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HeadlineFather and Daughter sends a very weird message

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JEC
Aug-15-2004, 04:44 GMT
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Has anyone listened closely enough to the lyrics of Father and Daughter to realize that a lot of it is just WEIRD? I mean, first of all "if you leap awake in the mirror of a bad dream...just open your window...follow your memory upstream" encourages a kid to run away from home if she has a bad dream in the middle of the night. :-P And that is just silly, but the part that says "You don´t have to waste your time...trying to help the human race" really bothers me. Helping the human race is a waste of time? Seems to me to send a very bad message. And "postcard of a golden retriever." Very odd.

Well, that´s my two cents for the day. Maybe I just analyzed it too deeply, but something about that song is just extremely odd.



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Brandy
Aug-15-2004, 04:55 GMT
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I disagree. Re-read the lyrics carefully:

"Father & Daughter

If you leap awake in the mirror of a bad dream
And for a fraction of a second you can´t remember where you are
Just open your window and follow your memory upstream
To the meadow in the mountain where we counted every falling star

I believe a light that shines on you will shine on you forever
And though I can?t guarantee there?s nothing scary hiding under your bed
I´m gonna stand guard like a postcard of a Golden Retriever
And never leave ?til I leave you with a sweet dream in your bed

I´m gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you´ll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I Love you

Trust your intuition
It?s just like goin? fishin?
You cast your line and hope you get a bite
But you don?t need to waste your time
Worryin? about the market place
Try to help the human race
Struggling to survive its harshest night

I´m gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you´ll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you"

"your MEMORY upstream" . . . use your imagination, follow your memories back to a pleasant time we had together. No running away encouraged there!

"Golden retriever" . . . they are dogs known for loyalty, kindness, and a great love of children. That makes sense as a metaphor.

"Worryin? about the market place
Try to help the human race"

You got that part wrong. He was saying, "don´t worry about the market place . . . TRY TO HELP THE HUMAN RACE" basically, saying to put your selfish goals of greed and wealth behind you, and do something more worth while: help someone else, love someone else.

I don´t get your point, I´m afraid!






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JEC
Aug-15-2004, 07:29 GMT
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Wow I totally missed the helping the human race line. I guess I was wrong.

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Ronnie
Aug-15-2004, 14:11 GMT
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JEC, I agree it´s a little odd. " I will stand guard like a postcard of a Golden Retriever..." Standing guard like a postcard??? Very comforting, no?

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scsi
Aug-17-2004, 00:56 GMT
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postcard of a golden retriever.


a golden retriever is very loyal and wont leave you. but it can, physically leave you. so a postcard of a golden retriever physically CANNOT leave you, as well as having the loyalty of the golden retriever...


you gerrit? I loved the lyric when I heard it!!

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David
Aug-17-2004, 01:24 GMT
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Oh too much guys. I wouldn´t annalyise too much. As is often the way....what Paul actually writes and means are two different things. I mean, look at The Boxer´s "Lie la lie". There everyone is looking into possible meanings for a lie, or lying etc. And all the time it was Paul not being able to think of any words at all!! Just a la-la-lalala etc.

So interpret your own meanings by all means. Thats the fun of songs. But don´t second guess what they really mean. Not until the artist himself actually says what´s really meant.

That´s my three cents for the day.

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Nathgertsch
Aug-17-2004, 08:20 GMT
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Right mainly as Paul has often said most of his lyrics are meaningless and that he just loved the sound of the words together :-)

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Alleycat
Jun-25-2022, 21:29 GMT
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Not saying this is the intended meaning, but as a father who just lost my daughter to a degenerative disease, "stand guard like a postcard of a golden retriever" speaks to the fact that none of us can really protect our children as much as we'd like to think. A real dog would actually help to keep the kid safe. If I'm a postcard, I'm just making her feel safe maybe, but I have no real ability to keep her safe. My two cents.

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