Society's Child
Janis Ian Lyrics


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Come to my door, baby,
Face is clean and shining black as night.
My mother went to answer you know
That you looked so fine.
Now I could understand your tears and your shame,
She called you "boy" instead of your name.
When she wouldn't let you inside,
When she turned and said
"But honey, he's not our kind."

She says
I can't see you any more, baby,
Can't see you anymore.

Walk me down to school, baby,
Everybody's acting deaf and dumb.
Until they turn and say, "Why don't you stick to your own kind."
My teachers all laugh, the smirking stares,
Cutting deep down in our affairs.
Preachers of equality,
Think they believe it, then why won't they just let us be?

They say I can't see you anymore baby,
Can't see you anymore.

One of these days I'm gonna stop my listening
Gonna raise my head up high.
One of these days I'm gonna raise up my glistening wings and fly.
But that day will have to wait for a while.
Baby I'm only society's child.
When we're older things may change,
But for now this is the way, they must remain.

I say I can't see you anymore baby,




Can't see you anymore.
No, I don't want to see you anymore, baby.

Overall Meaning

Janis Ian's song Society's Child is a poignant and powerful commentary on racial and social division in society. The lyrics provide a narrative of a young interracial couple who face opposition and discrimination from their families and the wider community. The song opens with the singer addressing her lover and describing the racism and prejudice they face. The singer's mother is hesitant to let her lover in the house, and when she does, she calls him "boy" instead of using his name. The lover's tears and shame are understandable, especially when the mother turns him away, saying "he's not our kind."


The second verse describes the social exclusion and ostracism that the couple faces in the wider community. The singer describes being treated with indifference or hostility by classmates who tell them to "stick to your own kind." Even the preachers who claim to preach equality and love, do not practice it. The verse ends with the singer expressing frustration and anger at the injustice saying, "Think they believe it, then why won't they just let us be?"


The chorus then repeats the line, "I can't see you anymore baby, can't see you anymore," which suggests that the families and wider society have disapproved of the couple's relationship and have forced them apart. The song concludes with the singer expressing hope for the future where things may change when they are older, but for now, they have to accept the way things are.


Overall, Society's Child is an emotionally charged and thought-provoking song that addresses serious social issues with sensitivity and nuance. The lyrics are a reflection of the experiences of many interracial couples who faced discrimination and prejudice during a time of great social upheaval and change.


Line by Line Meaning

Come to my door, baby,
Asks the intended recipient of the song to approach and engage with the artist.


Face is clean and shining black as night.
The recipients face is beautifully black to the point of being as striking as the night sky, indicating the artist observes blackness as something of beauty.


My mother went to answer you know, That you looked so fine.
The artist's mother opened the door as she found the recipient, striking his appearance and distinguishing him positively.


Now I could understand your tears and your shame, She called you 'boy' instead of your name.
The artist understands and empathizes with the recipient's emotions of crying and feeling ashamed after the artist's mother called him 'boy', despite him having a name and deserving to be called by it.


When she wouldn't let you inside, When she turned and said 'But honey, he's not our kind.'
The artist's mother denies the recipient entry into her house as he is from a different societal group than hers.


She says I can't see you any more, baby, Can't see you anymore.
The artist's mother forbids her from seeing the recipient anymore.


Walk me down to school, baby, Everybody's acting deaf and dumb.
The artist asks the recipient to escort her to school, where everyone (implying the wider society) pretends to not notice or acknowledge the relationship between the artist and the recipient.


Until they turn and say, 'Why don't you stick to your own kind.'
Society disapproves of the artist and the recipient engaging with each other and preaches the phrase 'stick to your own kind' to discourage them from being together.


My teachers all laugh, the smirking stares, Cutting deep down in our affairs.
The artist's teachers mock and judge the artist and recipient's relationship, which causes them to feel shame and discomfort as it invades their privacy and personal life.


Preachers of equality, Think they believe it, then why won't they just let us be?
The artist questions the legitimacy of the preachers of equality, who promote the concept of equality but fail to let people live and conduct their lives equally without judgment or bias.


They say I can't see you anymore, baby, Can't see you anymore.
Society maintains its stand against the artist and the recipient and hence they cannot meet each other anymore.


One of these days I'm gonna stop my listening, Gonna raise my head up high.
The artist sees a day coming where she will stop listening to the biased and prejudiced society and instead hold her head high with pride.


One of these days I'm gonna raise up my glistening wings and fly.
The artist will leverage her power, her 'glistening wings', and break through societal chains of oppression and fly free, living her life as she chooses without being told who she can or cannot see.


But that day will have to wait for a while. Baby, I'm only society's child.
The artist is only a product of society and it will take time before she can break free and live the life she wants.


When we're older things may change, But for now this is the way they must remain.
The artist holds onto hope that perhaps as the society matures over time, it might be able to accept them as an interracial couple but until then, their present condition will not change.


I say I can't see you anymore baby, Can't see you anymore. No, I don't want to see you anymore, baby.
The artist repeats the phrase that represents society's opposition to her and her recipient's relationship and finally admits that, although she wants to continue seeing him, she cannot do it, leading to a heart-wrenching conclusion that shows the damaging impact society standards can have on individuals.




Contributed by Benjamin O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Loralieisa M

Janis Ian was clearly gifted. To think she wrote this haunting song at age 14. A prodigy.

Catherine

Agreed @Loralieisa M And she still is...at 70 years old.

david chamberlain

13 years and 259days🎶🎵👍

dbbdvm

I'm Janis age. She sang these words for so MANY of us in the late 60s, having very similar life experiences like hers. We saw and experienced what She; it was all around us.

ModGirl1967

Astounding, really.

circusitch

Great song. And kudos to the Smothers Brothers. They were at the cutting edge of everything at the time.

Tony Harden

They were so daring that it got them canceled. I am not saying they were wrong, but they pushed the envelope too far for the time.

circusitch

@Tony Harden That they did. But if they didn’t, they would be long forgotten.

Tony Harden

@circusitch Agreed!

James-Pierre

The Smothers Brothers was my favorite show. They were cutting edge with all the critical issues of the day. They had the balls to give the true story of what was happening.

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