Yusuf / Cat Stevens – Father & Son

About The Song

Cat Stevens (now known as Yusuf/Cat Stevens) wrote and performed “Father and Son” on his 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman. In the United States, “Father and Son” reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the UK, it peaked at number 21 on the singles chart. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked it at No. 408 on their list of the “Top 500 Best Songs of All Time”.

The song portrays a poignant exchange between a father and son. The father struggles to comprehend the son’s desire to break away and forge a new path, while the son yearns for independence and self-discovery. Stevens sings in different registers for the father’s and son’s lines, emphasizing their contrasting perspectives.

Video

Lyrics

[Father:]
It’s not time to make a change
Just relax, take it easy
You’re still young, that’s your fault
There’s so much you have to know
Find a girl, settle down
If you want you can marry
Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy

I was once like you are now, and I know that it’s not easy
To be calm when you’ve found something going on
But take your time, think a lot
Why, think of everything you’ve got
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not

[Son:]
How 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
Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go

[Father:]
It’s not time to make a change
(Away, away, away)
Just sit down, take it slowly
You’re still young, that’s your fault
(I know)
There’s so much you have to go through
(I have to make this decision)
Find a girl, settle down
(Alone)
If you want you can marry
Look at me, (No) I am old, but I’m happy

[Son:]
All the times that I cried
(Decision, decision, decision)
Keeping all the things I knew inside
It’s hard (Why must)
But it’s harder to ignore it
(You go and make this decision)
If they were right, I’d agree
(Alone?)
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