Everclear: Father of Mine

Father of mine tell me where have you been. You know I just closed my eyes, my whole world disappeared. Father of mine take me back to the day when I was still your golden boy back before you went away. I remember blue skies walking the block. I loved it when you held me high. I love to hear you talk. You would take me to the movie, you would take me to the beach. You would take me to a place in side that is so hard to reach. Father of mine. Tell me where did you go? You had the world inside your hand, but you did not seem to know. Father of mine tell me what do you see when you look back at your wasted life and you don’t see me. I was ten years old doing all that I could. It wasn’t easy for me to be a scared white boy in a black neighborhood. Sometimes you would send me a birthday card with a five dollar bill. I never understood you dad and I guess I never will. My Daddy gave me a name then he walked away. My dad gave me a name.

Father of mine tell me how do you sleep with the children you abandoned and the wife I saw you beat? I will never be safe. I will never be sane. I will always be weird inside. I will always be lame. Now I’m a grown man with a child of my own. And I swear I’m not going to let her know all the pain I have known.

1. Everclear is making the argument that because his father gave him a name and then walked away from his family, he has known tremendous pain, insanity, dysfunction, lameness and insecurity. This song communicates or poses the question, "What are the consequences of absent or abusive fathers on a child's mental/emotional state or welfare?

2. This song's audience would be any child that has experienced a broken home and parental abandonment. People that feel anguish and resentment towards their parents for having dysfunctional family lives. Kids that have been let down and emotionally betrayed with neglect.

3. The goal of this song is to capture or represent the pain that is experienced by parental abandonment. It is to relate to any person that has similarly been through this common family environment or setting. The goal is express the damage and misery that can come from this type of negative family situation.

4. This is done mainly through pathos by revealing his inner most thoughts and feelings. Lack of parental presence, love, and support is emotionally damaging to a child's growth and development. This is relevant to the audience because I am sure most people with these same circumstances would have almost identical feelings. Everclear uses good examples to paint a detailed picture and gain the listeners sympathy.

5. This song is most definitely effective because he pores out his soul and honest feelings about his childhood. This song relates well to many kids in the world today. In accurately describing or explaining the correlation between broken homes and feelings of no self worth, he effectively captures his audience.