Happy Father's Day

Happy Pappy's Day to all patriarchs new and old out there. As a father of three yungins myself, I can say that fatherhood is immensely satisfying and I recommend it to all who are able and willing.

Thinking this morning about the ultimate Father's Day song, Harry Chapin's "Cats in the Cradle" came immediately to mind. Chapin did a magnificent job of capturing the passing of the generational torch, how it goes by seemingly in an instant, and how things generally turn out OK despite your worries and self doubts.


Then I read the Wikipedia entry on "Cats in the Cradle." While Harry wrote the music, the lyrics were written not by him, but by his wife. And not only that, she wrote them about her first husband, who was a New York City politician, a self-absorbed absentee father.

While the melody of the song lead one to believe it's a wistful look back at a father and son's shared memories, it's actually a stinging "Idiot Wind"-like indictment of a father in title only, more interested in furthering his career than being around for baby's first step. When both have gotten much older and the father is ready to reconcile with the son, it is now the son who can't be bothered to get together. The cycle of psycological abuse and selfishness has been passed on. "My boy was just like me" indeed.

So scratch "Cats in the Cradle." A more accurate and touching celebration of fatherhood is Paul Simon's "Father and Daughter." This track from 2003 was used in the animated film The Wild Thornburys but has implications and applications far beyond that film.

If you ever leap awake
In the mirror of a bad dream
And for a fraction of a second
You can't remember where you are
Just open your window
And follow your memory upstream
To the meadow in the mountain
Where we counted every falling star

I believe the light that shines on you
Will shine on you forever
And though I can't guarantee
There's nothing scary hiding under your bed
I’m gonna stand guard
Like a postcard of a Golden Retriever
And never leave till I leave you
With a sweet dream in your head

I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you

Trust your intuition
It's just like going fishing
You cast your line
And hope you'll get a bite
But you don't need to waste your time
Worrying about the market place
Try to help the human race
Struggling to survive its harshest night

I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you


Happy Father's Day! Now put the US Open on the flat screen, put your feet up and tell your kid to grab you a beer.