Who are you? And where did you go? And where are you from? And what do you know? You’re in my blood And you’re in my hair You’re in my heart And you’re in the air Ba-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da I met you once, over the phone You sounded sad and you seemed alone You left me, but I never left you I never had the chance to Ba-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da Music was the one thing we would’ve had in common You were my age when I was born Would I have done what you did? Would I do what you have done? I’d like to think I’m a bigger man than that You had some problems with alcohol You took twelve steps and you solved them all It took sixteen years for you to call What gave you the brave to pick up that call? Ba-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da You played the trumpet and the drums While my mom sang at funerals I play guitar ‘till my hands are numb You two are where music comes from for me So thank you so much for not raising me You spent your life on better things You would have been an awful dad Thank you, though, for those genes you had
"You left me but I never left you, I never had the chance to" "You had some problems with alcohol" "Music is the one thing we would have had in common" "So thank you so much for not raising me, you spent your life on better things and you would have been an awful dad, thank you though for those genes you had" Those lines fit my bio father pretty well.
The line “I met you once, over the phone You sounded sad and you seemed alone You left me, but I never left you I never had the chance to” Really strikes a chord with me. My dad’s father (my grandfather) and I never met in person when I could actually remember. I don’t know what he looked like or how he acted (unless I ask my dad, mother, or the only aunt on my dad’s side who I know). My dad had called him and put me on the phone for me to ask him for money for “groceries”. My dad was a heavy user, so he wanted drug money. When I was put onto the phone, I froze in fear. I was only 7 years old at the time and hearing this angry, crabby older man over the phone shut me down completely. Eventually my dad took the phone back to find out he had hung up. That’s the only memory I have of him. Looking back on it, I know he was most definitely sad and alone. My dad’s cousins took my grandfather away in the night to North Carolina. He was gaining dementia and needed proper care (plus they wanted to have access to the will). Even still, he was able to leave me. He was able to seemingly forget about my existence completely (along with the rest of my dad’s family), but I was never given that chance. The memory haunts me to this day. (Edited for spelling mistakes)
I wished my mom and dad had been there. They split up when I was two and my grandparents took me and my brother. I'm 25 and now everyone is gone. The Lord do taketh away
This song pulls all my strings especially hearing all his songs growing up with my brother and sisters listen to Ajj and because the songs all feel so tied to our own lives.
I feel like a lot of their stuff is literal, the meaning isn't really obscured but it's cleverly and succinctly said. Probably Christmas Island and on they've gotten a bit more abstract though.
