They took away all of his toys.
Hi… Read Full Bio ↴Lather was thirty years old today,
They took away all of his toys.
His mother sent newspaper clippings to him,
About his old friends who'd stopped being boys.
There was Harwitz E. Green, just turned thirty-three,
His leather chair waits at the bank.
And Seargent Dow Jones, twenty-seven years old,
Commanding his very own tank.
But Lather still finds it a nice thing to do,
To lie about nude in the sand,
Drawing pictures of mountains that look like bumps,
And thrashing the air with his hands.
But wait, oh Lather's productive you know,
He produces the finest of sound,
Putting drumsticks on either side of his nose,
Snorting the best licks in town,
But that's all over...
Lather was thirty years old today,
And Lather came foam from his tongue.
He looked at me eyes wide and plainly said,
Is it true that I'm no longer young?
And the children call him famous,
What the old men call insane,
And sometimes he's so nameless,
That he hardly knows which game to play...
Which words to say...
And I should have told him, "No, you're not old."
And I should have let him go on...smiling...babywide.
Lather
Jefferson Airplane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They took away all of his toys
His mother sent newspaper clippings to him
About his old friends who'd stopped being boys
There was Harwitz E. Green, just turned thirty-three
His leather chair waits at the bank
And Seargent Dow Jones, twenty-seven years old
Commanding his very own tank
To lie about nude in the sand
Drawing pictures of mountains that look like bumps
And thrashing the air with his hands
But wait, oh Lather's productive you know
He produces the finest of sound
Putting drumsticks on either side of his nose
Snorting the best licks in town
But that's all over
Lather was thirty years old today
And Lather came foam from his tongue
He looked at me eyes wide and plainly said
Is it true that I'm no longer young?
And the children call him famous
What the old men call insane
And sometimes he's so nameless
That he hardly knows which game to play
Which words to say
And I should have told him, no, you're not old
And I should have let him go on, smiling, baby wide
The song Lather by Jefferson Airplane tells the story of a man named Lather who has just turned thirty and is struggling to come to terms with his age. The first verse describes how Lather's youth has been taken away from him, as he is no longer able to enjoy the toys he once did. The second verse paints a picture of Lather's former classmates who have advanced in their careers and become successful, while Lather is still living a carefree life. Despite this, he still enjoys lying naked in the sand and drawing pictures.
The middle section of the song suggests that Lather has found a new passion in music, as he is able to produce "the finest of sound." However, all good things must come to an end, and the song then returns to the theme of Lather's struggle with his age. He comes to the realization that he is no longer young, and this troubles him. The final lines of the song reveal the sadness that Lather is feeling, as he has become famous for what others consider insanity.
Overall, the song serves as a commentary on the perils of aging and the societal norms of success that can cause individuals to feel inadequate or left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Lather was thirty years old today
Lather turned 30 today.
They took away all of his toys
He lost his innocence and got caught up in the 'real world.'
His mother sent newspaper clippings to him
About his old friends who'd stopped being boys
His mother reminded him of friends who had started their careers and families.
There was Harwitz E. Green, just turned thirty-three
His leather chair waits at the bank
His friend has a desk job and no longer has the freedom to goof off.
And Seargent Dow Jones, twenty-seven years old
Commanding his very own tank
Another friend joined the military and started to climb the ranks.
But Lather still finds it a nice thing to do
To lie about nude in the sand
Drawing pictures of mountains that look like bumps
And thrashing the air with his hands
Lather reminisces about simpler times and his own carefree attitude.
But wait, oh Lather's productive you know
He produces the finest of sound
Putting drumsticks on either side of his nose
Snorting the best licks in town
But that's all over
He used to play air drums and make music, but he's lost interest.
Lather was thirty years old today
And Lather came foam from his tongue
He looked at me eyes wide and plainly said
Is it true that I'm no longer young?
Lather realizes that he's no longer a young man and doesn't want to accept it.
And the children call him famous
What the old men call insane
And sometimes he's so nameless
That he hardly knows which game to play
Which words to say
He's stuck between following the expectations of the older generation and the excitement of the younger one. He's not sure where he fits in.
And I should have told him, no, you're not old
And I should have let him go on, smiling, baby wide
The artist regrets not reminding Lather that 30 isn't old and he still has plenty of life ahead of him.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: GRACE SLICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Muziekgenot
Such a lovely song....
"Lather"
Lather was thirty years old today,
They took away all of his toys.
His mother sent newspaper clippings to him,
About his old friends who'd stopped being boys.
There was Harwitz E. Green, just turned thirty-three,
His leather chair waits at the bank.
And Seargent Dow Jones, twenty-seven years old,
Commanding his very own tank.
But Lather still finds it a nice thing to do,
To lie about nude in the sand,
Drawing pictures of mountains that look like bumps,
And thrashing the air with his hands.
But wait, oh Lather's productive you know,
He produces the finest of sound,
Putting drumsticks on either side of his nose,
Snorting the best licks in town,
But that's all over...
Lather was thirty years old today,
And Lather came foam from his tongue.
He looked at me eyes wide and plainly said,
Is it true that I'm no longer young?
And the children call him famous,
what the old men call insane,
And sometimes he's so nameless,
That he hardly knows which game to play...
Which words to say...
And I should have told him, "No, you're not old."
And I should have let him go on...smiling...babywide.
Bengala Explosiva
Lather was thirty years old today,
They took away all of his toys.
His mother sent newspaper clippings to him,
About his old friends who'd stopped being boys.
There was Harwitz E. Green, just turned thirty-three,
His leather chair waits at the bank.
And Seargent Dow Jones, twenty-seven years old,
Commanding his very own tank.
But Lather still finds it a nice thing to do,
To lie about nude in the sand,
Drawing pictures of mountains that look like bumps,
And thrashing the air with his hands.
But wait, oh Lather's productive you know,
He produces the finest of sound,
Putting drumsticks on either side of his nose,
Snorting the best licks in town,
But that's all over...
Lather was thirty years old today,
And Lather came foam from his tongue.
He looked at me eyes wide and plainly said,
Is it true that I'm no longer young?
And the children call him famous,
what the old men call insane,
And sometimes he's so nameless,
That he hardly knows which game to play...
Which words to say...
And I should have told him, "No, you're not old."
And I should have let him go on...smiling...babywide.
phenyl alanine
After not hearing this song for 45 yrs I still remembered almost every word.There is something mysterious and magical about this song.
sal economos
Something almost Old English and Celtic about its sound.
But mysterious is also a good description.
Sam Iron Dog Belly
phenyl alanine I could listen to Gracie all night long.Her voice is so captivating, hypnotizing, crisp, and clear.There will never be anyone like her.The Best.
frannie banani
phenyl alanine I was 18 remember getting high listening to this lol
Robert McAllister
Same here.
Lightningbc
phenyl alanine 2 years after you said it, I experienced it after accidentally running into this song. It had been at least 25 years since I last heard this song. It came back like it was yesterday, I remembered the lyrics and I fondly remembered how much I liked this song.
Marie Blue
Vocalist Grace Slick penned “Lather” (1968) about drummer Spencer Dryden for his 30th birthday. Slick explained : “It was the whole ‘you can’t trust anybody over 30,’ and Spencer was turning 30. The situation amused me.”
HOW SWEET❕ 💚🎂💜
Ricardo Silva
What's most refreshing about Jefferson Airplane is that you get amazing sound and lyrics. There's no conflict of having just one.
Werfun2use Used
I was in usmc boot camp on my 17th birthday in 1971.. that song rang through my head all the time and even when I was shipped over to nam. I really don't know why and to this day, I don't know. It comforted me in some way back then and now in an old man and still know the lyrics. I was wounded and the song was in my head when I was taken out by the dustys and I still had it in my head.
Kate Bates
I hope you're still keepin on keepin on like we used to say. I had this on "Blows Against the Empire" that I found in a dollar bin in 1969.
My brother enlisted in USA military in mid 60's. Lost him in 1979 he was 35
I hope you are well & still with us❤🌞💕praying 🙏 for you🕊