LIKE FATHER,
LIKE SON
(words and music by Rick Springfield)
He was raised in the English way
His daddy taught him respect, he taught him how to pray
They sent him off to boarding school
Where he learned how to live by
someone else's rule
And he went to confession
He went to confession
Holy Father wash my sins away
He went to confession
He went to confession
Mother Mary take the pain away
He read letters from home
at night in his bed
And got this uneasy feeling
when his father said
Fear of God and the feel of the rod
Will raise a good boy
The fear of God and the feel of the rod
Will raise a good boy
He bought his daddy's car and he learned to drive
And when he left school he got a nine to five
He met the girl and he got his spouse
And they had the child and they got the house
And he went to confession
He went to confession
Holy Father wash my sins away
He went to confession
He went to confession
Mother Mary take the pain away
He loved his son and he helped him build walls and fronts
He knew he'd heard it before
Someone had said it once
Fear of God and the feel of the rod
Will raise a good boy
The fear of God and the feel of the rod
Will raise a good boy
He raised his son in the English way
And he taught him respect, he taught him how to pray
He sent him off to boarding school
Where he learned how to live
by someone else's rules
And he went to confession
He went to confession
Holy Father wash my sins away
He went to confession
He went to confession
Mother Mary take the pain away
It must be something much deeper
than fear or pain
Another child learns a pattern he
won't break the chain
Fear of God and the feel of the rod
Will raise a good boy
The fear of God and the feel of the rod
Will raise a good boy
The fear of God and the feel of the rod
Will raise the next boy
(total playing time: 2:55)
SONG FACTS:
This song appears on the following
release:
Living in Oz and The Best of Rick Springfield (Japan) and Legendary.
Rick performed part of this song live in Harris, MI on 6/17/00 (2nd show)
Footnotes-
The background picture on the left is of Rick's dad from VH1 behind the
music, and the right side is a video capture from Hard to Hold. I
just thought it was cute to have them both in military uniforms. - rlh |
|
According
to US
This song is yet another great piece in Rick's collection of thoughts, rounding off LIO with an interesting ending. It's like the last piece to this puzzle. But I do wonder what prompted Rick to write this song. It left me with a bit of a question mark from day one when I originally heard it. I still don't know if I can guess who this song was written about. (Someone English that Rick once knew? "He was raised in the English way, his daddy taught him respect, he taught him how to pray." Rick is not English and so far as I know he did not attend a boarding school. So no…I don't think it's about him. I don't believe this reflects Rick's dad either from what I've heard Rick say about him.) The lyrics do make sense though. In an odd way this song (the topic) reminds me of the old song "The Cat's In The Cradle." It deals with the fact that our children pattern after us…whether it's good or bad behavior. Except with this song it feels more like certain beliefs were `forced' upon the child, as he was sent off to a boarding school that taught him to follow a particular set of `rules.' Was it the fathers' way of passing on his parental responsibilities to someone else by sending his child off to a live-in school? It's a 'simple' story about a boy who grows up to be just like his dad, with all the bad habits & same old issues.
I consider this another of Rick's storytelling songs. It's about a child who was made to go to confession & taught that the if you "spare the rod, you spoil the child." The part about the letters from home feel a bit disturbing to me, and always have, as if his father was absent yet he was sending warnings from afar…almost threatening the boy---"He read letters from home at night in his bed, and got this uneasy feeling when his father said…fear of God and the feel of the rod will raise a good boy." It's as if his father wants this belief instilled in him, no matter what.
There are a LOT of religious references in this one with words and phrases like---"Confession," and "Holy Father wash my sins away," or "Mother Mary take the pain away." I grew up for part of my childhood in a Catholic church, so I can understand some of this from that standpoint. But it almost sounds like Rick meant something different than the usual meanings for these phrases. To me it sounds more like a control issue within this family---and it's put upon the child, whomever the "he" is Rick's referring to. I get the weird feeling that the child was made to feel `bad' or less than `good,` like he was eaten up with sin. I think it's very important that we let our children know that THEY are not bad, but that certain behaviors can be bad. If not, I believe it can be damaging. This song is thought-provoking to me. The music is not what I'd consider spectacular, on a Rick level. And it's not even in the style of Rick Springfield, (or what I was used to hearing from him) but I think that's part of the charm to me…that he kind of went out on a limb with this tune. I really like the sounds of the violin throughout. I feel it's fitting with the lyrics.
Sometimes I think we do things in our adult life that are reflections of the ideas we were taught as young children. I believe that sometimes we will remember where our `habits' or ideas stem from, and then other times we don't. We just do the things we do because it's part of who we are. It's a pattern that ends up repeating itself, just like Rick states in the last line of the song---"It must be something much deeper than fear or pain. Another child learns the pattern, he won't break the chain." He either WON'T break that pattern because he believes it to be right, or he simply can't. It's too much a part of him. Or maybe it's that `fear of God' that is sometimes within us? Thus, the cycle continues with each generation. Either way…I know that parenting and it's rules or way of life we put upon our children is one of the most powerful tools people have in creating the type of people we want to see for generations to come. And I think that often times pure fear (not only of God, but a fear of everything) can truly play a huge role.
I would love to hear Rick explain the reason behind this song, but I don't think THAT will ever happen!
- Kelley Pearson
|
