Chilton said in the September 1994 issue of Guitar Player that he considers himself a "musical performer, not a songwriter" and that some of his songs sound only "half-baked" to him. Nonetheless, his compositions have been performed by a number of artists, including Teenage Fanclub, This Mortal Coil, The Bangles, Wilco, Graham Coxon, Garbage, Tom Bradbury, Son Volt, Counting Crows, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, Superdrag, Evan Dando, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Placebo, Xiu Xiu, and His Name Is Alive. The Replacements wrote the song Alex Chilton in his honor on their 1987 Pleased to Meet Me album, produced by Jim Dickinson in Memphis.
On March 17, 2010, Alex Chilton died of an apparent heart attack in a hospital in New Orleans. He was 59.
Hey Little Child
Alex Chilton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
someone must have been nice to you
oh, walking down the lane
coming back from the catholic school
hey, hey, hey, hey
Oh, little fool
maybe you might drop out
maybe travel somewhere down south
hey, hey, hey, hey
little child
little child
Plaid skirt, flannel vest
silly nubiles are the best
now you look so forlorn
passing by in your uniform
hey, hey, hey
little child
little child
hey
sacred heart
hey
little child
The opening verse in Alex Chilton's song Hey Little Child is an observation, almost a lament, that someone so lovely must have been treated with kindness in their life, leading to an assumption that they are perhaps sheltered and naive. The description of a young girl walking home from Catholic school and dressed in a plaid skirt and flannel vest adds to this idyllic image. However, Chilton then takes a somewhat cynical turn as he addresses the girl directly, almost as if he is trying to break her out of her innocence. He asks if she is really learning anything in school, and suggests it might be better for her to drop out and see more of the world, even heading southward on her travels. Nonetheless, he still addresses her fondly as "little child," as if he is both worried for her and acknowledging her youth.
The second verse is even more pointed in its message, nearly mocking the stereotypical image of young girls in Catholic school uniforms as tight-skirted "nubiles." Chilton's description of the girl looking "so forlorn" seems to be an attempt to strip away the artificiality of the uniform and see the kid underneath. At the end of the song, he alternates between repeating the phrase "sacred heart," which may be a reference to the school the girl attends, and "hey, little child," as if he is trying to decide which label suits her better. The song as a whole seems to exhibit a complex mix of affection and irony, with Chilton recognizing the power of youth and beauty while also questioning how much they really protect those who possess them.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, you're a pretty little thing
You are a beautiful person
someone must have been nice to you
You have likely received kindness and positivity from others
oh, walking down the lane
You are strolling down the street
coming back from the catholic school
You are returning from a Catholic educational institution
Oh, little fool
You may be naive or inexperienced in some ways
are you learning anything in school
Are you acquiring knowledge in your educational setting
maybe you might drop out
Perhaps you will leave school prematurely
maybe travel somewhere down south
You may explore travel destinations in the southern United States
Plaid skirt, flannel vest
You are wearing a patterned skirt and a vest made of a soft fabric
silly nubiles are the best
Someone who is inexperienced in a cute or foolish way may be preferable
now you look so forlorn
You have a sad or depressed facial expression
passing by in your uniform
You are walking past in your apparel designated for the Catholic school
hey, hey, hey
An exclamation
little child
A term of address for a young person
hey
An exclamation
sacred heart
Referring to a Catholic devotion to the physical heart of Jesus Christ as a symbol of love and mercy
Contributed by Elizabeth H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
garagepunkfan
This album is genius. You either get it, or you don't get it, so it's a great "social filtering device" if you will. The people who do appreciate it will undoubtedly enrich your life. The ones that don't, well, that's up to you I guess. It is that polarizing.
I'll be fair. It took some time for it to sink in on me. I had already been a fan of some of the "Lost Decade" material like "Bangkok" and "I Can't Seem To Make You Mine", having played those tunes on my college radio show in the 1980's, so, I knew he was a bit of a twisted genius. But, somehow the appeal of "Like Flies On Sherbet" always eluded my grasp, as did his work with Tav Falco and Panther Burns.
But then, one day, you put it on, and everything is firing on all cylinders.
On one hand it contains a few pop gems like this, but they are just a bit... skewed, kind of unraveling at the seams. The others, shambolic to the degree that you are questioning the sanity of everyone involved in the making of it.
IMO it belongs in the pantheon of avant-rock occupied by Pere Ubu's "The Modern Dance" and some of the more notable recordings by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band.
BELLA CUNNINGHAM
More people need to hear this
Troy Hewitt
one of the best power pop songs ever. i listen to this daily.
Doug McFall
First time hearing it, mate.
garagepunkfan
This album is genius. You either get it, or you don't get it, so it's a great "social filtering device" if you will. The people who do appreciate it will undoubtedly enrich your life. The ones that don't, well, that's up to you I guess. It is that polarizing.
I'll be fair. It took some time for it to sink in on me. I had already been a fan of some of the "Lost Decade" material like "Bangkok" and "I Can't Seem To Make You Mine", having played those tunes on my college radio show in the 1980's, so, I knew he was a bit of a twisted genius. But, somehow the appeal of "Like Flies On Sherbet" always eluded my grasp, as did his work with Tav Falco and Panther Burns.
But then, one day, you put it on, and everything is firing on all cylinders.
On one hand it contains a few pop gems like this, but they are just a bit... skewed, kind of unraveling at the seams. The others, shambolic to the degree that you are questioning the sanity of everyone involved in the making of it.
IMO it belongs in the pantheon of avant-rock occupied by Pere Ubu's "The Modern Dance" and some of the more notable recordings by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band.
Spectrescup
He's a guy that worked backwards from having a no.1 hit at 16 to making the most unsellable (though I don't mean bad) music ever. I mean, who releases an album called "Loose Shoes and Tight Pussy" and expects to get in the top 20. At least he didn't use the full Lyndon Johnson quote or it wouldn't have been released at all.
Josh Brastad
an underrated ball-kicker
Brian
seminal track, wonderful. makes you feel alive.
Laurie M
How can this awesome song only have 22k views but a random clip of Charlie biting his brother's finger has like 8 billion watches???? This is a great pop song. The movie Iris brought me here.
Pongo Pygmaeus
+Laurie Mitchell Me too :)
Daniel Garcia
Laurie Mitchell what movie is that?