Father and son is a song written by Cat Stevens. The song builds up a conversation between a father and a son, a discussion about generation gap. Father and son are trying o express their ideas that are not comprehendible to each other. Stevens has used a simple diction to convey the meaning to the reader.
[father]
It's not time to take a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
You are still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you wan you can marry.
Look at me, I'm old, but I'm happy.
From the 1st stanza, a father addresses his young son. Father explains getting sudden decisions as a inappropriate thing. he believes it as a fault of son's young age. Son has so many dreams to fulfill and experience the freedom without crouching in the warmth of the family. But father highlights the value of living within the family. He emphasize the happiness he should experience as a ordinary man love, marriage and bearing family responsibilities and the never understands his son's thirst to bee an extra ordinary man.
I was once like you are now, and I know that it's not easy,
To be calm when you found something going on.
But take your time, think lot,
Why, think of everything you've got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.
Father accepts the drive of this son and reminds the expectations he had, when he was young. But instead of making a way for son to get is own experiences, father tries to defend son from hard and harsh heartbreaking experiences in life. He forgets his son as another independent individual and tries to treat him and guard him as a part of his own body. Father knows about the hardships one has to bear after stepping into the society and its shrewdness and harshness. Therefore he persuade his son to think more before leave home emphasizes the sweetness of family life. Dreams have transitory nature. Father tries to show that transitory nature to his son and show the reality of life.
[son]
Hw can I try to explain, cause when I do he turns away again.
It's always been the same, same old story
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen
Noe there's a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.
Unaccepting nature of the father is so annoying to son. Son does not prefer to change his decision ,after whatever the explanations made by the father. He is fed up with repeating the 'same ,same old story'. He reminds the way he was" ordered to listen from the moment he has got ability to express himself. Writer descries the common emotional conflict occurred between the old father and young children, specially sons regarding the rules and regulations outlined by the family. So, this son highlights his drive to o away and spend an independent life a challenging and more interesting one even whether a threat existed.
[father]
It's not time to take a change,
Just relax, take it slowly.
You are still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to go through.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I'm old, but I'm happy.
Father repeats the same facts to his son. It is what son mostly dislike , repeating the same old story again. In front of the dominating nature pf father , son's complaining is to get the freedom for him to go away. Youth has magnificent attitudes and frameless dreams about themselves but anxiety of old has imprisoned youth behind the bars off family cage.
[son]
All the times that I've cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It's hard, but t's harder to ignore it.
If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them they know, not me.
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go.
Son's complain can be seen in the last stanza. he has so longed hiding his attitudes and strengths and ad abilities to win the world. for a considerable time as a robot , but he cold do it o more. he reveals that ,hiding his potentials is hard and ignoring them is harder. he has accepted everything , but now its enough. he has his own way, a new way to explore his world in his vision. He is so determined to fly away home.