Can tell you, as someone's son myself and now a father to a young man, it's about a dad apologizing to his kid about the emotional baggage parents unwittingly pass on. It's acknowledging that all the effort spent trying to both develop the person you want your son to be combined with everything you hate seeing in yourself is going to backfire. Could be over analyzing, but that's the first thing I thought of. Could hear my dad saying it to me, and me saying it to my boy as I see him wrestle with life's choices.
jtquenlin, that's exaclty how I see this song from the first I heard it. Father to son. Even the title Little Lion Man, teenage boy, full of bravado, fear, angst, etc.
"weep for yourself, my man,
you'll never be what is in your heart
weep little lion man,
you're not as brave as you were at the start"
All young men (girls too) have dreams but few of us achieve them. We're not as brave and open as when we are young.
jtquenlin, that's exaclty how I see this song from the first I heard it. Father to son. Even the title Little Lion Man, teenage boy, full of bravado, fear, angst, etc.
"weep for yourself, my man,
you'll never be what is in your heart
weep little lion man,
you're not as brave as you were at the start"
All young men (girls too) have dreams but few of us achieve them. We're not as brave and open as when we are young.
Great songs have many interpretations, that's art.
Great songs have many interpretations, that's art.
It is between father and son (God and Jesus). I'm not a religious person but I do believe it is an interpretation of Jesus final days.
It is between father and son (God and Jesus). I'm not a religious person but I do believe it is an interpretation of Jesus final days.
I believe the verse, "but it was not your fault but mine and it was your heart on the line i really fucked it up this time didn't I, my dear?" Is in answer to, "Father why have you forsaken me".
I believe the verse, "but it was not your fault but mine and it was your heart on the line i really fucked it up this time didn't I, my dear?" Is in answer to, "Father why have you forsaken me".
"learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck." May be in reference to Mary.
"learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck." May be in reference to Mary.
"weep little lion man, you're not as brave as you were at the start." May be the crucifixion.
Had to create an account to state I think you're dead on - I originally was thinking about the bad relationship, theory, too... Then your take made much more sense.
Had to create an account to state I think you're dead on - I originally was thinking about the bad relationship, theory, too... Then your take made much more sense.
It could be taken even a step further, and it could be about a father talking to his boy about a divorce or breakup between him and the child's mother. The father is going to leave the family, and is giving his son some final words.
It could be taken even a step further, and it could be about a father talking to his boy about a divorce or breakup between him and the child's mother. The father is going to leave the family, and is giving his son some final words.
Dead on jt. Feels as if the father has abandoned the mother and son, leaving the son to ponder what he did to drive his father away. The question haunts him, never allowing him to achieve self-acceptance.
Dead on jt. Feels as if the father has abandoned the mother and son, leaving the son to ponder what he did to drive his father away. The question haunts him, never allowing him to achieve self-acceptance.
"learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck"
"learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck"
The mother in the song appears to have shed the displaced guilt and the father's pleads with the son to do the same, or risk being consumed by the self-hatred that should belong to the father alone. "The sins of the father are visited upon the son" type thing.
I also had to sign up just to respond to your comment. As a mother of an 18 year old son who is very angry with his absent father and doesn't speak to him any longer I have to agree with your interpretation. I tell my son that he is grown now and that he can make his own decisions regarding his relationship with his father, but that it's not worth it to hold bitterness in his heart and that I hope he can one day let go of that so I very much relate to the line...
I also had to sign up just to respond to your comment. As a mother of an 18 year old son who is very angry with his absent father and doesn't speak to him any longer I have to agree with your interpretation. I tell my son that he is grown now and that he can make his own decisions regarding his relationship with his father, but that it's not worth it to hold bitterness in his heart and that I hope he can one day let go of that so I very much relate to the line "learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck". When I 1st heard this song I cried because it reminded me of my son and what his father should be saying to him.
I wholeheartedly agree with this interpretation. It is amazing to me how many people seem to think this song is about a romantic relationship gone bad and/or that it is sarcastic. I feel that it is quite clearly a heart-wrenching apology for being a crappy father. "However screwed up you are, it is my fault, because you loved me and your happiness was my responsibility, and I was careless and callous when I should have loved you unconditionally and held your feelings above my own."
I wholeheartedly agree with this interpretation. It is amazing to me how many people seem to think this song is about a romantic relationship gone bad and/or that it is sarcastic. I feel that it is quite clearly a heart-wrenching apology for being a crappy father. "However screwed up you are, it is my fault, because you loved me and your happiness was my responsibility, and I was careless and callous when I should have loved you unconditionally and held your feelings above my own."
Actually, I feel like a lot of the songs on this album seem like they are related to recovery, so my first thought about this song is that it is an alcoholic dad apologizing for screwing up his son's life while at the same time warning him not to end up the same way. Of course, if it is indeed sarcastic, it could be the angry son taunting his father.
I wanted to add that "biting your own neck" is not a vampiric reference. If a snake bites its own neck, the pain it inflicits upon itself causes it to bite down harder, so it won't let go. A serpent biting its tail is, for this reason, a symbol of eternity. "Biting your own neck" is symbolic of fighting a futile battle against an imagined enemy, when in fact you are only fighting yourself.
I also wonder if "courage" in the first verse is a reference to alcohol, as in "a shot of courage," so that the little lion man is using the problems he's made up as his excuse to abuse alcohol.
NICE. Yeah, absolutely a great interpretation :) I love songs like this, where they could mean so many different things depending on the person listening.
NICE. Yeah, absolutely a great interpretation :) I love songs like this, where they could mean so many different things depending on the person listening.
This made me think of the conversation my dad and I had a couple of days before my wedding. My folks had been divorced and reconciled and had a host of things happen in between that certainly hurt everyone involved. He basically used the chance to apologize and acknowledge the hurt that had taken place and to also offer up advice for my husband and I as a "what not to do" type of conversation. Very moving song.
This made me think of the conversation my dad and I had a couple of days before my wedding. My folks had been divorced and reconciled and had a host of things happen in between that certainly hurt everyone involved. He basically used the chance to apologize and acknowledge the hurt that had taken place and to also offer up advice for my husband and I as a "what not to do" type of conversation. Very moving song.
This song can't be about a Father and Son - it was written by Marcus Mumford (22 in 2009 at the time, maybe even younger when he wrote it) who does not have children and who's parents are happily married and are leaders at a Church.
This song can't be about a Father and Son - it was written by Marcus Mumford (22 in 2009 at the time, maybe even younger when he wrote it) who does not have children and who's parents are happily married and are leaders at a Church.
This is what HE said about the song:
"It’s a very personal story, so I won’t elaborate upon too much. Suffice to say, it was a situation in my life I wasn’t very happy with or proud of… and sometimes when you can’t describe a feeling with your own words, it’s almost easier to express in a song. And then, when you get asked about the songs, it’s quite difficult to explain. It’s a conundrum – you don’t want to seem self-indulgent explaining yourself; it’s always awkward. Which is weird again, because it’s never awkward actually singing them. I suppose the song should stand on its own and people draw their own interpretation from the words. But for me, personally, it’s the lyrics that I listen to again and again in a song. I place specific importance on them. I can’t write lyrics unless I really feel them and mean them, which can sometimes be quite frustrating – because if you’re not feeling much at the time, you’re stuck. I guess the sound of it grabs you a little bit by the balls – it’s quite an aggressive song, a bit more of a punch in the face. Or at least, for our stuff, anyway – a lot of our stuff isn’t quite as hard-hitting as that. It felt like the right song to be the single because it represented the harder, darker side of what we do, and at the same time, the more folksy and punchy side.”
Based on the quote, for it to be personal to him - it would have to be about a relationship with a girl and not a father/son.
I completely agree that this is a fathers apology to his son. That was my first thought upon hearing the song, and although I'm a daughter it resonates with me.
I completely agree that this is a fathers apology to his son. That was my first thought upon hearing the song, and although I'm a daughter it resonates with me.
@laurie85... why on EARTH do you think that his parents being leaders of a church negates the possibility that Mumford was singing about his relationship with them or specifically with his father? Growing up in a theologically-driven conservative household is a GREAT reason to be fucked up and have a terrible relationship with your parents. I think that is part of the reason the song resonates with me so well, I grew up in a very strict, theologically-oriented authoritarian household where Protestant values underpinned my parents' demands for incredibly high achievement (the Protestant work-ethic) and self-deprivation (any sort of physical indulgence was frowned upon and visceral self-restraint was praised). You notice Mumford touching upon themes of self-actualization in "the cave", where he says he will "live my life as it's meant to be". I mean we will probably never know for sure what Mumford was singing about in "Little Lion Man" and the point is for listeners to find their own meaning in the words, but I do think that that many of Mumford's lyrics are totally consistent with the frustrations of growing up in an authoritarian and/or restrictive household due to an intense commitment to Protestant values.
@laurie85, just cause he was 22 at the time and didn't have any kids yet, doesn't mean he couldn't have written this from a father's POV, or what he imagined that'd be. No family is perfect, and I'm sure Marcus and his dad had their fair share of fights and disagreements. Who knows, maybe this is how Marcus imagines his own dad must've (or should've) felt like toward him at some point of his life. He wants his own dad to feel sorry for their relationship, so he writes a song about a father asking forgiveness from his kid. Possible...
@laurie85, just cause he was 22 at the time and didn't have any kids yet, doesn't mean he couldn't have written this from a father's POV, or what he imagined that'd be. No family is perfect, and I'm sure Marcus and his dad had their fair share of fights and disagreements. Who knows, maybe this is how Marcus imagines his own dad must've (or should've) felt like toward him at some point of his life. He wants his own dad to feel sorry for their relationship, so he writes a song about a father asking forgiveness from his kid. Possible scenario, you have to admit it.
The "little lion man" title and lines make more sense with the song being about father and son than a boy/girl relationship, tbh.
@jtquenlin Regarding Laurie85's comment, I can't help but think of Paul McCartney writing Hey Jude for John Lennon's son. A father-son dynamic doesn't require an actual father and son. I thought basically the same as jtquenlin.
@jtquenlin Regarding Laurie85's comment, I can't help but think of Paul McCartney writing Hey Jude for John Lennon's son. A father-son dynamic doesn't require an actual father and son. I thought basically the same as jtquenlin.
@jtquenlin excellent interpretation. I interpret in a different way, but thought I should dig out for more interpretation or perhaps a different hidden meaning, and this is definitely what I was looking for that I couldn't see! Thanks!
@jtquenlin excellent interpretation. I interpret in a different way, but thought I should dig out for more interpretation or perhaps a different hidden meaning, and this is definitely what I was looking for that I couldn't see! Thanks!
Can tell you, as someone's son myself and now a father to a young man, it's about a dad apologizing to his kid about the emotional baggage parents unwittingly pass on. It's acknowledging that all the effort spent trying to both develop the person you want your son to be combined with everything you hate seeing in yourself is going to backfire. Could be over analyzing, but that's the first thing I thought of. Could hear my dad saying it to me, and me saying it to my boy as I see him wrestle with life's choices.
I agree with you jtquenlin. wow you said much better than I.
I agree with you jtquenlin. wow you said much better than I.
jtquenlin, that's exaclty how I see this song from the first I heard it. Father to son. Even the title Little Lion Man, teenage boy, full of bravado, fear, angst, etc. "weep for yourself, my man, you'll never be what is in your heart weep little lion man, you're not as brave as you were at the start" All young men (girls too) have dreams but few of us achieve them. We're not as brave and open as when we are young.
jtquenlin, that's exaclty how I see this song from the first I heard it. Father to son. Even the title Little Lion Man, teenage boy, full of bravado, fear, angst, etc. "weep for yourself, my man, you'll never be what is in your heart weep little lion man, you're not as brave as you were at the start" All young men (girls too) have dreams but few of us achieve them. We're not as brave and open as when we are young.
Great songs have many interpretations, that's art.
Great songs have many interpretations, that's art.
It is between father and son (God and Jesus). I'm not a religious person but I do believe it is an interpretation of Jesus final days.
It is between father and son (God and Jesus). I'm not a religious person but I do believe it is an interpretation of Jesus final days.
I believe the verse, "but it was not your fault but mine and it was your heart on the line i really fucked it up this time didn't I, my dear?" Is in answer to, "Father why have you forsaken me".
I believe the verse, "but it was not your fault but mine and it was your heart on the line i really fucked it up this time didn't I, my dear?" Is in answer to, "Father why have you forsaken me".
"learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck." May be in reference to Mary.
"learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck." May be in reference to Mary.
"weep little lion man, you're not as brave as you were at the start." May be the crucifixion.
Just saying...
The whole father and son perspective makes more sense to me than a boy and girl relationship.
The whole father and son perspective makes more sense to me than a boy and girl relationship.
Had to create an account to state I think you're dead on - I originally was thinking about the bad relationship, theory, too... Then your take made much more sense.
Had to create an account to state I think you're dead on - I originally was thinking about the bad relationship, theory, too... Then your take made much more sense.
It could be taken even a step further, and it could be about a father talking to his boy about a divorce or breakup between him and the child's mother. The father is going to leave the family, and is giving his son some final words.
It could be taken even a step further, and it could be about a father talking to his boy about a divorce or breakup between him and the child's mother. The father is going to leave the family, and is giving his son some final words.
Dead on jt. Feels as if the father has abandoned the mother and son, leaving the son to ponder what he did to drive his father away. The question haunts him, never allowing him to achieve self-acceptance.
Dead on jt. Feels as if the father has abandoned the mother and son, leaving the son to ponder what he did to drive his father away. The question haunts him, never allowing him to achieve self-acceptance.
"learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck"
"learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck"
The mother in the song appears to have shed the displaced guilt and the father's pleads with the son to do the same, or risk being consumed by the self-hatred that should belong to the father alone. "The sins of the father are visited upon the son" type thing.
I also had to sign up just to respond to your comment. As a mother of an 18 year old son who is very angry with his absent father and doesn't speak to him any longer I have to agree with your interpretation. I tell my son that he is grown now and that he can make his own decisions regarding his relationship with his father, but that it's not worth it to hold bitterness in his heart and that I hope he can one day let go of that so I very much relate to the line...
I also had to sign up just to respond to your comment. As a mother of an 18 year old son who is very angry with his absent father and doesn't speak to him any longer I have to agree with your interpretation. I tell my son that he is grown now and that he can make his own decisions regarding his relationship with his father, but that it's not worth it to hold bitterness in his heart and that I hope he can one day let go of that so I very much relate to the line "learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck". When I 1st heard this song I cried because it reminded me of my son and what his father should be saying to him.
A father talking to his son was also the first thing that leapt into my mind the first time I caught this on the radio.
A father talking to his son was also the first thing that leapt into my mind the first time I caught this on the radio.
I get a rather "it's all too late" attitude from it, myself. To me there's a tinge of loss to this song that really rips my heart out.
I get a rather "it's all too late" attitude from it, myself. To me there's a tinge of loss to this song that really rips my heart out.
I wholeheartedly agree with this interpretation. It is amazing to me how many people seem to think this song is about a romantic relationship gone bad and/or that it is sarcastic. I feel that it is quite clearly a heart-wrenching apology for being a crappy father. "However screwed up you are, it is my fault, because you loved me and your happiness was my responsibility, and I was careless and callous when I should have loved you unconditionally and held your feelings above my own."
I wholeheartedly agree with this interpretation. It is amazing to me how many people seem to think this song is about a romantic relationship gone bad and/or that it is sarcastic. I feel that it is quite clearly a heart-wrenching apology for being a crappy father. "However screwed up you are, it is my fault, because you loved me and your happiness was my responsibility, and I was careless and callous when I should have loved you unconditionally and held your feelings above my own."
Actually, I feel like a lot of the songs on this album seem like they are related to recovery, so my first thought about this song is that it is an alcoholic dad apologizing for screwing up his son's life while at the same time warning him not to end up the same way. Of course, if it is indeed sarcastic, it could be the angry son taunting his father.
I wanted to add that "biting your own neck" is not a vampiric reference. If a snake bites its own neck, the pain it inflicits upon itself causes it to bite down harder, so it won't let go. A serpent biting its tail is, for this reason, a symbol of eternity. "Biting your own neck" is symbolic of fighting a futile battle against an imagined enemy, when in fact you are only fighting yourself.
I also wonder if "courage" in the first verse is a reference to alcohol, as in "a shot of courage," so that the little lion man is using the problems he's made up as his excuse to abuse alcohol.
NICE. Yeah, absolutely a great interpretation :) I love songs like this, where they could mean so many different things depending on the person listening.
NICE. Yeah, absolutely a great interpretation :) I love songs like this, where they could mean so many different things depending on the person listening.
This made me think of the conversation my dad and I had a couple of days before my wedding. My folks had been divorced and reconciled and had a host of things happen in between that certainly hurt everyone involved. He basically used the chance to apologize and acknowledge the hurt that had taken place and to also offer up advice for my husband and I as a "what not to do" type of conversation. Very moving song.
This made me think of the conversation my dad and I had a couple of days before my wedding. My folks had been divorced and reconciled and had a host of things happen in between that certainly hurt everyone involved. He basically used the chance to apologize and acknowledge the hurt that had taken place and to also offer up advice for my husband and I as a "what not to do" type of conversation. Very moving song.
This song can't be about a Father and Son - it was written by Marcus Mumford (22 in 2009 at the time, maybe even younger when he wrote it) who does not have children and who's parents are happily married and are leaders at a Church.
This song can't be about a Father and Son - it was written by Marcus Mumford (22 in 2009 at the time, maybe even younger when he wrote it) who does not have children and who's parents are happily married and are leaders at a Church.
This is what HE said about the song: "It’s a very personal story, so I won’t elaborate upon too much. Suffice to say, it was a situation in my life I wasn’t very happy with or proud of… and sometimes when you can’t describe a feeling with your own words, it’s almost easier to express in a song. And then, when you get asked about the songs, it’s quite difficult to explain. It’s a conundrum – you don’t want to seem self-indulgent explaining yourself; it’s always awkward. Which is weird again, because it’s never awkward actually singing them. I suppose the song should stand on its own and people draw their own interpretation from the words. But for me, personally, it’s the lyrics that I listen to again and again in a song. I place specific importance on them. I can’t write lyrics unless I really feel them and mean them, which can sometimes be quite frustrating – because if you’re not feeling much at the time, you’re stuck. I guess the sound of it grabs you a little bit by the balls – it’s quite an aggressive song, a bit more of a punch in the face. Or at least, for our stuff, anyway – a lot of our stuff isn’t quite as hard-hitting as that. It felt like the right song to be the single because it represented the harder, darker side of what we do, and at the same time, the more folksy and punchy side.”
Based on the quote, for it to be personal to him - it would have to be about a relationship with a girl and not a father/son.
I completely agree that this is a fathers apology to his son. That was my first thought upon hearing the song, and although I'm a daughter it resonates with me.
I completely agree that this is a fathers apology to his son. That was my first thought upon hearing the song, and although I'm a daughter it resonates with me.
@laurie85... why on EARTH do you think that his parents being leaders of a church negates the possibility that Mumford was singing about his relationship with them or specifically with his father? Growing up in a theologically-driven conservative household is a GREAT reason to be fucked up and have a terrible relationship with your parents. I think that is part of the reason the song resonates with me so well, I grew up in a very strict, theologically-oriented authoritarian household where Protestant values underpinned my parents' demands for incredibly high achievement (the Protestant work-ethic) and self-deprivation (any sort of physical indulgence was frowned upon and visceral self-restraint was praised). You notice Mumford touching upon themes of self-actualization in "the cave", where he says he will "live my life as it's meant to be". I mean we will probably never know for sure what Mumford was singing about in "Little Lion Man" and the point is for listeners to find their own meaning in the words, but I do think that that many of Mumford's lyrics are totally consistent with the frustrations of growing up in an authoritarian and/or restrictive household due to an intense commitment to Protestant values.
@laurie85, just cause he was 22 at the time and didn't have any kids yet, doesn't mean he couldn't have written this from a father's POV, or what he imagined that'd be. No family is perfect, and I'm sure Marcus and his dad had their fair share of fights and disagreements. Who knows, maybe this is how Marcus imagines his own dad must've (or should've) felt like toward him at some point of his life. He wants his own dad to feel sorry for their relationship, so he writes a song about a father asking forgiveness from his kid. Possible...
@laurie85, just cause he was 22 at the time and didn't have any kids yet, doesn't mean he couldn't have written this from a father's POV, or what he imagined that'd be. No family is perfect, and I'm sure Marcus and his dad had their fair share of fights and disagreements. Who knows, maybe this is how Marcus imagines his own dad must've (or should've) felt like toward him at some point of his life. He wants his own dad to feel sorry for their relationship, so he writes a song about a father asking forgiveness from his kid. Possible scenario, you have to admit it.
The "little lion man" title and lines make more sense with the song being about father and son than a boy/girl relationship, tbh.
@jtquenlin Regarding Laurie85's comment, I can't help but think of Paul McCartney writing Hey Jude for John Lennon's son. A father-son dynamic doesn't require an actual father and son. I thought basically the same as jtquenlin.
@jtquenlin Regarding Laurie85's comment, I can't help but think of Paul McCartney writing Hey Jude for John Lennon's son. A father-son dynamic doesn't require an actual father and son. I thought basically the same as jtquenlin.
@jtquenlin excellent interpretation. I interpret in a different way, but thought I should dig out for more interpretation or perhaps a different hidden meaning, and this is definitely what I was looking for that I couldn't see! Thanks!
@jtquenlin excellent interpretation. I interpret in a different way, but thought I should dig out for more interpretation or perhaps a different hidden meaning, and this is definitely what I was looking for that I couldn't see! Thanks!