Well, the key to my survival
Was never in much doubt
The question was how I could keep sane
Trying to find the way out
Things were never easy for me
Peace of mind was hard to find
And I needed a place where I could hide
Somewhere I could call mine
I didn't think much about it
Till it started happening all the time
Soon I was living with the fear everyday
Of what might happen at night
I couldn't stand to hear the
Crying of my mother
And I remember when
I swore that, that would be the
Last they'd see of me
And I never went home again
They say time is a healer
And now my wounds are not the same
I rang the bell with my heart in my mouth
I had to hear what he'd say
He sat me down to talk to me
He looked me straight in the eyes
He said:
"You're no son, you're no son of mine
You're no son, you're no son of mine
You walked out, you left us behind
And you're no son, you're no son of mine"
Oh his words how they hurt me
I'll never forget it
And as the time, it went by
I lived to regret it
You're no son, you're no son of mine
But where should I go
Please tell me what should I do
You're no son, you're no son of mine
But I came here for help
Oh I was looking for you
Well the years they passed so slowly
I thought about him everyday
What would I do, if we passed on the street
Would I keep running away
In and out of hiding places
Soon I'd have to face the facts
We'd have to sit down and talk it over
And that would mean going back
They say time is a healer
And now my wounds are not the same
I rang the bell with my heart in my mouth
I had to hear what he'd say
He sat me down to talk to me
He looked me straight in the eyes
He said:
"You're no son, you're no son of mine
You're no son, you're no son of mine
You walked out, you left us behind
And you're no son, you're no son of mine"
Oh his words how they hurt me
I'll never forget it
And as the time, it went by
I lived to regret it
You're no son, you're no son of mine
But where should I go
Please tell me what should I do
You're no son, you're no son of mine
But I came here for help
Oh I was looking for you
Was never in much doubt
The question was how I could keep sane
Trying to find the way out
Things were never easy for me
Peace of mind was hard to find
And I needed a place where I could hide
Somewhere I could call mine
I didn't think much about it
Till it started happening all the time
Soon I was living with the fear everyday
Of what might happen at night
I couldn't stand to hear the
Crying of my mother
And I remember when
I swore that, that would be the
Last they'd see of me
And I never went home again
They say time is a healer
And now my wounds are not the same
I rang the bell with my heart in my mouth
I had to hear what he'd say
He sat me down to talk to me
He looked me straight in the eyes
He said:
"You're no son, you're no son of mine
You're no son, you're no son of mine
You walked out, you left us behind
And you're no son, you're no son of mine"
Oh his words how they hurt me
I'll never forget it
And as the time, it went by
I lived to regret it
You're no son, you're no son of mine
But where should I go
Please tell me what should I do
You're no son, you're no son of mine
But I came here for help
Oh I was looking for you
Well the years they passed so slowly
I thought about him everyday
What would I do, if we passed on the street
Would I keep running away
In and out of hiding places
Soon I'd have to face the facts
We'd have to sit down and talk it over
And that would mean going back
They say time is a healer
And now my wounds are not the same
I rang the bell with my heart in my mouth
I had to hear what he'd say
He sat me down to talk to me
He looked me straight in the eyes
He said:
"You're no son, you're no son of mine
You're no son, you're no son of mine
You walked out, you left us behind
And you're no son, you're no son of mine"
Oh his words how they hurt me
I'll never forget it
And as the time, it went by
I lived to regret it
You're no son, you're no son of mine
But where should I go
Please tell me what should I do
You're no son, you're no son of mine
But I came here for help
Oh I was looking for you
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
"No Son of Mine" as written by Phil Collins Michael Rutherford
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
Anyone who grew up in an abusive household should be able to relate to this. My father was an alcoholic who abused my mother frequently. I can remember being in Catholic grade school and sitting alone in the bathroom stalls feeling the anxious dread of knowing what the night would bring.
Generally speaking, if a father is beating his kids, he's beating his wife, too, but just because the mother is crying here does not necessarily mean she was being beaten; she might simply be crying because the child is being beaten. If I had to put money on it, though, I'd say she was being abused, as well.
Sadly, even though the child eventually left to get away from the abuse, the mother did not go with him, and he still instinctually seeks the approval of his scumbag of a dad. Great song.
I want to add that, years ago, for me, this song was also about my percieved relationship between myself and God/religion/my church. Though I'm sure it would be hard for most people without my particular experiences (not going into that here) to see that story in the lyrics, it was there for me.
I've always felt that this is about someone who left home as a teenager after suffering abuse. It's not clear whether the man of the house was abusing the boy, or the mother...maybe both. The boy escapes to various "hiding places", probably never settling in a home of his own...constantly full of thoughts about his childhood. Eventually he confronts his father intending to "talk it over" but is angrily told "you're no son of mine".
In short, a song about an abusive dad. Possibly deliberately vague, open to interpretation like so many Genesis lyrics.
til it started happening all the time
soon I was living with the fear everyday
of what might happen that night" with the last explanation?