Lyrics
Don't be so quick to anger
Advises not to react in anger hastily.
Or that's all he'll remember
Warns that a child might remember only the anger if it's frequent.
Don't rule his life with fear
Discourages controlling a child's life through fear.
Or when you speak that's all he'll ever hear
Suggests that using fear might overshadow other messages when speaking to the child.
You want a melody of you
Expresses the desire for a parent's influence to be gentle, melodious, and positive.
To be sweet and loving and true
Wishes for the parent to embody sweetness, love, and truthfulness.
When you're gone then the memory of you
Highlights the lasting impact a parent's memory should have after they are gone.
Will be warm as quilting, gently hued
Compares the memory of the parent's presence to something warm and softly colored.
Gently went the hand that carved the wood
Describes the gentle manner in which a parent's hand crafted or guided the child's development.
Gently went the heart that wished him
Portrays the tender emotions and intentions of a parent towards their child.
Careful now, Geppetto, that fatherhood not be the thing that banished him
Cautionary advice to Geppetto (representing a father figure) about not letting fatherhood distance him from his child.
If only the boy would listen
Expresses a wish for the child to listen and understand.
Have some good sense in him
Hopes for the child to possess good judgment.
And maybe a strong word or two
Suggests that sometimes a strong word or two might aid a child's growth.
Might make him grow as he ought to do
Expresses the desire for the child's growth in the right direction.
All I want is for him to grow up to be a good, decent man. To be brave, true and kind. Is that wrong of me to want that?
Describes the parent's wish for the child to grow up as a good, decent, brave, true, and kind person.
No, it isn't. You and every other parent out there
Acknowledges that wanting this for a child is common among parents.
Then why don't the children just listen to us?
Questions why children don't heed parental advice.
Gently goes the best of childhoods
Suggests that a good childhood goes hand in hand with gentle parenting.
If gently goes the parent's hand
Reiterates the importance of gentle parenting for a child's development.
Gently then the child will go where they should
Implies that if parents are gentle, children will follow the right path.
Gently does the child then understand
States that children understand better when approached gently.
As brief as a comma
Metaphorically compares understanding to the brevity of a comma.
The breath between
Highlights the fleeting nature of the moment between memory and trauma.
Memory and trauma
Suggests the delicacy and significance of the moment between a positive memory and a traumatic experience.
Gently goes the best of childhoods
Repeats the notion that a good childhood is linked to gentle parenting.
If gently goes the parent's hand
Reiterates the importance of a gentle approach from parents.
Gently then the child will go where they should
Reemphasizes that a child will follow the right path if guided gently.
Gently does the child then understand
Reiterates that children comprehend better when treated gently.
Gently one day they'll understand
Suggests that one day, children will understand the importance of gentle guidance.
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