Lyrics
My father was an old man, he worked so hard and long
His father, an elderly man, worked tirelessly and wanted his son to believe he had all he needed.
He asked me to believe that he had all that he could want
The father emphasized contentment but expressed it wasn't fully believed by the son.
Holding up his hands he said, 'These hands have bled for you
The father, showing his hardworking hands, claimed he had sacrificed for his son.
Lord knows you've been worth it, too'
The acknowledgment that the son was worth the sacrifices made by the father.
He smiled at me sadly as I walked out of his door
The son sadly leaves, repeating a familiar conversation about contentment.
I told him once again, just like time and time before
The son acknowledges the father's contentment but insists on aspiring to be someone.
I know that you're contented but before my life is done
The son recognizes the father's satisfaction but declares his own ambition.
I am gonna be someone'
Expressing the determination to be someone in his life.
I set out on my own to find the life I planned for me
The son sets out to pursue the life he envisions for himself.
I was longing for a high and lonely destiny
A desire for a unique and significant destiny.
Spending all my days on the debt of my tomorrows
The son spends his time focusing on the future, accruing a metaphorical debt.
Looking for some love but I found none, 'cause I was gonna be someone
Despite seeking love, he finds none, driven by the determination to be someone.
It took me years of pain to find what he already knew
Through years of pain, he realizes what his father knew: contentment is not in words or actions.
Contentment doesn't come from what you say or what you do
Understanding that peace, like a river, comes from resting in the present.
Peace just like a river comes by resting in the sun
Peace is found in rest, analogous to a river illuminated by the sun.
And I don't have to be someone
The realization that he doesn't need to be someone to find peace.
I set out on my own to find the life I planned for me
Reflecting on his past aspirations, he acknowledges the pursuit of a preconceived life.
I was longing for a high and lonely destiny
The desire for a unique and solitary destiny persists.
Spending all my days on the debt of my tomorrows
Continuing to accumulate a future debt but realizing the futility of the pursuit.
Living comes from resting in the sun and I don't have to be someone
Finding that true living comes from resting in the present, negating the need to be someone.
Peace just like a river comes by resting in the sun
Reiterating the idea that peace is found by resting in the present, akin to a river in the sun.
And I don't have to be someone
Final affirmation that one doesn't have to be someone to attain peace.
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