Cats In The Cradle- Harry Chapin
My child arrived just the other day He came to the world in the usual way But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay He learned to walk while I was away And he was talkin 'fore I knew it, and as he grew He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad You know I'm gonna be like you." [Chorus] And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon little boy blue and the man in the moon "When you comin home, dad?" "I don't know when But we'll get together then You know we'll have a good time then." My son turned ten just the other day He said, "Thanks for the ball, dad; come on, let's play Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today, I got a lot to do." He said, "That's okay." And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah You know I'm gonna be like him." [Chorus] Well, he came from college just the other day So much like a man, I just had to say "Son, I'm proud of you. Can you sit for a while?" He shook his head, and he said with a smile "What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys See you later; can I have them please?" And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man in the moon "When you comin home, son?" "I don't know when But we'll get together then, dad You know we'll have a good time then." I've long since retired, and my son's moved away I called him up just the other day I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind." He said, "I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu But it's sure nice talking to you, dad It's been sure nice talking to you." And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me He'd grown up just like me My boy was just like me And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man in the moon "When you comin home, son?" "I don't know when But we'll get together then, dad We're gonna have a good time then." |
The song Cats In the Cradle was written by Harry Chapin in 1974. The song was inspired by a poem his wife wrote to him about their son, and how she feared Harry’s career would harm their relationship. The song troubled many fathers, even if the song was not relevant to how they raised their own sons it was easily to related to another father figure in their lives.
The first verse describes the birth of a child, the recurring theme of the song is losing track of what is important in life. The son begins his life idolizing his father, who is always too busy for him. The line in the chorus which the song gets its name from, “the cats in the cradle,” is reference to an old wives tale. Once, cats were symbols for witch craft and it was believed if a cat got into the cradle with a baby it could steal the babies breathe, or it would be a omen that the baby would die. This reference shows how the father is meant to be a protector but when absent the children have to fend for themselves. “And the silver spoon,” is a reference to how the father spent so much time chasing the silver spoon, or working so his son would grow up wealthy, he could not keep the cat out of the cradle. After the son grows and returns from college there is reversal of roles. Finally receiving praise and attention from the father, he had already learned to live without it. The father releases he has missed out on his sons entire life after a phone call when the son tells his father he is too busy for him. The father knows the only one to blame for his son disinterest is himself. The chorus "When you comin home, dad?" "I don't know when, But we'll get together then You know we'll have a good time then,” represents the empty promises the father makes to his son, and then the son makes to his father. The father made poor decisions and missed all the happiness his son might have provided. Now that his golden years are gone he looks back in regret. The father created a legacy, he has only had the realization that this was not the legacy he envisioned. The final line of the song shows the empty promise was never fulfilled. The promise the son made to be like his father was fulfilled, he grew up to be just like him. |