I have to admit that I just don't see the supposed connection to child-rearing that others do. But maybe that's simply because I don't have children.
I've always thought that this song almost belonged more on "Roll the Bones" than on "Hold Your Fire," though both albums have similar themes ("Roll the Bones" on the need to take a risk and "Hold Your Fire" on the need to stay motivated) which would make some thematic overlap understandable. To me, this song is about holding onto one's drive and pushing through from start (the point of ignition) through the finish (the final drive) and to accept whatever it may bring (rational responses force a change of plans).
I also absolutely love the dual meaning in what, to me, are the two key phrases in the song:
"The point of the journey is not to arrive."
"The point of departure is not to return."
Read one way those can be taken as cautions that we shouldn't see the journey as merely something that we have to go through to get to the destination (that is to say, arriving isn't the point of the journey) or that the point of leaving is to take in something new and different rather than just to let us come home and be thankful for the comfort and familiarity of our home.
Read another way, these are much more forceful statements. The first can be taken as "never arriving is the entire point of a journey," suggesting that the whole point of life is to seek journeys, not destinations; that we should "thrill to be alive." The second admonishes us not to come back home; it tells us that never returning is the whole point of departure. When we leave, we should leave and not be wedded to the idea of returning home; the whole point is to keep moving and keep discovering.
Forgot to include that a "prime mover," in addition to the usual philosophical meanings, is also used to describe a machine that converts natural energy into useful work. For example, the engine in a car is the "prime mover" for the car and the massive turbines in the Hoover Dam are the "prime movers" for electricity generators that power millions of homes and businesses. This seems to support the idea that the song is about taking that initial impetus, that "point of ignition" and transforming it into something useful.
Forgot to include that a "prime mover," in addition to the usual philosophical meanings, is also used to describe a machine that converts natural energy into useful work. For example, the engine in a car is the "prime mover" for the car and the massive turbines in the Hoover Dam are the "prime movers" for electricity generators that power millions of homes and businesses. This seems to support the idea that the song is about taking that initial impetus, that "point of ignition" and transforming it into something useful.
I have to admit that I just don't see the supposed connection to child-rearing that others do. But maybe that's simply because I don't have children.
I've always thought that this song almost belonged more on "Roll the Bones" than on "Hold Your Fire," though both albums have similar themes ("Roll the Bones" on the need to take a risk and "Hold Your Fire" on the need to stay motivated) which would make some thematic overlap understandable. To me, this song is about holding onto one's drive and pushing through from start (the point of ignition) through the finish (the final drive) and to accept whatever it may bring (rational responses force a change of plans).
I also absolutely love the dual meaning in what, to me, are the two key phrases in the song:
"The point of the journey is not to arrive." "The point of departure is not to return."
Read one way those can be taken as cautions that we shouldn't see the journey as merely something that we have to go through to get to the destination (that is to say, arriving isn't the point of the journey) or that the point of leaving is to take in something new and different rather than just to let us come home and be thankful for the comfort and familiarity of our home.
Read another way, these are much more forceful statements. The first can be taken as "never arriving is the entire point of a journey," suggesting that the whole point of life is to seek journeys, not destinations; that we should "thrill to be alive." The second admonishes us not to come back home; it tells us that never returning is the whole point of departure. When we leave, we should leave and not be wedded to the idea of returning home; the whole point is to keep moving and keep discovering.
I've always preferred the second reading.
Forgot to include that a "prime mover," in addition to the usual philosophical meanings, is also used to describe a machine that converts natural energy into useful work. For example, the engine in a car is the "prime mover" for the car and the massive turbines in the Hoover Dam are the "prime movers" for electricity generators that power millions of homes and businesses. This seems to support the idea that the song is about taking that initial impetus, that "point of ignition" and transforming it into something useful.
Forgot to include that a "prime mover," in addition to the usual philosophical meanings, is also used to describe a machine that converts natural energy into useful work. For example, the engine in a car is the "prime mover" for the car and the massive turbines in the Hoover Dam are the "prime movers" for electricity generators that power millions of homes and businesses. This seems to support the idea that the song is about taking that initial impetus, that "point of ignition" and transforming it into something useful.