Rick Springfield - Celebrate Youth Lyrics

CELEBRATE YOUTH
(Lyrics and Music by Rick Springfield)

I can see the older man
Looking at the younger man
I can see the younger man
Looking at the boy
Over there the older woman
Is looking at the younger woman
I can see the younger woman
Looking at the girl

'Cause every man sees
In the younger man the hope
Every woman sees
In the younger girl the dream
Everybody lives
The pride and passion of the young
From the womb to the tomb
We will remember what it means

So celebrate youth (celebrate)
Those who have it (young ones)
Celebrate youth (celebrate)
Give them sight
The future of the world's (celebrate)
Hands of children (young ones)
So celebrate youth (celebrate)
Teach them right

Looking in a child's eye
There's no hate and there's no lie
There's no black and there's no white

I can see the older man
And sometimes in the older man
I still see the young boy
Burning in his eye

And locked up here inside our spirit
Is the child that we are, hear it
Some of us will always fear it
And some will heed the cry

But everybody sees
In the younger one the hope
But everybody sees
In the younger one the dream
Everybody lives
The pride and passion of the young
From the womb to the tomb
We will remember what it means

Looking in a child's face
There's no pride and no disgrace
There's no struggle, there's no fight

Everybody sees
In the younger one the hope
Everybody sees
In the younger one the dream
Everybody lives
The pride and passion of the young
From the womb to the tomb
We will remember what it means

Looking in a child's eye
There's no hate and there's no lie
There's no black and there's no white

Celebrate youth (celebrate)
Those who have it (young ones)
Celebrate youth (celebrate)
Give them sight
The future of the world's (celebrate)
Hands of children (young ones)
So celebrate youth (celebrate)
Teach them right

Celebrate youth (celebrate)
Those who have it (young ones)
Celebrate youth (celebrate)
Give them sight
The future of the world's (celebrate)
Hands of children (young ones)
So celebrate youth (celebrate)
Teach them right

Looking in a child's eye
There's no hate and there's no lie
There's no black and there's no white

(total playing time 3:50)

Song Facts:
This was the first single released from Tao.
Rick performed this song Live during 1985, and also at the beginning of the Karma tour.

Celebrate Youth appears on the following releases: Tao, Best 21 (Jpn), Best of, Best of Rick Springfield, Greatest Hits, Anthology, VH1's Behind the Music: The Rick Springfield Collection, The Best of Rick Springfield (Japan), Platinum & Gold, Legendary, Anthology (written in rock), We Are The '80s. It reached #26 on the Pop Charts, debuting on 4/6/85.

According to US

I heard the message in this song, but didn't really want to hear it in 1985. I was on the brink of adulthood, straining to achieve whatever I was reaching for, all the while still basking in the glow of not being responsible yet. The message being - appreciate your youth. That was certainly something I had heard from what seemed like every other older person around me. My grandmother was living with us at the time, and over and over again, I listened to her stories of her youth, and how she envied me with my friends and music and whatnot. I look back on these times now and can appreciate some of our conversations, but back then I kind of let it in one ear and out the other, anxious to get to those friends or listen to that music . When I heard this song before the album came out, all I remember thinking was, "Oh man, Rick is telling me this too?". I was hesitant as to what type of album it would turn out to be and whether or not I would like it, given that I was still at the point of thinking that Rick could not top LIO in my opinion. (ok, I'm slightly still there...LOL)

I thought it was a good song, but with a message I didn't really want to hear, so I didn't really add it to my list of favorites.
I think comparatively, if you look back on the Rick's songs we had listened to prior to this album, this one certainly has a different sound to it. I like the whistle at the beginning, I'm not sure if that has some significance or not. It really sounds like some of the rap type songs that were out at that time, with the type of beat that is pulsating throughout it. I think that is more apparent when Rick does this song live.

If I had to pick a line when I was a teenager from this song that I really liked, it would have to be "from the womb to the tomb we will remember what it means" not because of the importance of the statement, I just liked the way Rick said "means" with that hint of Aussie accent. (again, I'm a teen...purely superficial!)

Now that I'm an adult, with "youths"of my own ;-) I have a new appreciation of this song. This is life's little instruction booklet for new parents by Rick Springfield. "Celebrate Youth, give them sight. The future of the world's in the hand of children, so celebrate youth teach them right". I try to live by this statement every day. "Looking in a child's eye there's no hate and there's no lie, there's no black and there's no white." This is the absolute truth, and it's unfortunate that that gets lost when they get older.

However, I think this verse, "I can see the older man, and sometimes in the older man I still see the young boy burning in his eye" is purely autobiographical, and it describes Rick perfectly.

This song is one of my daughter's favorites, and I could never figure out why. When she was barely talking, probably about two, she'd request this song in the car..but she'd call it "Celebrate You". I wish I would've captured that on video, she in all her toddler glory, celebrating herself. :-) She still really likes this song and has in fact added it her ipod playlist. Not that song she's named after mind you, but this one! - Michelle P.

I remember that this was the first single from album, and they played it on the radio before Tao came out. It made me aware there was another Rick Springfield album coming out. I liked the song. The only thing, I think Rick kind of got it wrong. I think the older people do envy youth, but I think the teenagers want to be older, I don't think they look back down toward the children and envy them. They can't wait to grow up. So the younger man isn't really "looking at the boy", unless he'd like to go back and do it over, knowing what he knows now.
It does seem to be an indication of Rick's thoughts were during this period, and how deep he can be. - rlh