The other day, I was listening to "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin. Of course I had heard the song several times before, but it has just occurred to me what the song is really saying.
He says in the first verse how when his son was born, he wasn't around much and because of this, he missed his son's first steps and first words. But him being away was not preventing his son from saying, "I'm gonna be like you, Dad. You know I'm gonna be like you."
The boy soon turns ten and he receives a baseball from his parents and asks his dad to play with him. His father replies by telling him that he has a lot to do so he's not able to teach him how to throw. His son walks away but his smile never fades and he says to himself, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah. You know I'm gonna be lke him."
So more time goes by and his son returns home from college and is very much a man. But now, instead of his son asking for some time with him, he asks his son to sit down and talk for a while. And his son answers by saying, "What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys. See you later, can I have them please?"
Now he has retired, so his son is all grown up. He calls his son one day and asks if he can see him. The son's reply is not what his father wants to hear. He says, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time. You see my new job's a hassle and the kids have the flu. But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad. It's been sure nice talking to you."
At this point in the story, the man realizes, as he hangs up the phone, that "He'd grown up just like me. My boy was just like me."
"And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon. Little boy blue and the man on the moon" is the recurring phrase throughout the course of the song. The parts are taken from "Cat's in the Cradle", "Silver Spoon", "Little Boy Blue", and "Man in the Moon". What is Harry Chapin referring to? He is referencing childhood during the chorus, because the song shows a boy who wants to be just like someone who pays him no attention.
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