published on
From the forthcoming album “Another Zero”.
Song, Lyrics and Lead Vocals By Terry Reeves (April 1995)
Hans-Michael Albers: Guitars, Bass, Drums, FX, Production and Final Mix
This song is about the first time my eldest son realised that nothing in life is forever. He was just 5 at the time. One evening, I was giving him a bath when, completely out of the blue, he asked me “Where’s your Dad today?”
My Dad had died a couple of years before Jason was born and, whilst I had no problem giving him a straight answer, did wonder what had suddenly prompted the question.
I tried to explain that my Dad was no longer alive, a difficult concept for a child of 5 to fully grasp, hence his follow-up question, “Is he playing games and pretending, just like you and me?”
There’s nothing my Dad would have loved more than to come over and play some games, and I found it more than a little tricky to tell Jason exactly why he couldn’t. He was asking who my Dad was - “Who do you talk to? Who do you play with?” - and I had to find a way of telling him that, at some point, everyone’s life just kind of moves on.
As he processed this, his eyes started to well with tears. He asked me if I would always be there, and if I would always be his Dad and I told him that, whatever happened, there would only ever be one Dad for us both. The fact that I too was now crying may well have made this rather hard to decipher, but the hug he gave me showed just how much he understood. It was a moment I have never forgotten.
Sharing that moment is something we still talk about, a memory we both recall with such clarity and such overwhelming fondness, a remembrance that will last the rest of our lives.
As always, working on this track with Hans has been such a complete pleasure. He is not only a master musician and producer but a brilliant interpreter of songs – this track is everything I wanted it to be, and I cannot thank him enough for that.
Terry Reeves
LYRICS
Father to Son (Written By Terry Reeves April 1995)
Always asking where's your Dad today
Is he coming round our house to play
But I tell him no he's gone
Got a feeling he won't be around
Then he asks is he playing games
Just pretending like you and me
There’s no hiding where he had to go
Will not get the chance to say hello
I want him to know
Didn’t want him to go CHORUS
I want him to see
Didn’t want him to go
If he loved you did he have to leave
Did you cry did he wave his hand
Lots of sadness when the moment came
Passing years sometimes helps the pain
Has he gone now is he coming back
If he’s not then who will be my Dad
Then I tell him I cannot replace
Man inside will always show his face
I want him to know
Didn’t want him to go
I want him to see
MIDDLE
As the sadness shows surprise
I knew him more
As he filtered to recognise
I knew him more
As the tears filled up his eyes
I knew him more
As he started to realise
I knew him more
I knew him more
I knew him more
Do you love me are you growing old
Will you leave me can you always stay
Yes I tell him there will never be
Any other Dad for you or me
I want him to know.
- Genre
- Alternative Rock