Song For My Father
Mt. Egypt Lyrics


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Better play that guitar, boy,
You don't play it no more,
Play for all that it's worth,
Who knows what life has in store,
And things to get harder,
And then they relent,
Then they carry on,
Then they carry on,
Then they carry on.

No more midnight rocking,
For far away champs,
Ma, I swear I saw him moving,
But there was nobody there,
And the morning on the couch,
At the bottom of the stairs,
Swore I'll float on down,
Swore I'll float on down,
Swore I'll float on down.

Twenty or so houses,
Since the first took flight,
Things first got creepy,
When the dark southern night,
North southwest east, creepy,
Night and over seas,
Night and over seas,
Over seas,
Over seas.

And I'll scream it aloud,
Gonna drive it away,
All this bad air here lurking,
You know it's been here all day,
Would have flown in you before,
And a smile and love,
As if crying on fire,
As if crying on fire,
As if crying on fire.

I play this guitar,
For the both of us now,
I got much work to do,
We will smile somehow,
And he knows how much I love him,
It comes burning right through,
He can see it in my eyes,




He can see in my eyes,
He can see in my eyes.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Song for My Father" by Mt. Egypt convey a deep emotional message about the power of music and the strength it brings during difficult times. The opening lines impel the listener to play the guitar because life is unpredictable and one never knows what's coming next. The song highlights the sorrow and pain of a son who has lost his father and how he has kept his memory alive through his love of music. The second verse contains vivid imageries of the son's father moving in the house after his passing, which shows how deeply the father's memory resonates with the son. The third verse describes how the father had to move from place to place and how this has affected the son's perspective on life. Through these lyrics, the son portrays his deep-seated emotions towards his father and the need to keep his memories alive.


The chorus emphasizes the importance of expressing oneself through music and how it can help drive away negative thoughts and feelings. The son's way of keeping his father's memory alive is by playing the guitar and finding solace in it. The phrase "all this bad air here lurking" in the chorus represents negative air or negative energy around us and how music can help dispel it.


Line by Line Meaning

Better play that guitar, boy,
Encouragement to play guitar


You don't play it no more,
Observation that guitar is not played anymore


Play for all that it's worth,
Encouragement to give it all when playing


Who knows what life has in store,
Reminder of the uncertainty of life


And things to get harder,
Acknowledgement that things may get tougher


And then they relent,
Recognition that difficulties may ease up


Then they carry on,
Acknowledge life moves on


No more midnight rocking,
Acknowledgment that things have changed


For far away champs,
Reference to past good times


Ma, I swear I saw him moving,
Memory of someone who is no longer present


But there was nobody there,
Realization of the person's absence


And the morning on the couch,
Continuing memory


At the bottom of the stairs,
Memory of a specific place/location


Swore I'll float on down,
Promise to continue


Twenty or so houses,
Reference to the many places visited


Since the first took flight,
Reference to leaving home


Things first got creepy,
Memory of a negative experience


When the dark southern night,
Specific location and time reference


North southwest east, creepy,
Memory of an eerie experience


Night and over seas,
Reference to traveling


And I'll scream it aloud,
Expression of frustration


Gonna drive it away,
Determined to get rid of negativity


All this bad air here lurking,
Feeling of negativity


You know it's been here all day,
Acknowledgement of the negativity's presence


Would have flown in you before,
Acknowledgment the negativity could have affected you earlier


And a smile and love,
Positive emotion


As if crying on fire,
Intense emotion


I play this guitar,
Note of action


For the both of us now,
Reason for playing


I got much work to do,
Acknowledgment of responsibilities


We will smile somehow,
Belief in positivity


And he knows how much I love him,
Expression of love


It comes burning right through,
Intensity of the feeling


He can see it in my eyes,
Acknowledgment of the expression being noticeable


He can see in my eyes,
Repetition/Confirmation




Contributed by Chase E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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