Cat Stevens is the English singer-songwriter who wrote and sang songs capable of staying in our hearts, such as Wild World and Father and Son . With absolute delicacy, a rare sensitivity and an unforgettable melody, Cat Stevens in Father and Son establishes a conversation between a father and a son, who at a certain point in his life must leave his parents’ home and set out in search of self. Released in 1970 on the album Tea for the Tillerman, Father and Son is a song capable of moving fathers and children. A song to dedicate today, on the occasion of the pope’s feast. Cat Stevens tells about fathers and sons
The lyrics of the song “Father and Son” are conceived by Cat Stevens as a conversation between a father and a son. The son does not want to follow in the footsteps of the pope, because he aspires to something else. He has to find his way. The father offers him his advice, coming from his personal experience: There’s so much
you
have to know
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry
Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy things to know
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can get married
Look at me, I’m old,
But I’m happy
However, the father must learn to let his son go, he must accept the fact that he is growing up and that he is about to take his steps in the world. Seeing your children become aware of their identity and who they are is an emotion that every parent feels, but it is also a pain. In fact, this moment marks a new phase in their relationship.
It is not news that fathers and sons do not understand each other, precisely because they belong to two different generations. Cat Stevens himself did not understand his father:
I never really understood my father. He ran a restaurant and I was a musician, so I wasn’t following the path he set out, but he always let me do what I wanted, he let me go. Some people think that in the song I take the part of the son, but how could I have sung the part of the father if I could not understand it myself
Both fathers and children have to learn to do this: let go. Fathers need to understand when the time comes to let their children go their own way, and children need to have the courage to leave the family home to get to know themselves. Lyrics
It’s not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy
You’re still young, that’s your fault,
There’s so much you have to know
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry
Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy
I was once like you are now, and I know that it’s not easy,
To be calm when you’ve found something going on
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything you’ve got
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not
How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again
It’s always been the same, same old story
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen
Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go
It’s not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly
You’re still young, that’s your fault,
There’s so much you have to go through
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry
Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It’s hard, but it’s harder to ignore it
If they were right, I’d agree, but it’s them you know not me
Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to goLa traduzione
Non e tempo di cambiare
Rilassati, prendila con calma
Sei ancora giovane, questa e la tua colpa
Hai ancora molte cose da conoscere
Trovare una ragazza, sistemarti,
Se vuoi puoi sposarti
Look at me, I’m old,
But I’m happy
I was once the way you are now,
And I know it’s not easy
To stay calm when you’ve found
Something going
But take your time, think long
Why, think of everything you’ve had.
Because tomorrow you will still be here
But maybe not your dreams.
How can I try to explain,
If he turns attention once again
And always the same old story
From the moment I could speak,
I was ordered to listen
Now there is a way and I know
I have to go
I know I have to go
It is not time for a change
Sit down, take it easy
You are still young, this is your fault
There are still many things to deal with
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can get married
Look at me I’m old,
But I’m happy
Every time I cried,
Keeping it all inside me
And it lasts, but and Even hard
To ignore everything
If they were right, I agreed,
But they know them, not me
Now there is a way and I know
I have to go
I know I have to go
