I was working on a Ben Harper song, and I heard a lick that sounded familiar. I realized it was similar to a lick in Cat Stevens’ Wild World.
Then the song started going through my head, and like most song lyrics, taken in a different context, they were totally different.
When I was younger and heard this song, I (naively) interpreted it as someone genuinely wishing another person well on their journey, not hanging on but letting others come into and out of their life like the tides.
Oh the naiveté of youth.
Now, in this new, slightly skewed context, I saw the lyrics as if they were sung, not by a free-spirited peace/love hippie, but by your stereotypical master of guilt, the Jewish mother.
(And it's not just Jewish mothers. All mothers are masters of the art of guilt. It's just the stereotype that comes to mind.)
Suddenly, the lyrics were hilarious.
The bottom line of this song? It's a good old passive-aggressive:
"Fine. It's a bad idea. If that's what you want, then go right ahead. What do I know, I'm just your mother."
I’ll do a little interpretation for you:
But if you wanna leave, take good care; I hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
“You’re going out in THAT dress?”
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there
“You’re going to ruin your outfit.”
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world; I'll always remember you like a child, girl
“You’ll never make it out there. You’ll never grow up.”
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
"It's not like it used to be when I was your age."
"...And you probably can't handle it anyway."
"You'd be better off staying at home where it's safe. But go ahead, you know it all..."
And of course, the big whopper of motherdom:
But if you wanna leave, take good care; I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
“Go ahead. Have a nice time. Forget about me, I know your friends are more important. ”
Which reminds me of the old joke:
Q: How many Jewish mothers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: “None. You just go ahead with your friends. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.
Alone.
In the dark.
Have a nice time.”
Now that you have the context in mind, take a look at the lyrics and imagine them being sung by a master of passive/aggressive guilt:
Wild World by Cat Stevens:
Now that I've lost everything to you
You say you wanna start something new
And it's breakin' my heart you're leavin'
Baby, I'm grievin'
But if you wanna leave, take good care
I hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there
[Chorus:]
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl
You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do
And it's breakin' my heart in two
Because I never wanna see you a sad girl
Don't be a bad girl
But if you wanna leave, take good care
I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
[Chorus]
Baby, I love you
But if you wanna leave, take good care
I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
[Chorus]
Try this one: Are You Happy Now? by Richard Shindell
ReplyDeleteYou took the toaster when you went
You never paid your half the rent
You took the spices from the rack
But you don’t have to put them back
Cause in your haste on Halloween
You left your camera on the bed
Where we played roles in black and white
You left a role of black and white
I set the timer and thought of you
And put the lense up to my head
I took a photograph for you
What comes out gray is really red
Are you happy now?
I smashed your pumpkin on the floor
The candle flickered at my feet
As goblins flew across the room
The children peered into the room
A cowboy shivered on the porch
As Cinderella checked her watch
A hobo waited in the street
An angel whispered, trick-or-treat
But what was I supposed to do
But to sit there in the dark?
I was amazed to think that you
Could take the candy with you too
Are you happy now?
I’ve sat all night and now it’s dawn
And I cannot believe my eyes
There’s garbage strewn across the lawn
Where we once stared up at the sky
And streams of paper fill the tree
That hovered over you and me
Shaving cream covers the car
That we picked up in Baltimore
Though I know it’s hard to tell
I hope that what’s-his-name treats you well
I still maintain that he’s a bum
But it’s your money – have some fun
And are you happy now?
You always asked why I had not
Written you a verse or two
Since that’s the one thing I regret
I dedicate this one to you
Are you happy now?
Are you?
Priceless!!!
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