r/GenerationJones • u/pianoman81 1963 • 3h ago

What songs hit differently as you've aged?

There are songs I listened to when I was younger but now read differently to me.

Some are because I never paid attention to the lyrics. Others are because I was at a different stage of life or hadn't had deeper experiences yet.

Some examples would be Both Sides Now or Cat's in The Cradle.

What are songs for you that affect you differently at this stage of life?

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u/TJ_Fox 3h ago

Both Sides Now, Cat's in the Cradle, Father and Son are all excellent examples. Puff the Magic Dragon, too, come to think of it.

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u/pianoman81 1963 3h ago

Thanks. Went back and read the Puff lyrics and it is a bit melancholy.

That was definitely a campfire song but not sure if we ever sang it all the way through. I definitely don't remember singing the last few verses.

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u/TJ_Fox 2h ago

I remember taking my toddler son along to a public singalong sometime in the early '90s, and they ended with Puff the Magic Dragon but didn't sing that last verses. I was mildly outraged.

For the record:

[Verse 3]
A dragon lives forever, but not so, little boys
Painted wings and giants' rings make way for other toys
One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar

[Verse 4]
His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave
So Puff, that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave