Good morning, son
I am a bird
Wearing a brown polyester shirt
You want a Coke?
Maybe some fries?
The roast beef combo's only nine ninety five
But it's okay
You don't have to pay
I've got all the change

Everybody knows
It hurts to grow up
And everybody does
It's so weird to be back here
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We're still fighting it
We're still fighting it

And you're so much like me
I'm sorry

Good morning, son
Twenty years from now
Maybe we'll both sit down
And have a few beers
And I can tell
You 'bout today
And how I picked you up
And everything changed
It was pain
Sunny days and rain
I knew you'd feel the same things

Everybody knows
It sucks to grow up
And everybody does
It's so weird to be back here
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We're still fighting it
We're still fighting it

You'll try and try
And one day you'll fly
Away from me

(Good morning, son)
(Good morning, son)
(Good morning, son)
(Good morning, son)
Good morning, son
(Good morning, son)
I am a bird
(Good morning, son)
(Good morning, son)

It was pain
Sunny days and rain
I knew you'd feel the same things

Everybody knows
It hurts to grow up
And everybody does
It's so weird to be back here
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We're still fighting it
We're still fighting it, oh
We're still fighting it
We're still fighting it

And you're so much like me
I'm sorry


Lyrics submitted by Rachel

Still Fighting It Lyrics as written by Ben Folds

Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., BMG Rights Management

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Still Fighting It song meanings
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  • +6
    General Comment

    I was just listening to this song the other day, and I finally got it.

    When I first heard it years ago I thought it was abstract and strange, and somehow sung from the POV of someone working the opening shift at a McDonalds or other fast foot establishment, (brown polyester shirt, greeting the sun, Coke/fries/roast beef).

    Then it hit me. Hard.

    I grew up (and still live with) a neurological learning disability that slows down auditory processing speeds, limits working memory, hinders motovation, and causes the brain's "reward system" to not fully develop or operate. (Not to mention feeling like an alien no matter where you go and can't seem to relate to or understand why people act like or seek after the things they do).

    I barely graduated from High School, and couldn't make it through college. I have a good job, but I've reached as far as my learning difficulties will let me no, and it feels like it's just a matter of time before they find out how messed up I am and give me the boot. Just about all the major milestones in my life have fallen flat because it was very difficult to study, learn, or perform up to my "potential". Every day is a constant struggle against my brain's limited ability to function in a normal fashion and fight against the misconceptions about people with learning problems in the work place.

    My son is now 5.

    I love him with my whole heart.

    Every time he runs around the house like a crazy fool, swinging on anything that he can get his hands on, and pacing in a circle for hours at a time talking non-stop about stories he makes up in his head involving toys / tools / gadgets makes me remember what it was like to be me growing up. I remember clearly doing the same things and how "normal" and calming it felt to act crazy and obsess about new things.

    He is already having problems in school.

    I remember the pain of ridicule and failure growing up, not being able to clearly fit into any niche in this world around me, and always feeling alone even in my own house. Seeing success and joy and knowing that I will never be able to experience nothing more than fleeting flashes of emotion betwixt drawn out periods of yearning for normalcy.

    ... "I knew you'd feel the same things"

    ... "And you're so much like me - I'm sorry"

    It is so bitter-sweet and poignant. I love him so much and I want him have what I never did, but not knowing if it's even possible since I've been unable to find it myself after all these years of searching for answers and solutions. It breaks my heart to think of him even having to go through a portion of the pain and suffering that I went through, and am still dealing with.

    There may not be a lot I can do to change the way his brain works, but I am going to give everything I have to make sure it doesn't crush him too.

    I'm still fighting it, but now I guess it isn't just me fighting anymore.

    We are learning how to fight it together.

    I love this song.

    StillFightingIton September 15, 2008   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    This is a really really sweet song. i reallu love the line "your so much like me im sorry"

    LiveUrLifeon April 26, 2002   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Every dad can relate to this song...

    "You're so much like me...I'm sorry"

    Probably the single greatest line ever written about being a father.

    Ben, you are a genius.

    dedazon January 29, 2009   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Everybody knows It sucks to grow up And everybody does It's so weird to be back here Let me tell you what The years go on and We're still fighting it, we're still fighting it You'll try and try and one day you'll fly Away from me

    This applies especially as a teen....lemme tell all you young folks out there, if your dad is still around or there for you, embrace him and learn from him while you can. Because if my dad could have written a song for me, it probably would be this one. This is one of the few songs that ever made me cry, because not only is it such an honest, heartfelt song, but it makes me think about how much my parents love me. It may sound cheesy, yadda yadda, say what you want, but your parents really do love you. Just love em and enjoy em while they're here....

    Grottolaon March 20, 2010   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    When I hear "And you're so much like me I'm sorry" it makes me think that Ben's a sensitive person and sees his son is too. So he feels sorry for his son that he's so vulnerable. At least, I imagine a person like Ben that's capable of making such amazing music and lyrics, must be a sensitive person. He's able to express what many feel. But it also means he's more easily hurt than others, too.

    The song is amazing. It makes me cry nearly every time I hear it. Also in a good way, because sometimes it feels great to realize at once the extent of our life (birth, youth, adulthood, and death).

    By the way, my father once gave me a equivalent of this song, but then for daughters. It's "A Ma Fille" by Charles Aznavour. Very touching lyrics!

    asfintescoon December 04, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    my friend who was the same age as me (19 at the time) died a few months ago and I remember driving to the hospital to see her before she passed away and hearing the lyrics to this song. It really got to me, just the fact that i was driving to the hospital alone made me feel strangely grown up, but not in a good way. ("Everybody knows it hurts to grow up, And everybody does.") I saw a lot of old friends at the hospital ("It's so weird to be back here") Everyone was sort of freaked out because the mortality of a person your age sort of makes you realize that you can't fight growing up("Let me tell you what. The years go on and we're still fighting it, we're still fighting it ") but most of all what really got me was that my friend was so similar to me, and she died ("And you're so much like me, I'm sorry.") So needless to say, this song really means something to me. I think that since he wrote it for his son he's basically just talking about life, and I guess thats why it fit what was going on in my life so well.

    jeannieon July 10, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Thought I'd share this ...

    Listening to Rockin' the Suburbs (song) and this song came up next on shuffle.

    Funny because I just went through a scramble to get a 2005 IRA contribution in by the deadline while doing my taxes on my own for the first time.

    I can't think of anything more tediously "sucks to grow up" than that, and also my dad was an accountant...

    dobeson April 03, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    It reminds me of a father and child meeting up after a couple of years and talking about life. "how I picked you up and everything changed" is a father picking up his child and their mindset from that moment on changes.

    When you have a child, you start to remember all of those crazy thing your father did and you find yourself following in his footsteps. Your child grows up and you start to realize that they are almost exactly like you. Your flaws and your greatnesses are in you children. "And you're so much like me, I'm sorry" is a self-reflection. As you see your child grow up, you see yourself grow up. You try to help your child live a better life than you did.

    rezseon April 10, 2011   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    This song is about a man who knew he wasn't going to stick around and it's almost like a passive pep talk informing his son that growing up without him is going to be rough but you can't give in, you've got to fight it. I think the "your so much like me, I'm sorry" is him projecting that his son is going to go through the same problems growing up that he encountered. I think a lot of fathers go through such a thing when they see the same issues and personality defects that they have showing up in their children either through nurture or nature. Either way it's quite a sad song and it's too bad so many men and women for that matter have to be this way with their children. It's a lesson on how you really need to come to terms with your past issues before you can have children. I think a lot of people who don't come to terms with their issues think it's better to leave and not subject their children to it but that probably just creates worse issues in the child because they grow up thinking THEY were the ones with the problem. Children are forgiving and all they really need is a hug.

    I think the reason why I love so many of Ben Folds songs is that he really is one of the few artists out there that really delves into the depths of human relations.

    angryroboton July 10, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    One of the few songs that almost always brings a bit of a tear to the ol' eye.

    But it's okay You don't have to pay I've got all the change

    kexpseattleon October 10, 2016   Link

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