"Oh Very Young" as written by and Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam....
Oh very young, what will you leave us this time
You're only dancin' on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your dads best jeans
Denim blue, faded up to the sky
And though you want them to last forever
You know they never will
You know they never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still
Oh very young what will you leave us this time
There'll never be a better chance to change your mind
And if you want this world to see a better day
Will you carry the words of love with you
Will you, will you ride the great white bird into heaven
And though you want to last forever
You know you never will
You know you never will
And the goodbye makes the journey harder still
Will you carry the words of love with you
Will you ride, oh, ooh
Oh very young, what will you leave us this time
You're only dancin' on this earth for a short while
Oh very young, what will you leave us this time
You're only dancin' on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your dads best jeans
Denim blue, faded up to the sky
And though you want them to last forever
You know they never will
You know they never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still
Oh very young what will you leave us this time
There'll never be a better chance to change your mind
And if you want this world to see a better day
Will you carry the words of love with you
Will you, will you ride the great white bird into heaven
And though you want to last forever
You know you never will
You know you never will
And the goodbye makes the journey harder still
Will you carry the words of love with you
Will you ride, oh, ooh
Oh very young, what will you leave us this time
You're only dancin' on this earth for a short while
Oh very young, what will you leave us this time
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I'm not so young anymore, but my goodbyes to people, places and good situations do not ever get easier. I do like to hang on a bit too long, willing to "patch" things or figure out a way to make the 'goodbye' something other than what it is. There is a feeling of loss, when something good ends; and things are not infinitely improvable, so the risk a young person takes is not always evaluated properly. Great song, liking all the thoughtful posts coming before me. Cheers.
reincarnation theme
Next generation, what will your legacy be, for the generation that is to follow you?
you're only dancing on this earth for a short while
You may now think you're invincible, but everyone dies.
and though your dreams may toss and turn you now
You might trouble yourself with the simple matters that seem so insurmountable today
they will vanish away like your daddy's best jeans
denim blue fading up to the sky
And though you want him to last forever you know he never will
(you know he never will)
Daddy's best jeans, like all things, will surely fade.... Even the most durable will surely pass away.
and the patches make the goodbye harder still
These things and people will pass, no matter the care we take to preserve them; and in trying to save them, there may be more sorrow and bitterness at the vain efforts to make them last.
Oh very young what will you leave us this time
Next generation, will you carry on with our wars and hate?
there'll never be a better chance to change your mind
You can pave your own way, if you so desire
will you carry the words of love with you?
will you ride the great white bird into heaven?
Are you willing to make peace, and make peace and love the anchor for humankind?
and though you want to last forever you know you never will (you know you never will)
and the goodbye makes the journey harder still
All things shall pass: will you worry about future generations, and what they've learned from you? Or will you be at peace?
I see the person being sung to as a reckless person who is living for himself, maybe not even hurting himself persay, but falling into the "get ahead" mentality, striving to make a buck, but not make much else. The singer is exposing this flaw to the young man pleading for him to use his potential before time runs out, because empty goodbyes are the hardest.
I wholly agree.
I did drawings based on the words of this song.
I love it.
denim blue fading up to the sky
and though you want him to last
forever you know he never will
(you know he never will)
and the patches
make the goodbye harder still." along the way there are many goodbyes that are sad but they can't last forever, like the dreams of our youth. Patches to me mean we try to hold on, but inevitable they fade away. "and the goodbye
makes the journey harder sill." this could be the loss of loved ones, or children growing up and leaving home. This is a great song, good as a background for old home movie collections or photos showing pssage of time reflected in the children growing older. Thanks
An amazing song by one of the greatest songwriters..
An amazing song by a great songwriter..