# Songs/Poems about Fathers and Sons **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129 "2010-06-14T13:34:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/1 "2010-06-14T13:34:27Z")
I’m working up a lesson plan for my ESL Reading students, and I’ve chosen a theme of “Fathers and Sons.” (This may come dangerously close to the prohibition against homework help, but I’m the teacher, not the student.) My students are Korean, and they can tolerate up to two pages of poetry/song lyrics per piece without rebelling. So far, the pieces I’ve chosen for them are “A Boy Named Sue” (Shel Silverstein/Johnny Cash), “If” (Rudyard Kipling) and “Cat’s In the Cradle” by Harry and Sandy Chapin. If I could nail down one or two more with the same theme, it would time out the session perfectly. Any suggestions from my Doper pals? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/2 "2010-06-14T13:49:58Z")
Father and Son by Cat Stevens seems the blaringly obvious choice here. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/3 "2010-06-14T13:53:06Z")
_O My Papa_, the Eddie Fisher hit of the 1950s. It added lyrics to what had been a hit instrumental of the same name by a German trumpet player whose name escapes me. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/4 "2010-06-14T13:55:27Z")
Rudyar Kipling, ‘If:’ If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise; [[shortened quote]] An excellent example of the first conditional too! ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/5 "2010-06-14T13:57:38Z")
Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night: Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. [[shortened quote]] Though I guess it doesn’t mention a son anywhere, just a father. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/6 "2010-06-14T14:01:24Z")
“The Living Years” by Mike and the Mechanics, sung by Paul Carrack. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/7 "2010-06-14T14:20:32Z")
Brevity has a certain accessibility, especially for ESL students. One of the best brief evocations of a son’s late understanding about his father is the poem _[Those Winter Sundays](http://poetryoutloud.org/poems/poem.html?id=175758)_ by Robert Hayden. There’s a reason it’s anthologized so heavily. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/8 "2010-06-14T14:23:48Z")
\*Hold me, my Daddy \*by XTC, from the album “Oranges and Lemons”. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/9 "2010-06-14T14:24:39Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > _O My Papa_, the Eddie Fisher hit of the 1950s. It added lyrics to what had been a hit instrumental of the same name by a German trumpet player whose name escapes me. His name just came to me: Bert Kampfert. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/10 "2010-06-14T14:37:22Z")
More a parents-and-kids thing, but there’s always [Philip Larkin](http://www.tetrameter.com/larkin.htm). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/11 "2010-06-14T14:42:12Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night: That was the one I came into this thread to mention. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/12 "2010-06-14T14:42:42Z")
Everclear’s _[Father of Mine](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/e/everclear/father+of+mine_20051999.html)_. Not every family is Ozzie and Harriet. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/13 "2010-06-14T14:44:35Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > Everclear’s _[Father of Mine](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/e/everclear/father+of+mine_20051999.html)_. Not every family is Ozzie and Harriet. Ooh, good one! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/14 "2010-06-14T14:54:17Z")
“Ships” by Barry Manilow. Although actually written and recorded by Ian Hunter, I don’t know that it had the personal meaning that it did for Manilow. ---
**Author:** ![HISSNLISSN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@HISSNLISSN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HISSNLISSN)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/15 "2010-06-14T14:59:21Z")
Father and son I wanna teach him right from wrong Father and son I wanna grow up and be strong I want the best for my child I wanna grow up and be wild I’m the best dad I’m the best son I’m the best dad No, I’m the best son I’m the best dad No, I’m the best son [[shortened quote]] [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2Ak-ue-861o/hqdefault.jpg "Tim and Eric Tour 2009 David Liebe Hart sings Father and Son") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ak-ue-861o) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/16 "2010-06-14T15:49:12Z")
“Boy Named Sue”? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/17 "2010-06-14T15:56:29Z")
[Tank Park Salute](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5heTJ65bdhU) - Billy Bragg [Walk Like a Man](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcSKPnFo5Mc) - Bruce Springsteen ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/18 "2010-06-14T16:03:42Z")
Is it just me or do these songs ooze with treacly 70’s-ness? With that, I’ll thrown in **Dan Fogelberg’s Leader of the Band**. If you it’s sentimentality to the schmaltzy-th degree you want, here you go! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/19 "2010-06-14T16:06:47Z")
[The Old Man](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCSaBYY-wQk) - The Fureys ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129/20 "2010-06-14T16:06:58Z")
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic **Simple Man** is parental advice. Comes from the mother instead of the father, but similar vibe. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-poems-about-fathers-and-sons/543129.md?page=2)