You, who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by.
And so become yourself because the past is just a goodbye.
Teach your children well, their father's hell did slowly go by,
and feed them on your dreams, the one they picks, the one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry,
so just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

And you, of tender years, can't know the fears that your elders grew by,
and so please help them with your youth, they seek the truth before they can die.
Teach your parents well, their children's hell will slowly go by,
and feed them on your dreams, the one they picks, the one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry,
so just look at them and sigh and know they love you.


Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by meaning600

Teach Your Children song meanings
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    Played an outdoor gig last summer and played a 30 minute Neil Young set. Afterwards some asked me if I knew any CSN&Y. I knew Ohio. Now I know one more. Great song. What I love about learning songs is memorizing the lyrics, the meanings really sink in. I love how the song transitions from first the parent teaching there children to later in life the children teaching the parents. What it all comes down to is we are very different in many ways but we’ve taught each other well and our core values are the same and will we need to do I sigh and like the song says “and know they love you” RIP David Crosby

    Dalton Vargaon January 21, 2023   Link

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