2 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Son Lyrics
Oh, I feel sympathy. Be grateful my son for what you get.
Expression and passion. Ten days for watching the sunset;
when I was your age amusement we made for ourselves.
``Permission to breathe sir,'' don't talk like that, I'm your old man.
They'll soon be demobbed son, so join up as soon as you can.
You can't borrow that
`cos that's for the races and doesn't grow on trees.
I only feel what touches me
and feel in touching I can see
a better state to be in.
Who has the right
to question what I might do,
in feeling I should touch the real
and only things I feel.
It's advice and it's nice to know when you're best advised.
You've only turned thirty, so son, you'd better apologize.
And when you grow up, if you're good
we will buy you a bike.
Expression and passion. Ten days for watching the sunset;
when I was your age amusement we made for ourselves.
``Permission to breathe sir,'' don't talk like that, I'm your old man.
They'll soon be demobbed son, so join up as soon as you can.
You can't borrow that
`cos that's for the races and doesn't grow on trees.
I only feel what touches me
and feel in touching I can see
a better state to be in.
Who has the right
to question what I might do,
in feeling I should touch the real
and only things I feel.
It's advice and it's nice to know when you're best advised.
You've only turned thirty, so son, you'd better apologize.
And when you grow up, if you're good
we will buy you a bike.
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I like this song. It's about (or at least to me) how (and this is more prevalent now than it was when the song was written) parents spend 18 years, raising a child, and thus, what do you get, a thirty year old child.
It's Ian Anderson mocking his abusive father. When Anderson was young, he wasn't interested in sports - his more delicate sensibilities caused his father to believe Anderson was gay. Anderson's father would beat him for it, on suspicion alone.
See also the lyric in "Wind Up" that goes, "How do you dare to tell me that I'm my father's son, when that was just an accident of birth?"
@acidcasualty I agree this song is about parents such as Ian's father, but I tend to think the line you quote from "Wind Up" refers to our Father who art in heaven. In other words, of all the religions on Earth, what is the probability of being born into the one and only true and fully accurate religion?
@acidcasualty I agree this song is about parents such as Ian's father, but I tend to think the line you quote from "Wind Up" refers to our Father who art in heaven. In other words, of all the religions on Earth, what is the probability of being born into the one and only true and fully accurate religion?
@Fuzzbean Fair enough, and I appreciate the thoughtful response. I have never read anything of Anderson's intended meaning, but my hunch says if he meant a monotheistic god, he wouldn't have used the definite article ("...I'm MY father's son..."). He'd have found a clever lyric to indicate the "father" isn't necessarily his but the god/gods of the Abrahamic religions. Furthermore, if he were to include all the other religions, indicating the chance of being born into the "fully accurate religion" the lyrics would have been more holistic. Probably. Maybe. Possibly.
@Fuzzbean Fair enough, and I appreciate the thoughtful response. I have never read anything of Anderson's intended meaning, but my hunch says if he meant a monotheistic god, he wouldn't have used the definite article ("...I'm MY father's son..."). He'd have found a clever lyric to indicate the "father" isn't necessarily his but the god/gods of the Abrahamic religions. Furthermore, if he were to include all the other religions, indicating the chance of being born into the "fully accurate religion" the lyrics would have been more holistic. Probably. Maybe. Possibly.
Just my $0.02.
Just my $0.02.