Someday Never Comes

This came straight from John Fogerty himself on what the song is about:

Fogerty has stated that the song is about being left and not being able to learn much as a child.

"Someday Never Comes" is simply a song about my parents undergoing a divorce when I was a child and me not knowing many things. When my dad left me, he told me to be a man and someday I would understand everything. Now, I'm here basically repeating the same thing really. I had a son in 1966 and I went away when he was five years old or so and again told him "someday" he would understand everything. Really, all kids ask questions like "Daddy, when are we going fishing?" and parents always answer with "someday", but in reality someday never comes and kids never learn what they're supposed to learn. -John Fogerty 1973

bradburyesqu is correct. This song was written about a personal experience of Fogerty's, particularly having to deal with his own divorce. He never understood why his own father had to leave yet history was repeating itself. Really strong and powerful song, but much more when you understand the history behind it.

I believe this song talks about ignorance, how our grandfathers didnt know how to teach our fathers many things... so they couldnt teach us those things... things thatcant be teached caue of moral integrity or religious believes, anywy the mother knows that, and tells his song he will understand, he will not beable to tach his song some things about life

my meaning behind the song... "When daddy went away, he said, try to be a man, And someday you'll understand...." -his dad was sent away to war but didn't know how to explain it to his son so he said try to be a man and someday you will understand why he has to leave for war.
Then later in the song- "Think it was September, the year I went away, For there were many things I didn't know. And still I see him standing tryin' to be a man, I said, someday you'll understand. -the "many things he didn't know" in this verse was why he had to, himself, go away to war...and so he told his son what best he could..."someday you'll understand." This is why it is called "someday will never come" because nobody understands the meaning behind war and why people are sent off to war..."someday we will understand" why, but yet "someday will never come".

Wow good interpretation Tbone. Is that true or your opnion?

Makes alot of sense.

this song always makes me cry. i think first thing i remember was asking papa why is testament to the fact that no matter how great a father may be there isn't much he can do to help his child through hard times. the only one who can help you is YOU. all that you can tell your son is how you dealt with it and just that he has to be tough. you must prepare your young for the hardship, tell them that its going to be ugly. don't raise your children in a fantasy world. its real and its real hard.

and please show your boy its ok to cry. i'm still learning.

It's a man remembering growing up without his dad and having to do it fast. then as an adult he fathered a child he didn't know about and did the same thing to him

Would others agree that this song's lyrics bust the pain barrier?

I'm 58 now ... and have listened to &/or reflected upon these lyrics for close to 40 years. I've gone from being a messed up college undergrad [NOTE: In 1972--Who Wasn't ??] to having ... Found My Way [HINT: Sobering up helped–A LOT ... As Did Drinking Deeply (Instead) of The Great Music of That Day–As Well As That of MANY PREVIOUS ERA's] ... to teaching science & math to Junior High School aged Kiddos for a decade ... to raising My Own 2 daughters & meeting all the The Home Front responsibilities ... because my husband–a surgeon–could not be expected to tackle one more chore at the close of His Day ... which OFTEN didn't close until the wee hours of the morning ... Not Unlike A Rock Star’s “Day"

The irony for us all–John Fogerty's Dad, John Fogerty, Your Dad, My Husband & MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS of OTHERS ... HERE & NOW & THROUGHOUT ALL of HISTORY–is that–The Work That We Must Do To Support Our Family TOO OFTEN Takes Us Far From Our Family–Insulating Us & Isolating Us From The Very People That We're Supposedly Doing So Much of Our Work For ... until our relationships with them are shallow and tepid–at best–more like "Motel 6" relationships–And The People We REALLY SEE&HEAR&PatOnTheBack&LIVE WITH–On The Road or At The Job–These People BECOME OUR "REAL FAMILY" ... leading to our divorce ... on many levels ... from the family back "home" ... a place that now feels more like a cold motel room that we occasionally check in to.

Keepin the love alive... You know–It Don't Come Easy.

Too many people seem to think that You Can't Sing The Bluez Until You've Really F***ed Up Badly In Life & Have A Personal Trail of Tears To Sing About.

THIS IS A TERRIBLY WRONG IDEA.

It's Quite–The Opposite ... People Who Have Messed Up Their Minds & Bodies & Relationships ... DON'T USUALLY HAVE VERY GOOD RECALL of Wot-In-Tha-"H"-"E"-Double-Hockey-Sticks THEY WERE DOING ... The True Blues Songs Come From Those Whose Minds Are Nimble&Well-Nourished & Whose Hearts Are Wide Open To All That Life Has To Offer–And Who Then Draw From ALL THIS–TRUTH–And Sing&Play IT OUT As Deeply Thought & Felt As They Can–With Notes of Wicked-Good Humor... ; D

ANYWHO... Life IS Gonna Hand You Enough Lemons AS IT IS–So You Don’t Have To Go OUT of YOUR WAY To BE “The Lemon”...

AND... We Are All Human Beings–With Human Limitations–So There Will Be Plenty of Times When We “Reach Our Limits” BEFORE We “Reach The End” of Our ASSIGNED TASKS [NOTE: Whether Our Tasks Were Assigned By Ourselves Or By Others Makes Little Difference ... We’re OFTEN Harder Taskmasters On Ourselves–Than On Others]...

And When This Happenz–

“Thangs” Start To Break Down !!

The ultimate "like father, like son" song. Things his dad did made him want to no be like his dad but he ended up repeating the same stuff and he had to tell his son that he'd understand once he's a father in his shoes