Cats in the Cradle - Possible Secret Message?

Please give this a chance...

I have always wanted to bring this up, and this thread is incomplete, so please add in. I think this song has secret meanings. I think Harry Chapin knew something. I don't think the song is specifically about a father and son. I think it's actually about the relationship between our Founding Fathers and us the people, instead of a father and son. Every line is a metaphor for an Occam's Razor of our struggles from the beginning of America till Harry Chapin wrote the song and performed it 1974. The message still continues to this day.

My feelings about modern day protest...everyday people hate the man, they hate the corporations, they hate the laws, they hate the news, they hate how they are treated. But guess what? They have to work hard to do what's morally right to themselves, their family, friends, and neighbors.

Think about both political parties have laws they hate. Everyday people.

"We'll get together then, we'll have a good time then..."

Everyone on this site talks about how we can better society, so what are you surrounded by?



Look at these lyrics:

"Cat's In The Cradle"

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you, Dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home, Dad
I don't know when, but we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home, Dad
I don't know when, but we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son
I don't know when, but we'll get together then, Dad
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin' home son
I don't know when, but we'll get together then, Dad
We're gonna have a good time then

I'm hoping someone might know if the lyrics are secret military code words, possibly flight, ground codes, or anything you might think. As a musician I really think something deeper is going on in this song. Specifically government/military.

No, it is a song about Dads too busy for their children. Probably more about his Dad or himself as a Dad or likely, both.

I had a Dad like that, never got to know him. He died when I was 11. # of a Dad to be honest.

Not every song has a hidden agenda, most are comments about life in one way or another. They are simply what they appear to be.

P

They used this song in the early 90s for an anti-terrorism TV ad in Northern Ireland, probably one of the most powerful adverts ever created and so suited to this song:

a reply to: pheonix358

I'm sorry to hear my friend! I appreciate your response, greatly. I know wikipedia is a bad source, and again I haven't done much digging into this, but as a lyricist, I think there is more going on:

Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key participant in the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977.[1] In 1987, Chapin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his humanitarian work.

Wiki Harry Chapin

He was fighting world hunger, I'll verify this wikipedia claim later...I think this song has something to do with world hunger possibly? It has to do with something more than a father son relationship! The song played like a war song. Maybe not military but there is something about society and the world in this song. The song is brilliant.

"Cats in the cradle and the silver spoon, little boy blue and the man on the moon."

Definitely has some deeper poetic meaning. We have to figure it out.

I agree it's both about the father and son relationship. When a father and son work together, they see the system. This song is about society, specifically I don't know, I just wanted to put this thought out to share with others. Harry Chapin is also talking about the bigger picture and using the father and son relationship to illustrate that.

a reply to: game over man

Your source.

The song's lyrics began as a poem written by Harry's wife, the former Sandra "Sandy" Gaston; the poem itself was inspired by the awkward relationship between her first husband, James Cashmore, and his father, John, a politician who served as Brooklyn Borough President.

She was also inspired by a country music song she had heard on the radio.[1]

Harry also said the song was about his own relationship with his son, Josh, admitting, "Frankly, this song scares me to death."[2]

P

a reply to: pheonix358

Song scares the # out of me too. Having never met my father, the song is a great reminder of how your actions impact those who are supposed to matter most.

This is one of those times when a song is just a song.

a reply to: Rosinitiate

Old Man by Neil Young reminds me more of what you guys are talking about. Give this a chance.


What do you do when you have a good time? What do you have?

ETA: What does everyone have? How intelligent was Harry Chapin? Think about it...

a reply to: game over man

I'm trying but the song is no Stairway to Heaven. That song makes no earthly sense, unless you try to listen with an understanding of certain mystery schools knowledge.

Considering the chords involved, E D G A Bm

It's definitely reminiscent of a freedom chat song. Like traditional reggae music that doesn't get played on the airwaves anymore. 1974 was definitely a time for freedom.

You see my new job is a hassle and my kids have the flu

In the song, the son grows up just like me, with the same struggles!

originally posted by: game over man
Considering the chords involved, E D G A Bm

It's definitely reminiscent of a freedom chat song. Like traditional reggae music that doesn't get played on the airwaves anymore. 1974 was definitely a time for freedom.

You see my new job is a hassle and my kids have the flu

In the song, the son grows up just like me, with the same struggles!

What doe those chords have to do with it? Brad Paisley's She's Everything to Me, ....wait that has a C.
Metallica: Nothing Else Matters is primarily Em, E, D, Bm, G I believe. Great song by the way, ever read into that song?

I'd agree with the other posters who don't see a hidden meaning. This song has been with me since Ol' Harry released it. I try to be a better father because of it.

I remember playing it for my father shortly after my own son was born almost thirty years ago. We were on a road trip out to the beach. It shook him so hard he had to pull the car over and collect himself. Had never seen him break down before that ... and never did again.

The Army was pretty hard on my family, but not as hard as it was for others. I've always felt lucky, considering my own situation. Not every dad can be there every day. You do the best you can.

a reply to: Snarl

Snarl, you're already telling a story of what the song is about, star. It definitely has a deeper meaning.

Its not a hidden or secret meaning as such, it is as it is, the lyrics speak for themselves.

I have always thought the song had another meaning too just could not figure it out either. The cats in the cradle and the silver spoon seem to be meaning something else. There is a message there even if the writer was not conscious of it when he wrote it. When you write a song sometimes you are not quite aware of what you have written until you read it back!

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, unless it's Bill Clinton's cigar, and then its-well use your imagination. I don't want to get banned. Anyway, let's just say that the song is just a song. Straight forward. No hidden meaning. The bits of nursery rhyme in it are just what they are.

a reply to: grumpy64

The cats in the cradle and the silver spoon seem to be meaning something else.

Sure, they could. But I think they just add to the rest of the song of a father missing time with his child. Cat's in the cradle, little boy blue and the man in the moon...kids stories or games. The father working so hard so his kid can have that silver spoon...

a reply to: game over man

I've always tried to understand all those phrases crammed into the chorus:

"And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little Boy Blue and the man on the Moon..."

Such a garbled grouping of seemingly unrelated things has always given me pause, too.
Since reading your thread, my conspiratorial mind had churned this out to add to the mix:

"And the cat's in the cradle..." --I've always heard that a cat can be dangerous for a newborn, whose mouth smells of milk, and who cannot defend itself. I've literally heard that a cat can 'suck the breath from a baby' and suffocate it, while trying to get to the milk it smells. While this is probably an 'old wives tale' it is still the only reference point I have to a cat and a cradle. That said, the line implies an infant left alone in a high risk situation.

"And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon..." --So the dad is out working his butt off to ensure his son has the 'silver spoon' (wealth) while completely missing the bigger problem of the 'cat' sucking the life out of the child while he is not there to raise him. Just who or what IS the cat, I wonder? Who is the helpless infant for that matter? (What I mean is, are these metaphors for other things... groups of people, institutions, etc.)

Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon" --Let's look at the nursery rhyme first so we can maybe figure out why Little Boy Blue was even referenced:

Little Boy Blue come blow your horn
The sheeps in the meadow the cows in the corn
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
He's under the haystack, fast asleep!

So what does being 'asleep' have to do with the Man on the Moon? Is this hinting at moon-landing hoax?

Is the whole song about us being distracted by hoaxes and dangled carrots (silver spoon/wealth) which are perpetually thrown our way, all the while missing the most important things like connecting to one another/unity, and also being ignorant of the huge danger of our lifestyle ('cat' sucking the life out of 'helpless newborn.')

Well that was fun. What do you think?

a reply to: game over man

As a singer songwriter since before that song...way before...youre way off. It does not refer to what you suggest.

It refers to a saying basically..."The child is father to the man" (look that up.

History repeats itself and one day we become our parents.

Look it up....

Off topic yet not:
My husband and I were on the road to go see Harry at Eisenhower Park when we heard on the radio that he had been killed in an auto accident. We went anyway and there were a few people there holding an impromptu memorial.

I think its just a song about a dad and his son, but I will star and flag just for posting the song.