Lyric discussion by russellmorgan 

Cover art for Anticipation lyrics by Carly Simon

There is an obvious anticipation of things to come (the creation of a good old day event) but having to wait for 'it' to arrive. I read into these lyrics a very wise and thought-out message - almost cryptic - that suggests we might treasure every moment because one never knows when it might come to a very abrupt end with another person (whom you obviously love) and for no other reason than it's just the way nature works. To me, the opening line indicates the entire message within the song's lyrics: "We can never know about the days to come." The middle message is the anticipation of what it might be like while with, or on, the 'date' (a date through life?) But the last verse, to me, gives it away. The words "not (being) a prophet" and able to predict when, and "nature's way", suggests to me a kind of cruelty (perhaps Carly might have chosen a different reference but she is specific) as we know that nature, in the end, is quite cruel and ends life with those we love, sometimes tragically. So each day that goes by is in fact 'a good old day' and she sings about treating it as such in your mind. It's interesting that the songs ends with that line and not with a direct reference to the actual title of the song. For me, this song sums up life completely and especially so if you loose a love through nature's way. It is one fabulous song and I have stopped what I'm doing on many, many occasions just so I can listen to it play on the radio.

My Interpretation