Run, Baby, Run

Refers to the birth year of the protagonist, establishing a historical context.

Associates the birth with the death of Aldous Huxley, suggesting a connection between life and death.

Highlights the mother's belief in universal freedom.

Expresses the optimistic view that every man has the potential for freedom.

Describes the mother getting high, possibly as a coping mechanism or escapism.

References the father's participation in the civil rights movement, specifically the march on Birmingham.

Highlights the father's involvement through singing protest songs.

Imagines the places where the daughter would find belonging.

Suggests the father's failure in providing the daughter with the anticipated sense of belonging.

Emphasizes the lesson the father imparted to the daughter about resilience and perseverance.

Specifies the key lesson: the ability to carry on despite challenges.

Introduces the recurring theme of running as a metaphor for escaping and seeking a better life.

Encourages the daughter to run away from the familiar and towards the unknown for a better future.

Baby, run, baby, run

So run, baby, run, baby, run

Baby, run, baby, run

Describes the journey from the familiar to the unfamiliar, avoiding farewell.

And their talk of better days

To the comfort of the strangers

Slipping out before they say

Reiterates the joy the daughter finds in running.

Depicts the daughter counting money and observing workers, suggesting her pursuit of economic independence.

In the taxi on the way to meet her plane

And stares hopeful out the window

At the workers fighting through the pouring rain

Illustrates the daughter's contemplation of her past and future, still holding on to places where she belongs.

For an unfamiliar song

And she's thinkin' 'bout the places

Where she knows she still belongs

Describes the daughter's inner strength, concealed behind a "secret smile," enabling her to carry on.

That shows she knows exactly how to carry on

Repeats the encouragement to run, emphasizing the importance of escaping old patterns and ways.

Baby, run, baby, run

So run, baby, run, baby, run

Baby, run, baby, run

Reiterates the need to leave behind familiar faces and ways for the comfort of the unknown.

And their old familiar ways

To the comfort of the strangers

Slipping out before they say

Reprises the idea of saying goodbye to the past.

Reaffirms the joy the daughter finds in running.

Echoes the daughter's search for belonging, smiling at the knowledge of how to endure.

For an unfamiliar song

And she pictures all the places

Where she knows she still belongs

And she smiles the secret smile

Because she knows exactly how to carry on

Repeats the call to run, emphasizing the recurring theme of escape and resilience.

Baby, run, baby, run

So run, baby, run, baby, run

Baby, run, baby, run

So run, baby, run, baby, run

Baby, run, baby, run

So run, baby, run, baby, run

Baby, run, baby, run

Concludes with a final encouragement to run, reinforcing the central theme of the song.

Baby, run, baby, run