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Meaning of Mother, Father by Journey

The song "Mother, Father" by Journey explores the theme of broken family and the longing for reconciliation and connection. The lyrics depict a family that has been torn apart by various struggles and hardships. It addresses the mother, father, and sister, conveying a plea for them to come back and believe in the possibility of healing.

In the first verse, the narrator describes a mother who appears lost and broken, while the second verse talks about a father who has lost his pride and numbs himself with alcohol. Both parents seem to have faced personal difficulties that have contributed to the family's disintegration.

The chorus emphasizes the narrator's yearning for the family to reunite and rediscover hope. The repeated phrase "Hey, mother, father, dreamer" conveys the desire for them to remember their dreams and aspirations, and to recognize that the narrator is still alive and needs their love and support.

The song suggests that the family has encountered significant challenges, possibly resulting in strained relationships and emotional distance. Despite the hardships, the lyrics emphasize the importance of faith and belief in the possibility of a brighter future. The mention of the seventh son could symbolize the narrator's position as a bearer of hope or someone who has been burdened by the weight of their family's troubles.

The guitar solos and instrumental sections add a poignant and emotional dimension to the song, allowing the music to convey feelings that words alone cannot fully express.

Overall, "Mother, Father" conveys a yearning for familial reconciliation and emphasizes the importance of belief, faith, and perseverance in the face of adversity. It serves as a reminder that even in the midst of brokenness, love and connection can be rediscovered and nurtured.

This meaning interpretation was written by AI. Help improve it with your feedback

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Mother, Father

Lyrics submitted by raisedonradio1109 , edited by BAMBAM26

Mother, Father Lyrics as written by Stephen Ray Perry Jonathan Cain

Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group

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it's story of a broken home.....done with beautiful lyrics and beautiful metaphors.....

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Im gonna re-sing this song! its sad to see only one comment! this song is about a divorced family, the son is is asking for help to make this all better. the mother seems sad that the husbands gone 'She sits alone, an empty stare A mother's face she wears Where did she go wrong...'

-'With dreams he tried, lost his pride He drinks his life away One photograph, in broken glass It should not end this way.'

And like many fathers, develops an alcohol problem. Just like my dad... i heard somewhere that the 'seventh son' is from something like Norske mythology or something like that and i think a seventh son is supposed to have powers... i think that the son is saying that he'll be there for both of them when trouble comes '...when lightin' strikes the family ' he will be their defender -'Don't you know that I'm alive for you'

-'Through bitter tears And wounded years, those ties of blood were strong So much to say, those yesterdays So now don't you turn away.' I think this part is saying that when the family was together in the hardships and not facing them alone, they were healthy so they could fight back, but that was in the past. 'So now don't you turn away'

I'm sure there are lotta people like me that are holding the family together, im only 18! its much bigger job than u would think! to all my brothers and sisters,Hang on help is on the way keep fighting! 2012!

I love this song! I first heard it over at a friends house and I watched Deen Castronovo sing it while playing the drums and I was blown away! He sang it with such ease! It was incredible! I listen to this song all the time. It makes me think of my own home that's broken. I love this song!

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My favorite Journey song. I like Castronovo's vocals on it as well, but no one touches Steve Perry's voice in my eyes.

I agree that Steve's vocals can't be matched but I too saw the video of Dean singing and for some reason that is my favorite version.

I think it isn't just for divorce. Any broken home sucks. If a family is ripped apart due to parents or kids actions..... any one of these versus can be a cry for help or a reflection on life. Awesome song. :)

''She sits alone, an empty stare A mother's face she wears Where did she go wrong, The fight is gone Lord help this broken home''

I have always felt it was coming from an outside view of a family with a rebellious, teenage son and controlling yet concerned father and the mother stuck in the middle. As often is the case when there is tensions in the family, the mother is often at the receiving end of fire from both sides and often feels she has failed as a mother and herself, hence the fight being gone, its gone in her.

''Don't you know that I'm alive for you I'm your sevenths son And when lightin' strikes the family Have faith, believe.''

In time the father and son clashed to the breaking point and the son being headstrong, decided to leave home with big ideas of making something of his life on his own with no family to help him. The idea of the 'seventh son' being the parable of The Prodigal Son. The mother has faith and believes if given time the son will come around in his views about his father and vice versa.

'With dreams he tried, lost his pride He drinks his life away One photograph, in broken glass It should not end this way.''

Once out in the real world he saw that life wasnt as easy as he thought it would be and that he yearned for the happy home life he had before his teenage years. But his pride prevented him from trying to set things right with his dad and so he lived his life trying something, anything to fill that void, until one day he comes across a broken photograph of his family he had packed away and there he saw the love he had for his father.

''Through bitter tears And wounded years, those ties Of blood were strong So much to say, those yesterdays So now don't you turn away.''

The son, putting his pride aside then decides that the ties of blood were strong and that he could have a relationship with his dad after all. That he needed to set things right as an adult. He was capable of seeing his fathers point of view on things now as a grown man and realised that his father was just trying to protect him from making bad decisions early on in his life. Instead of turning away as he did as a teen, the grown man decides to return home. He's realised that life was too short to hold onto pride and anger and that he needed to fix this before it was too late, ie. his father dying.

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