I know, I know … I promised original content tonight and here I am with yet another redux from 2018. I’m sorry, guys, but I spent 7 straight hours working on a post for mine and Jeff’s project tonight, then another hour on my a.m. post, it is nigh on 4:00 a.m. and I am, as our Brit friends say, knackered. And this one was well-received when I played it two years ago, so hopefully you will love it again today!
Every now and again, I wax nostalgic and seek those songs that tend to bring tears near to the surface. Tonight is one of those nights, and rather than be nostalgic and and teary-eyed all by myself, I thought to share the joy (?) with you, my friends.
This song is written from the perspective of a son who has a conflicted relationship with his father. After his father dies, he discovers that he and his dad had a much stronger bond than he ever realized, and the son regrets not saying more while his dad was alive.
It was written by group founder Mike Rutherford and the Scottish songwriter B.A. Robertson. Both Robertson and Rutherford had recently lost their fathers when they wrote this song, making it a very personal endeavor for both of them.
The song was written in stages. B.A. Robertson wrote the first verse before his father died in 1986, the same year Rutherford lost his dad. The pair composed the music based on this verse, and then a while later Robertson came up with the second verse. The final verse didn’t come to him until shortly before the song was recorded. Robertson was staying at a hotel in Los Angeles and was under pressure to finish the lyric before flying back to Europe. He recalls going outside to a garden at the hotel when the verse came to him.
Robertson was working with Rutherford when he got the call that his dad had died, which is reflected in the opening lines of this verse:
I wasn’t there that morning
When my father passed away
Three months before his father died, Robertson’s son was born, which we hear in this line:
I’m sure I heard his echo
In my baby’s new born tears
The Living Years
Mike & The Mechanics
Every generation
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door
I know that I’m a prisoner
To all my Father held so dear
I know that I’m a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Oh, crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got
You say you just don’t see it
He says it’s perfect sense
You just can’t get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence
Say it loud (say it loud), say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye
So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
It’s the bitterness that lasts
So don’t yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you don’t give up, and don’t give in
You may just be okay
So say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
Because it’s too late, it’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye
I wasn’t there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn’t get to tell him
All the things I had to say
I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I’m sure I heard his echo
In my baby’s new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (it’s too late when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye
So say it, say it, say it loud (say it loud)
Say it clear (come on say it clear)
Songwriters: B.A. Robertson / Mike Rutherford (gb)
The Living Years lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Concord Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
🥺😢😢😢But thanks, my stepmother just signed orders for my Daddy for Hospice, not because he has a terminal illness but because he won’t eat and they can’t make him. She won’t visit him and he is just losing what is left of his mind. I love this song but it beings me to tears in the best of times.
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Oh Cheryl … I am so very sorry to hear that! Poor man. 😥 My timing couldn’t have been worse with this song, and for that I am sorry also. Know that you and he are in my thoughts and that yes, I really do care. ❤
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No it was perfect actually. I tey not to hedge my emotions. I love this song. Thank you. 🤗
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I’m glad!
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Love the song too, Jill! A great theme. Enjoy your weekend! Michael
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‘Twould seem we have a shared taste in music, my friend! Wishing you a terrific weekend … stay away from the news! 😉
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You are providing very great songs,Jill! You should establish a radio station. Just heard again about the flooting of fake news, in the news branch. Horrible times. However enjoy your weekend, with a smile in your face. Michael
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Beautiful song, Jill. Thank you.
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Thank YOU, John! I’m glad you liked it and I do appreciate you visiting every day, though I have been terrible and have not had the time to visit any blogs of late. I do plan to catch up on the sage of Larry, Andrew, and the rest of the gang, not to mention Twiggy & Lucy!
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Not to worry. Visiting me is not a requisite for me visiting you. I do it because I enjoy your posts. 😊
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Oh, I know that, but I truly do enjoy visiting your blog! I enjoy your weekend walkabouts, the nail-biting Wednesday posts, and others as well. I just seem overwhelmed these days … sigh. Rather like a dog chasing its tail. 😵
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The life of a revolutionary socialist.
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Heh heh … exactly!
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Not one of my favourites Jill ❤
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Awww … I’m sorry, Jack! Can’t win ’em all, though. Hugs! ❤
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Rarely can I listen to this without a lump forming in my throat. It will always be a one off.
Cwtch
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Awww … I didn’t mean to make you sad. I’m glad you liked it, though, and I’ll try for something more cheerful tomorrow.
Cwtch
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You don’t ever have to apologize for your posts, my friend! And this song is always a good, sentimental song to hear! Do something relaxing today, you need a break! ❤
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Thanks, Carolyn! No relaxing today … it’s Friday … lots of house chores, laundry, etc., but maybe tomorrow I can find time to sit and read for a bit. Thanks! ❤
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