Old Man Lyrics
Randy Newman is the music world's indisputable master of the "unreliable narrator" technique. does Newman himself appear in any of his own songs? once in a while. but very very few.
the dying "old man" and his son: both would probably be regarded (at a casual glance) as decent hardworking folks.
also, both are unbelievably cruel: as if they never learned the meaning of compassion. each in their own peculiar ways, but not so different from each other (the one part of the song you can take at face value is, "I'm just like you.")
(then the entire LP would come to a stop--if this song weren't followed by the insane Mutual Assured Destruction rave-up of "Political Science"--all because of the last two words...)
"Everybody dies." Yep, just like the sky is blue and the grass is green. No argument.
But what kind of twisted fЦcЖ would say that to a man on his deathbed? His own father, yet?
@foreverdrone that last question of yours, I think, is the whole point of the song. What kind of twisted eff would say that to a dying father? The dying father. “Cuz I’ll be here... and I’m just like you.”
@foreverdrone that last question of yours, I think, is the whole point of the song. What kind of twisted eff would say that to a dying father? The dying father. “Cuz I’ll be here... and I’m just like you.”
foreverdrone: he is not saying that to his father, he is saying it to himself. This Randy Newman we are talking about!
Lrg8607: I'm not sure about the lie, it could mean he is agreeing with is father:
You taught me not to believe that lie (the lie being "god will comfort you") or You taught me not to believe that lie (the lie being "won't be no god will comfort you")
@paulmarkj He’s a good Jewish atheist. Dad taught him there’ll be no comfort of a god.
@paulmarkj He’s a good Jewish atheist. Dad taught him there’ll be no comfort of a god.
The lyrics have a mistake.
It's "You must remember me, old man", not "You must remember the old man"
Randy Newman, the song/storyteller, is talking to his Father on his death bed. His Father was very stubborn and didn't show compasion for anyone so no one visited him but his son. The old man was also an athiest and tried to convince his son of his non-faith, but failed because he recognizes that he was teaching him a lie. His son also, at the end saying "everybody dies" is accepting his Fathers death.
@Lrg8607 I completely disagree, just because Randy Newman was raised atheist and stayed atheist. If anything, I kind of get where he’s coming from as his fellow Jewish atheist. I sometimes wish I’d been brought up to believe in an afterlife or a higher power because of my fear of death. There’s a lot that Randy Newman holds against his father, and that may be one piece - that tough, non sugarcoated reality - thrown right in the face of a man who may now be needing that comfort.
@Lrg8607 I completely disagree, just because Randy Newman was raised atheist and stayed atheist. If anything, I kind of get where he’s coming from as his fellow Jewish atheist. I sometimes wish I’d been brought up to believe in an afterlife or a higher power because of my fear of death. There’s a lot that Randy Newman holds against his father, and that may be one piece - that tough, non sugarcoated reality - thrown right in the face of a man who may now be needing that comfort.