther marry (again).
The second verse immediately speaks of the times, the 'century' the story takes place. 'The century before you could never turn 21' (life expectancy), 'mothers mother' as a child and reference to 'dusty room' makes me think of the 1930 and the depression (dust bowl), though life expectancy was probably longer at that time, and the reference to century I guess puts us in the 1800s? He's waiting for a son, an heir, again important part of culture at the time, and is pressed for time due to short life expectancy. A reference to a sir name ('take the name he said') again shores this up. However a daughter is born instead. This would be a reference to the grandmothers birth I think. I think then we can assume he's left because he had a daughter and not a son as he wanted.
The first two lines of the bridge are a little ambiguous to me. The second two lines are a reference to either the 60 years of misery he (great grand father) experienced because he lived much longer than expected without his daughter. He traded 5 or 6 years of bliss, freedom and possibility of a son, for having no connection to his daughter. Alternatively its related to the grandmothers misery experienced over 60 years because she never knew her father. Hard to determine which way it was written. 'Left my mothers mother without so much as a kiss' - self-explainatory.
I don't really know how the namesake fits into the song. But that's enough for now is lost on me. I think the rest of the verse is 'he should've never left you broken, He should've held you, things your father never could do', self-explainatory. And then I suppose Isaac interjects at the end saying that he would never do what the great grandfather had done.
This is my take. If I'm correct I wouldn't be further suprised if the liniage was English, Irish, or Scottish... maybe European. I think the story may have taken place in another country. Maybe.. I might just be BSing here. But I get an Angela's Ashes feel for some reason.
But I disagree with the meaning you took from the line
"the century before you never could turn 21"
I think this could refer to the prohibition, as in some states of america, the drinking age is 21.