Too Late For Goodbyes

What a poignant testament to the abandonment a child can feel when a parent is distant. Julian Lenon wasn't able to know his father all that well growing up, as John Lennon left Julian's Mum and eventually remarried. Of course, having a famous Dad could well make mattere that much more complicated...despite the pop feel to this song, it moves me. I often wonder, not having a close relationship with my own father, what that loss must be like.

Interesting interpretation, mollena. I'd never considered it that way. Whether the song is about a broken parent-child relationship or the dissolution of a romantic partnership, it's a powerful testament to the confusion that follows. Even if we try to repress the pain, it returns with a surprisingly sharp edge. I felt that the upbeat tempo of the song beautifully parallels the singer's emotions--he's trying to remain nonchalant and casual even as the grief finally surfaces. Although it's lyrically very simple with repetitive rhymes, I still found it affecting.

I read in "John" by Cythia Lennon that most people thought it was about his relationship with his father when the truth was it was about an ex-girlfriend. "John" was a great book! you should read it. There were some things I never knew about John Lennon. Poor Julian throughout all of this. I wish John hadn't of died when they were starting to get close.

I always thought the song was about a relationship too - one between him and a girlfriend that failed. However I recently saw the video (didn't watch too much TV back in the day) which made me rethink that. In the video which is filmed on a stage with the band, there is doorway with white background lighting. A person is seen playfully at times going from side to side, and the person has the look like his Dad did in the 70's - long hair, a beard - - so now I am not sure if its only about a girl. Perhaps the video was filmed that way and the lyrics are general enough that it could be about the end of a romantic or parental relationship. A recent breakup with a girlfriend could have easily been the inspiration of the song but the person dancing in the doorway could easily represent John and his playful spirit. Either way, I find it to be a catchy, simple, yet powerful song.