My Father's Son
Pearl Jam Lyrics

I come from a genius, I am my father's son
My father was intelligent, and I have inherited some of his traits as his biological son.

Yeah, too bad he was a psychopath and now I'm the next in line
Unfortunately, my biological father was mentally ill, and now I'm at risk of inheriting his condition.

Lonely nest dear mother, yes, surely she's a work of art
My mother raised me and my siblings on her own, and despite the challenges, she is a remarkable woman.

I never got top dollar, but she gave us all a star
We may not have had a lot of money, but my mother gave us something much more valuable: love and support.

Can I get a reprieve?
Can I catch a break?

This gene pool don't hurt me
I hope I don't suffer from my family's genetic traits or mental illness.

Can I beg a release
Can I please be freed from the burden of my family's history and problems?

From the volunteer amputee?
Can I cut myself off from my family and their issues, like an amputee voluntarily cutting off a limb?

From the moment I fell
From the moment of my birth and the beginning of my life.

I called on DNA
I depended on my biological makeup and my family's history for my personality traits and predispositions.

Why such betrayal
Why have my genes and family history betrayed me with mental illness?

Got me tooth and nail
It's a constant struggle to fight against my family's genetic and mental issues.

Yeah, how's about one conversation with nothing else left to be had
Can we finally have a conversation and not keep avoiding the elephant in the room?

Oh, is this your long lost son, and he's never had dear old dad
Do I mean anything to you as your biological child considering you were never there for me?

I forget the insemination and for that I'm supposed to be glad
I don't even know the details of my conception, and yet society expects me to be grateful for my biological father.

What a pity you left us so soon to climb your mountain of regret
It's such a shame that my biological father died before he could make amends and regrets the way he lived his life.

Oh real bright light shining as you're trying to breathe in thin air
It's difficult to escape the effects of my family's problems and genetics, much like trying to breathe in thin air at high altitude.

Cannot forget you're hiding collected wounds left unhealed
I can't ignore the emotional wounds and scars that my family's past has left on me and my siblings.

When every thought you're thinking sinks you darker than the new moon sky
Sometimes my thoughts and fears can feel overwhelming and depressing, like looking up at the dark sky during a new moon.

The faraway lights rising in the whites of your eyes
Even in the darkness of my thoughts, there is a glimmer of hope and optimism that I can see in my mind's eye.

Now father you're dead and gone and I'm finally free to be me
With my biological father gone, I can let go of his problems and be myself without being burdened by his history.

Thanks for all your dark gifts for which I've got no sympathy
I don't owe my biological father gratitude or sympathy for the problems and mental illness that are his legacy.

I'm living in a walled-up place in the bounds of fifth symphony
Despite my struggles, I'm still creative and inspired, and I'm expressing myself through art and music.

Thanks for this and thanks for that, I gotta let go, learn to see legacy
I need to let go of my anger and resentment and work to understand my family's legacy so I can break the cycle and create my own path.

Oh I gotta set sail
I need to move forward and start my own journey, free from the baggage of my family history and genetics.

This gene pool dark and deep
My family's history and genetics are complex and deep-rooted in our history.