Lyric discussion by floco 

It's interesting to read all these comments about this song being about the love (or failed love) between a man and a woman. Although I feel the song is indeed about a (failed*) relationship my interpretation is very different to all those discussed above.

I have this song on my 18 month old son’s iPod playlist and its one of the songs which he falls asleep to most nights (along with, amongst others - Yellow and Us against the world) and to me it sounds like the relationship between a mother and her son as he grows up and becomes his own person......

"Did I drive you away" - when you carry a child, from the minute he is born you feel he is growing away from you - and he is - he's growing bigger everyday and one day, he'll no longer need you (even though he will always be your 'baby', the moment he is expelled from your womb you have effectively driven him away....

"I’ll know what you'll say, you say oh, sing one we know" - makes me feel of all these precious moments we'll have during his infancy, when I’ll know him better than he knows himself and we'll share lots of moments together, acting as one - singing nursery rhymes, playing, reading, learning and all great the stuff that parent/children do......

"But I promise you this, I’ll always look out for you, that’s what I’ll do"....self explanatory really!

And from there on in I’m so overwhelmed i feel I’ve been hit with a brick......this song makes me feel so happy and sad at the same time, because I feel so close to him but yet I’m loosing this beautiful little person - who will hopefully grow up to be an exceptional young man, who I’m so very proud of, and its knowing that these moments - this very special time we have together right now, will never be repeated!

You may think I’m wasting my energy playing the song out like this in my head and that I should think about all the positives I have with my son, but I can't help it, its what the song, what its words mean for me and its further rein-forced by the lyric "And I know I was wrong, but I won't let you down....." which for me signifies those battles we'll have when we get to his teenage years and despite everything my son will see me (his mum) as the enemy.....its inevitable, its about growing up I know - I was the same with my own parents, lol. My poor lad can’t even speak yet but already I can hear him yell “I never asked to be born…….”. This is the bit which I refer to as a *failed relationship in my opening paragraph.

But the icing on the cake has gotta be the "Sparks" - well it’s the chemistry between us that started with his creation, which exploded when he was born and which will continue to light up my whole world as long as I am in his life and beyond........

To me this song is about never ever stopping loving my little boy, but realising that there may come a time when he feels he doesn’t he loves me……(but I’m sure deep down inside he still will).

One day, I may show him this - I wonder if he'll understand?

@floco Your comment made me cry. I have a very close relationship with my mother, she is my best friend, and I'll surely show her your perspective along with the song. Wish you and your son all the happiness in the world.

@floco @ghostfucker Oh wow! Thanks for your comments, I'd forgotten I'd written this post until now, just reread it and was instantly transported back to the night I wrote it (it was late at night and I'd been tending to my son who'd just woken up and I was playing this to him to get him back to sleep). Anyway, said son is now 13 yrs and yes the prophesy fell true and we have a very typical teenage mother/son relationship....with lots of slamming doors but also lots of cuddles on the couch whilst we watch a film! ☺️ I wouldnt...

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