you’re not going anywhere) This song makes it hard to judge the father, because he has such a soft voice, but his first sentence is still comes across as an order (Parent to small Child) and not an opinion (as if between adults). It is pleasantly worded, but in essence the father is saying, “this is the way it is going to be”. In the second sentence (about youth) the father insults him. What he is really saying is “Let me tell you what’s wrong with you”. He eventually says “but your dreams may not” giving us a clue that the son wants to chase his dreams and the father thinks his dream may be a fad (if the kid had the benefit of the father’s experience, the child would realize that he is wrong). Perhaps the father went through the same thing with his father and his dreams were crushed. Is the father right? If the kid was 18 and wanted to go to Nam instead of college some may agree with the father. If the kid was 18 and named Steven Demetre Georgiou (Cat), and wanted to forego college to pursue a music career, I’d have to agree with the kid.
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Father And Son Meanings & Lyrics Discussion | SongMeanings
you’re not going anywhere) This song makes it hard to judge the father, because he has such a soft voice, but his first sentence is still comes across as an order (Parent to small Child) and not an opinion (as if between adults). It is pleasantly worded, but in essence the father is saying, “this is the way it is going to be”. In the second sentence (about youth) the father insults him. What he is really saying is “Let me tell you what’s wrong with you”. He eventually says “but your dreams may not” giving us a clue that the son wants to chase his dreams and the father thinks his dream may be a fad (if the kid had the benefit of the father’s experience, the child would realize that he is wrong). Perhaps the father went through the same thing with his father and his dreams were crushed. Is the father right? If the kid was 18 and wanted to go to Nam instead of college some may agree with the father. If the kid was 18 and named Steven Demetre Georgiou (Cat), and wanted to forego college to pursue a music career, I’d have to agree with the kid.
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This is NOT a CONVERSATION between a father and son! I think most people are missing something very basic. Look at the personal pronouns. In the first sentence (you) is understood and the next sentences we see "You're, your, and you". The Father is talking to the son (or at him). Now look at the son's section of the song. You will see "he/him" written or inferred when speaking about the father. He is not speaking TO his father. He is talking to a third party or, most likely, to himself. That is NOT a conversation. A conversation goes BOTH ways. The father is speaking unilaterally to the son - this is the way it's going to be. The son is NOT speaking back. Like many children do, they storm out of the room or clam up (even when they are adults) and the son’s part of the song is what is going through his angry head afterwards. “He doesn’t understand me, he won’t even listen to me, that’s it — I’m out of here!”
I think Cat Stevens was a genius in lyrics and meaning (many of which are very subtle) and this song is one of many. This is a great example of what happens to Fathers and Sons at an age where the son might feel like a man but the father is still treating him like a boy. This was written around Vietnam timeframe, the album came out in 1970. Many sons were saying, "Dad I'm a man and I want to join the service and go away to Vietnam" or "Dad this war is bs, I'm going away to live in Canada, or to protest the war, or to live in a commune"... We are not privy to what started the conversation. Think back to when you were this age and tried to have a conversation with a parent. Many parents don’t listen. Before you can finish the sentence, “Dad/Mom I’ve been thinking about taking my college money and cutting an album, and…“ And you don’t get to finish the sentence. Perhaps that is where this song starts. Whatever the son said, the father interrupts with “it’s not time to make a change, just sit down and take it easy”… (read -> you’re not going anywhere) This song makes it hard to judge the father, because he has such a soft voice, but his first sentence is still comes across as an order (Parent to small Child) and not an opinion (as if between adults). It is pleasantly worded, but in essence the father is saying, “this is the way it is going to be”. In the second sentence (about youth) the father insults him. What he is really saying is “Let me tell you what’s wrong with you”. He eventually says “but your dreams may not” giving us a clue that the son wants to chase his dreams and the father thinks his dream may be a fad (if the kid had the benefit of the father’s experience, the child would realize that he is wrong). Perhaps the father went through the same thing with his father and his dreams were crushed. Is the father right? If the kid was 18 and wanted to go to Nam instead of college some may agree with the father. If the kid was 18 and named Steven Demetre Georgiou (Cat), and wanted to forego college to pursue a music career, I’d have to agree with the kid.
Funny how different life experiences cause different interpretations.
I always took the first verse to mean a talk between father and son about life/love and the turn between that youthful idealisic dream of the aformentioned and how it could be soured when 'she' is found to be 'playing up'. and how it's always better to walk away than to fire up and fight, even if your dreams are stripped away, especially when there is a son/children involved. (in my family the latter is basically what happened, after a number of fights, which in a different time (early 90s) turned violent,...
Funny how different life experiences cause different interpretations.
I always took the first verse to mean a talk between father and son about life/love and the turn between that youthful idealisic dream of the aformentioned and how it could be soured when 'she' is found to be 'playing up'. and how it's always better to walk away than to fire up and fight, even if your dreams are stripped away, especially when there is a son/children involved. (in my family the latter is basically what happened, after a number of fights, which in a different time (early 90s) turned violent, my father decided to walk away, leaving me to be raised with my mother on the theory of 2 happy households are better than one horrible one).
I always thought this but never understood the ' take your time, think alot, think of everything you've got, for you may still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not." until i had kiddo's of my own and thought about the conversation could go from the other side. Especially when my wife and I hit some rougher patches after kids and found the struggle between wanting to be together for the kids or seeking individual happyness by beeing apart, at taking time to seek the beauty in what we had before making a rash decision and missing out on watching my son grow up.
This is NOT a CONVERSATION between a father and son! I think most people are missing something very basic. Look at the personal pronouns. In the first sentence (you) is understood and the next sentences we see "You're, your, and you". The Father is talking to the son (or at him). Now look at the son's section of the song. You will see "he/him" written or inferred when speaking about the father. He is not speaking TO his father. He is talking to a third party or, most likely, to himself. That is NOT a conversation. A conversation goes BOTH ways. The father is speaking unilaterally to the son - this is the way it's going to be. The son is NOT speaking back. Like many children do, they storm out of the room or clam up (even when they are adults) and the son’s part of the song is what is going through his angry head afterwards. “He doesn’t understand me, he won’t even listen to me, that’s it — I’m out of here!”
I think Cat Stevens was a genius in lyrics and meaning (many of which are very subtle) and this song is one of many. This is a great example of what happens to Fathers and Sons at an age where the son might feel like a man but the father is still treating him like a boy. This was written around Vietnam timeframe, the album came out in 1970. Many sons were saying, "Dad I'm a man and I want to join the service and go away to Vietnam" or "Dad this war is bs, I'm going away to live in Canada, or to protest the war, or to live in a commune"... We are not privy to what started the conversation. Think back to when you were this age and tried to have a conversation with a parent. Many parents don’t listen. Before you can finish the sentence, “Dad/Mom I’ve been thinking about taking my college money and cutting an album, and…“ And you don’t get to finish the sentence. Perhaps that is where this song starts. Whatever the son said, the father interrupts with “it’s not time to make a change, just sit down and take it easy”… (read -> you’re not going anywhere) This song makes it hard to judge the father, because he has such a soft voice, but his first sentence is still comes across as an order (Parent to small Child) and not an opinion (as if between adults). It is pleasantly worded, but in essence the father is saying, “this is the way it is going to be”. In the second sentence (about youth) the father insults him. What he is really saying is “Let me tell you what’s wrong with you”. He eventually says “but your dreams may not” giving us a clue that the son wants to chase his dreams and the father thinks his dream may be a fad (if the kid had the benefit of the father’s experience, the child would realize that he is wrong). Perhaps the father went through the same thing with his father and his dreams were crushed. Is the father right? If the kid was 18 and wanted to go to Nam instead of college some may agree with the father. If the kid was 18 and named Steven Demetre Georgiou (Cat), and wanted to forego college to pursue a music career, I’d have to agree with the kid.
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@Lyrics2Deep 100% correct. In my opinion.
@Lyrics2Deep 100% correct. In my opinion.
What you describe is a typical conversation between father and son.
What you describe is a typical conversation between father and son.
Funny how different life experiences cause different interpretations. I always took the first verse to mean a talk between father and son about life/love and the turn between that youthful idealisic dream of the aformentioned and how it could be soured when 'she' is found to be 'playing up'. and how it's always better to walk away than to fire up and fight, even if your dreams are stripped away, especially when there is a son/children involved. (in my family the latter is basically what happened, after a number of fights, which in a different time (early 90s) turned violent,...
Funny how different life experiences cause different interpretations. I always took the first verse to mean a talk between father and son about life/love and the turn between that youthful idealisic dream of the aformentioned and how it could be soured when 'she' is found to be 'playing up'. and how it's always better to walk away than to fire up and fight, even if your dreams are stripped away, especially when there is a son/children involved. (in my family the latter is basically what happened, after a number of fights, which in a different time (early 90s) turned violent, my father decided to walk away, leaving me to be raised with my mother on the theory of 2 happy households are better than one horrible one). I always thought this but never understood the ' take your time, think alot, think of everything you've got, for you may still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not." until i had kiddo's of my own and thought about the conversation could go from the other side. Especially when my wife and I hit some rougher patches after kids and found the struggle between wanting to be together for the kids or seeking individual happyness by beeing apart, at taking time to seek the beauty in what we had before making a rash decision and missing out on watching my son grow up.
@Lyrics2Deep I totally agree with you. The song is amazing I love it .💜💜
@Lyrics2Deep I totally agree with you. The song is amazing I love it .💜💜