To my knowledge HC never did specify what this song is about in any interviews I ever saw or read, just a quick reference to it's epic length while appearing on "Tonight Show" (he didn't sing it).
As best I can tell, this is HC dealing with aging and questioning whether his charity work and activism or worth the trouble and making a positive difference while contemplating the politics of the music Industry, which he never liked.
It seems as if HC is looking a younger version of himself in the song's beginning, the "There's a kid out on my corner, hear him strumming like a fool
Shivering in his dungerees, but still he's going to school
His cheeks are made of peach fuzz -- his hopes may be the same
But he's signed up as a soldier out to play the music game " intro seems like a reference to himself early in his career, with HC as the older, wiser guy attempting to give the younger him advice on whether he should get into music and if so what he can expect, good & bad.
Then the song veers into HC looking back on why he got into music in the 1st place, his passion for "telling" America's story, which leads to his critique of country's politics and state of being heading into the Bi Centenial Celebraton, which could have been looked at as hypocritical given the problems facing the country, people largely ignoring them in favor of the "Feel Good" moment of the celebration.
This leads into HC pondering whether his career and later his activism are worth it as he deals with getting older and seemingly not having accomplished what he wanted.
Finally, in the song's finale, HC decides that in fact the activism and the music, for all of the trouble, are in fact worth it, thanks in part to his son, who's youthfull innocence seems to reinvigorate him ...
" ...evaporated nightmares that had boiled the night before
With every new day's dawning my kid climbs in my bed
And tells the cynics of the board room your language is dead
And as I wander with my music through the jungles of despair
My kid will learn guitar and find his street corner somewhere
There he'll make the silence listen to the dream behind the voice
And show his minstrel Hamlet daddy that there only was one choice "
In this vein the song returns to the original form where it's the vet HC looking at the young kid or younger version of himself and tells to go for it....
"Strum your guitar -- sing it kid
Just write about your feelings -- not the things you never did
Inexperience -- it once had cursed me
But your youth is no handicap -- it's what makes you thirsty, hey kid
Strum your guitar -- sing it kid "
If anybody out there knows different please correct me, as I stated Ive never seen a HC interview where he discussed the song's origins or meaning so this is the best I can interpret.
that's succinctly put my friend
this has been mah favourite harry chspin song since childhood
ah cannae remember ever listenin tae this withoot a lump in mah throat or a tear in mah eye
mah dad wis a massive lover ay harry's music, poetry, philosophy & philanthropy.
ahm writin this on the 1st anniversary ay his death, havin jist listened tae this epic piece ay genius tae remind me ay oor shared love ay harry's work
as ye say, ah believe harry's hopes n ideals carry on thru the nixt 'kid on the corner'
that's succinctly put my friend
this has been mah favourite harry chspin song since childhood
ah cannae remember ever listenin tae this withoot a lump in mah throat or a tear in mah eye
mah dad wis a massive lover ay harry's music, poetry, philosophy & philanthropy.
ahm writin this on the 1st anniversary ay his death, havin jist listened tae this epic piece ay genius tae remind me ay oor shared love ay harry's work
as ye say, ah believe harry's hopes n ideals carry on thru the nixt 'kid on the corner'
To my knowledge HC never did specify what this song is about in any interviews I ever saw or read, just a quick reference to it's epic length while appearing on "Tonight Show" (he didn't sing it).
As best I can tell, this is HC dealing with aging and questioning whether his charity work and activism or worth the trouble and making a positive difference while contemplating the politics of the music Industry, which he never liked.
It seems as if HC is looking a younger version of himself in the song's beginning, the "There's a kid out on my corner, hear him strumming like a fool Shivering in his dungerees, but still he's going to school His cheeks are made of peach fuzz -- his hopes may be the same But he's signed up as a soldier out to play the music game " intro seems like a reference to himself early in his career, with HC as the older, wiser guy attempting to give the younger him advice on whether he should get into music and if so what he can expect, good & bad.
Then the song veers into HC looking back on why he got into music in the 1st place, his passion for "telling" America's story, which leads to his critique of country's politics and state of being heading into the Bi Centenial Celebraton, which could have been looked at as hypocritical given the problems facing the country, people largely ignoring them in favor of the "Feel Good" moment of the celebration.
This leads into HC pondering whether his career and later his activism are worth it as he deals with getting older and seemingly not having accomplished what he wanted.
Finally, in the song's finale, HC decides that in fact the activism and the music, for all of the trouble, are in fact worth it, thanks in part to his son, who's youthfull innocence seems to reinvigorate him ...
" ...evaporated nightmares that had boiled the night before With every new day's dawning my kid climbs in my bed And tells the cynics of the board room your language is dead And as I wander with my music through the jungles of despair
My kid will learn guitar and find his street corner somewhere There he'll make the silence listen to the dream behind the voice And show his minstrel Hamlet daddy that there only was one choice "
In this vein the song returns to the original form where it's the vet HC looking at the young kid or younger version of himself and tells to go for it....
"Strum your guitar -- sing it kid
Just write about your feelings -- not the things you never did Inexperience -- it once had cursed me But your youth is no handicap -- it's what makes you thirsty, hey kid Strum your guitar -- sing it kid "
If anybody out there knows different please correct me, as I stated Ive never seen a HC interview where he discussed the song's origins or meaning so this is the best I can interpret.
@FlairFan01
@FlairFan01
that's succinctly put my friend this has been mah favourite harry chspin song since childhood ah cannae remember ever listenin tae this withoot a lump in mah throat or a tear in mah eye mah dad wis a massive lover ay harry's music, poetry, philosophy & philanthropy. ahm writin this on the 1st anniversary ay his death, havin jist listened tae this epic piece ay genius tae remind me ay oor shared love ay harry's work as ye say, ah believe harry's hopes n ideals carry on thru the nixt 'kid on the corner'
that's succinctly put my friend this has been mah favourite harry chspin song since childhood ah cannae remember ever listenin tae this withoot a lump in mah throat or a tear in mah eye mah dad wis a massive lover ay harry's music, poetry, philosophy & philanthropy. ahm writin this on the 1st anniversary ay his death, havin jist listened tae this epic piece ay genius tae remind me ay oor shared love ay harry's work as ye say, ah believe harry's hopes n ideals carry on thru the nixt 'kid on the corner'
@FlairFan01
@FlairFan01