Single:
Cat’s in the Cradle entered the Australian singles chart* on 16 December 1974 and peaked at #6. The song was #52 on the Top 100 of 1975.
Album:
The song is on Verities And Balderdash which entered the Australian albums chart* on 25 November 1974 and peaked at #15.
Songwriters:
Harry Chapin, Sandra Chapin
Producer:
Paul Leka
Record label of Australian release:
Elektra
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Songfacts:
This heartbreaking song tells of a father and son who can’t schedule time to be with each other, and it serves as a warning against putting one’s career before family. The verses start out with a natural harmony and depict the tale of a father with his newborn son. Although dad gets the necessities of child rearing accomplished, he doesn’t allow himself to put in quality time with his son because of his career. Initially, this seems like no big deal because of his hectic and oblivious life working and paying bills.
The recurring verse has the son saying, “I’m gonna be like you Dad, you know I’m gonna be like you…”
Over time, both father and son grow into a switching of life roles. The father realises his son’s ambitions of college, grades, and driving, and wants to spend more time with him, yet slowly grasps the reality that now his son has no time for such things. In the last verse, Chapin illustrates that the son is all grown up with a fast-paced job and kids of his own. In a glaring twist of roles, we see that the son now has no time to spend with his father. With a heavy heart, dad realises that his boy has become just like him.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/harry-chapin/cats-in-the-cradle
Lyrics:
My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin′ ‘fore I knew it
And as he grew, he′d say
“I’m gonna be like you, Dad
You know I’m gonna be like you”
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