what do you say to the child
whose god is in the t.v.?
and what do you say to the man
who blames the world on t.v.?
they don't even know how to sing my song
but they won't even try it
with me, with me, with me
who is standing over playing like
the teacher
harnessing the learned
who try but can't leave her
I want to beg the liars to lay down
their sirens
that play like the angels
to my deep desire
free my son
let him walk right through the rain
free my son
make him waterboy
free my son
there he stands down on the shore
free my son
what do you say to the man
who treats her like a mother?
and what do you say to the man
who treats him like a father?
"come and see my heart, come inside
and learn"?
"come and see my soul, it's like yours,
I say it's just like yours"?
who is making over
idolizing princes
banishing the dreamers with
barbed-wire fences
and telling all the children who run to
her feet
that they have no vision
and love's all diseased
free my son
I think this song is about equality, freeing those who are imprisoned by societys chains of judgement & exclusion. No matter what someones race, creed or financial situation is they should all be treated the same (given the same opportunities) & of course this is not the way the world works at all generally. Often those who are different are skewered & judged or just plain forgotten about. The history of the term waterboy is that back in the day was a boy employed in traditional farming or industry to provide water for farm workers or machinery, railroads also employed water boys. In India the water boy (pani-wallah or bhisti) was an occupation.