Simon's career began with a short-lived music group with her sister Lucy as The Simon Sisters. They had a minor hit in 1964 called "Winkin', Blinkin', and Nod", and made three albums together before Lucy left to get married and start a family. Later, Carly Simon collaborated with eclectic New York rockers Elephant's Memory for about six months. She also appeared in the 1971 Milos Forman movie Taking Off, playing an auditioning singer, and sang "Long Term Physical Effects", which was included in Taking Off, the 1971 soundtrack for the movie.
Simon's major breakthrough was 1972's No Secrets. The album spawned several successful singles, including Simon's biggest hit, "You're So Vain". Simon continued to produce successful albums through the 1970s and early 1980s, moving into film scores after she was dropped by her record label in 1985. She performed the main title song for the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me - "Nobody Does It Better" which was a worldwide hit in 1977.
What Shall We Do With The Child
Carly Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know I'm not what you wanted
Not what you had in mind
And I didn't come close
To the mark You'd set
For the girl you'd planned to find
You've never seen me cry
And a casual goodbye
And what shall we do with the child
Who's got your eyes
My hair
And your smile
Reminding me that we fell in love
But just for a little while
You never asked about the girl you never knew
And while she was sleeping in my arms
She never asked about you
Without you seems the only way
But time has passed and now
She'll soon be asking questions
And she'll ask about you
And how
Shall I say to the child
Who's got your eyes, my hair, your smile
Reminding me that we fell in love
But just for a little while
What shall we do with the child
Who's got your eyes, my hair, your smile
The lyrics of "What Shall We Do With The Child" by Carly Simon touch upon the bittersweet reality of a relationship that did not work out and the aftermath of it. The song speaks about the singer's emotions as she contemplates what her child will think of and feel about their father. She starts by acknowledging that she is not what her former partner wanted or had in mind, and she did not live up to his expectations of the perfect girl he envisioned. The singer even admits that they did not get close to his standards. The lyrics indicate that the meeting has a casual goodbye, which suggests that it was not a terrible breakup or an argument. The singer admits that they had only shared idle words with each other, but she knows that they have a child together.
The verse "And what shall we do with the child who's got your eyes, my hair, and your smile" highlights the importance of blood relations and how it starts to hit the singer that the child will want to know about their father when they are older. The child is a reminder of their love, and the line "Reminding me that we fell in love but just for a little while" reinforces that this love affair was short-lived. The verse "Without you seems the only way" suggests that the mother may have taken care of the child independently, as the father has not been involved. However, with time passing, the child will start to ask questions about their father, and that is when the singer starts to wonder how she will respond. The song's lyrics are a poignant depiction of the less ideal situations that may arise from an unplanned pregnancy and the emotional baggage that follows.
Some interesting facts about the song include:
Line by Line Meaning
I know I'm not what you wanted
I am aware that I am not the person you desired
Not what you had in mind
I didn't match your expectations
And I didn't come close
I fell far short of your aspirations
To the mark You'd set
The standards you had set were too high for me to reach
For the girl you'd planned to find
You had a specific idea of the girl you wanted to be with
You've never seen me cry
You haven't witnessed my sadness
We shared but idle words
Our conversations were superficial and meaningless
And a casual goodbye
We parted ways without much thought or sentiment
And what shall we do with the child
What should we decide regarding the child
Who's got your eyes
The child has inherited your eyes
My hair
The child has my hair
And your smile
The child has your smile
Reminding me that we fell in love
Seeing the child reminds me of when we were in love
But just for a little while
But our love only lasted briefly
You never asked about the girl you never knew
You didn't show any interest in the child you never met
And while she was sleeping in my arms
As the child slept in my embrace
She never asked about you
The child never inquired about you
Without you seems the only way
It appears as though moving on without you is the only option
But time has passed and now
However, time has elapsed and now
She'll soon be asking questions
The child will soon have queries
And she'll ask about you
She will specifically ask about you
And how
And I don't know how
Shall I say to the child
What should I say to the child
Who's got your eyes, my hair, your smile
The child who inherited your eyes, my hair, and your smile
Reminding me that we fell in love
Eliciting memories of our past love life
But just for a little while
Which was brief
What shall we do with the child
What decision should be taken in respect of the child
Who's got your eyes, my hair, your smile
The child who has inherited your eyes, my hair, and your smile
Contributed by Chloe V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.