If I Had a Son [SSC8, Italy]

If I had a son, we’d step outside No place in mind, just take a ride on time Morning don’t hurry nobody worth knowing Half the day is just watching it growing No stroller rollin’ over the ground Your boots would learn that patient sound Of gravel roads and corner stores You know a town by what you walk it for You’d ask me why the blackbirds turn Why some folks stay and some things burn I wouldn’t rush to fix it clear We’d let the wonder sit right here If I had a son, I wouldn’t say “Believe me, boy, I’m old that way” I’d rather hear you tell me I’m wrong Than watch you nod and just go along We’d sit with people not our kind Hear other prayers and states of mind A stranger ain’t a thing to fear Just someone you ain’t listened to yet, my dear And when the crowd starts talkin’ fast I’d say, “Son, let that moment pass Look twice before you draw that line Truth don’t yell most of the time” If I had a son, I’d hand you books And show you where the question looks Ideas sound sure when they’re loud But doubt’s the thing that makes you proud Knowin’ ain’t winnin’, it’s stayin’ awake A mind grows more with every mistake Don’t mind sayin’, “I changed my view” Means the world just spoke to you I tried to settle, tried to stay But work kept pullin’ days away Town to town and year to year Plans get quiet, then disappear Wasn’t one moment, wasn’t one choice Just time turnin’ down the noise And one day I looked around my room And heard the kind of silent bloom If I had a son, I’d talk of dreams Not fairy tales — more like your beams World’ll try tellin’ you what you are Don’t let it park you too close to the bar Be kind even when it’s tough Hard world makes that rough enough Think your thoughts and keep ’em free Freedom starts inside your head, you see If I had a son I’d walk beside you, not carry you through Let your heart find what feels true Stay curious, dream, don’t rush to be done That’s how a free man’s slowly begun If I had a son I’d still be learnin’ same as you Tryin’ to live what I say is true And every night when day is done I sing to the dark for my little one And oh, I’d be grateful, more than I knew For all the lessons I’d learn from you Though I never had a son ...If I had a son... mmmhh mmmhhh... ...If I had a son... mmmhh mmmhhh... ### After Muddy Eyes, I wanted to share something else that touches me a lot. I can't say if the song is autobiographical or if I'm simply impersonating someone else. You decide. The song is a sweet and melancholic reflection on what would have been: an imaginary father who teaches curiosity, open-mindedness, dreams, and freedom to a son he never had, while acknowledging his own life of choices, work, and lost time, and finding beauty in learning from that son who isn't there.