Family Gathering
David & The Citizens Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

"It's just you and you daddy
Sitting in the car, waiting for mummy
Both of them can be real cruel
Both of them exactly what you don't wanna be
I know what you mean

And everybody's so God damn perfect
“Blah, blah, blah..” How many times have you heard it?
When they look they don't see the picture
When they look they don't see the picture
They see the frame

And I could scream, I could be quiet
I could go black like a winter night
I could be scared, I could play cool
But I could never have you back

It's just you and your whole world
Still it feels like nothing
So angry you will never pass
So angry, just dying for your millionth chance
But your millionth chance has gone away
Your millionth chance has gone away
I look but I only see the frame

And I could scream, I could be quiet
I could go black like a winter night
I could be scared, I could play cool




But I could never have you back
"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to David & The Citizens's song "Family Gathering" delve into the painful experience of witnessing the imperfections and cruelties of the people closest to you. The song captures a sense of disillusionment and frustration with the idealized image of family and relationships. The opening lines depict a child sitting in a car with their father, anxiously waiting for their mother. Both the parents are portrayed as flawed individuals who possess qualities that the child resents and wishes to avoid becoming. The singer empathizes with the child, understanding their perspective and recognizing the disappointment they feel.


The chorus highlights the pressure and expectation of perfection that surrounds us in society. The repetition of the dismissive phrase "blah, blah, blah" implies a disregard for genuine feelings and experiences. The line "When they look they don't see the picture, they see the frame" suggests that people often focus on surface-level appearances and fail to truly see and understand the complexities of others.


The second verse further explores the deep-seated anger and frustration within the individual. Despite feeling so connected to their own world, it paradoxically feels like nothing. The lyrics express a yearning for a chance to prove oneself and make a significant impact, but that opportunity seems to have slipped away. The final line of the verse reiterates the theme of being misunderstood, as the singer acknowledges that although they can look at the situation, they can only see the outer frame rather than the true essence.


The recurring lines "And I could scream, I could be quiet, I could go black like a winter night, I could be scared, I could play cool, But I could never have you back" capture the range of emotions and responses one might experience in such a situation. It reflects a sense of powerlessness and acceptance that certain things cannot be undone or changed.


Overall, "Family Gathering" explores the disillusionment and frustrations inherent in familial relationships, the societal pressure for perfection, and the yearning for understanding and genuine connection.


Line by Line Meaning

It's just you and you daddy
You and your father are alone together


Sitting in the car, waiting for mummy
You are seated in the car, patiently waiting for your mother


Both of them can be real cruel
Both your parents have the tendency to be unkind


Both of them exactly what you don't wanna be
Both your parents embody traits or qualities that you aspire not to possess


I know what you mean
I understand your feelings and thoughts


And everybody's so God damn perfect
Everyone else appears to be flawlessly ideal


“Blah, blah, blah..” How many times have you heard it?
How many times have you been subjected to meaningless chatter?


When they look they don't see the picture
When others gaze upon you, they fail to perceive your true essence


They see the frame
They only observe the external appearances or surface-level aspects


And I could scream, I could be quiet
I have the ability to express my frustration loudly or remain silent


I could go black like a winter night
I could immerse myself in darkness and despair like a cold winter night


I could be scared, I could play cool
I have the option to feel fearful or pretend to be composed and unaffected


But I could never have you back
Unfortunately, I can never regain what I have lost, including you


It's just you and your whole world
You are alone with your entire existence


Still it feels like nothing
Nevertheless, it seems as though everything holds no significance


So angry you will never pass
You are consumed with anger as you realize you will never excel or surpass others


So angry, just dying for your millionth chance
Your anger intensifies, desperately longing for another opportunity to prove yourself


But your millionth chance has gone away
Regrettably, your countless opportunities for redemption have vanished


I look but I only see the frame
I search, yet all I perceive is the superficial exterior rather than the true essence


But I could never have you back
Nevertheless, it remains impossible for me to retrieve what I have lost, including you




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Rising Sun

“Sovereignty itself is, of course, not subject to law, for it is the author and source of law; but in our system, while sovereign powers are delegated to the agencies of government, sovereignty itself remains with the people, by whom and for whom all government exists and acts. And the law is the definition and limitation of power. It is indeed, quite true, that there must always be lodged somewhere, and in some person or body, the authority of final decision; and in many cases of mere administration the responsibility is purely political, no appeal except to the ultimate tribunal of the public judgment, exercised either in the pressure of opinion or by means of the suffrage. But the fundamental rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, considered as individual possessions, are secured by those maxims of constitutional law which are the monuments showing the victorious progress of the race in securing to men the blessings of civilization under the reign of just and equal laws, so that, in the famous language of the Massachusetts Bill of Rights, the government of the commonwealth “may be a government of laws and not of men.” For, the very idea that one man may be compelled to hold his life, or the means of living, or any material right essential to the enjoyment of life, at the mere will of another, seems to be intolerable in any country where freedom prevails, as being the essence of slavery itself.” [Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356, 370 (1886)]



Section 4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government …. Constitution for the United States of America, Article 4, Section 4



Republican government. One in which the powers of sovereignty are vested in the people and are exercised by the people, either directly, or through representatives chosen by the people, to whom those powers are specially delegated. In re Duncan, 139 U.S. 449, 11 S.Ct. 573, 35 L.Ed. 219; Minor v. Happersett, 88 U.S. (21 Wall.) 162, 22 L.Ed. 627.



“In Europe, the executive is almost synonymous with the sovereign power of a State; and generally includes legislative and judicial authority. … Such is the condition of power in that quarter of the world, where it is too commonly acquired by force or fraud, or both, and seldom by compact [consent]. In America, however, the case is widely different. Our government is founded upon compact [consent]. Sovereignty was, and is, in the people.” Glass v. The Sloop Betsey, 3 Dall 6 (1794)



“In the United States***, sovereignty resides in the people who act through the organs established by the Constitution. The Congress as the instrumentality of sovereignty is endowed with certain powers to be exerted on behalf of the people in the manner and with the effect the Constitution ordains. The Congress cannot invoke the sovereign power of the people to override their will as thus declared.” Perry v. United States, 294 U.S. 330, 353 (1935)



All comments from YouTube:

Anthony Guthrie

We direly need to teach “Critical Thinking & Rational Skepticism”, “Financial Literacy & Wealth Development ”, and “Practical Ethics & Citizenship” as required courses in all high schools.

Datt_nxnja

The common sense basics

nom deplore

@Northan Green like...taxes?

Ki'Sahn Alahn Poveda

@nom deplore no he meant Texas, lolz

254 More Replies...

Alexis Condit

The child protective services are definitely deeply flawed though. So many children experience abuse in foster care homes, or are taken from their families when they shouldn't be. Destroyed my own family when I was a child.

Soal

You can't say that statement loud enough!
After my investigations..I have found most of these alphabet agencys for children have working people that don't even have their own children.
The ones that do ... do not associate with their children in public. So that even looks abusive towards her children.
I know why they do it but...I don't think that is the answer.
A lot of abusive crap goes on because school says teach your children and the parents say we cant...both parents are working 50 hours a week and are to exhausted so...child r not raise themselves...sometimes this is where drugs come in.
It's all working just as the government wants it to.
I'm very saddened but yang know MA NY other people see how it all works.
Who will stand up against it all and not lose everything you have?

Psalm Eighty2Six

the unfortunate thing is, is that the opportunity came for CPS after the destruction of the family unit.

29 More Replies...

Jesse Kennedy

As a social worker, this is actually terrifying and makes me low key glad I didn’t go into child welfare.

altha 2014

worked with the disable youths in state hospital, I did Probation work for 3 years I was ready to go someplace else but an incident in Panama city FLorida where a kid died at a boot camp and staff did nothing, They contracted a lot of jobs out including mine had to take a pay cut of 5%,,, it was well worth it

Evonne

Follow your gut. Theres more than one way to help children in need.

More Comments

More Versions