Tibullus and “Cat’s in the Cradle”

Cat's in the Cradle

(Ancient Text by Tibullus, translated by Peter Bing, Rip Cohen) and Cat's in the Cradle (Contemporary Song by Harry Chapin)

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Through his poetry, Tibullus seems to be warning his readers to love while they are still young. He writes, “So you, while you’ve got the pristine blossom of your youth, use it. It slips away on light feet.” (Tibullus 1.8, lines 47-48). Tibullus is saying that you won’t be young forever, and that you should use your youth to love. In a similar way, “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin tells the story of his relationship with his son. At first, the father doesn’t have time to spend with his son, and then later on when the son is all grown up, the son now doesn’t have time to spend with the father. The father wasted his time to spend with his son when he was young, and it was gone by the time he was older.

One large difference between these two works is that Tibullus is talking more about romantic love as opposed to “Cat’s in the Cradle” is more about familial love. While this is a rather large distinction, I still feel that the overall message of the two are still fairly similar. Both pieces convey that we should take advantage of our love while we are still able to because love doesn’t last forever. In the case of Tibullus, romantic love fades with age, and with “Cat’s in the Cradle” relationships between children and their parents may fade with time, so it is important to cherish it while it lasts.

Ancient Text Excerpt:

So you, while you’ve got the pristine blossom of your youth,
use it. It slips away on light feet.
(Tibullus 1.8, lines 47-48)

Key Lyrics:

Now I’ve retired, my son’s moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, “I’d like to see you, if you don’t mind”
He said, “I’d love to, Dad, if I could find the time
My new job’s a hassle and the kids got the flu
But it’s nice talkin’ to you Dad, it’s sure nice talkin’ to you”

Click for full lyrics

A child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin’ ‘fore I knew it and as he grew
He said, I’m gonna be like you, Dad
You know I’m gonna be like you
And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home Dad?
I don’t know when but we’ll get together then
You know we’ll have a good time then
My son turned ten just the other day,
He said “Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let’s play
Can you teach me to throw?”, I said
“Not today, I got a lot to do”, he said, “That’s okay”
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
He said, “I’m gonna be like him, yeah
You know I’m gonna be like him”
And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home, Dad?
I don’t know when but we’ll get together then
You know we’ll have a good time then
He came from college just the other day
So much like a man, I just had to say
“Son I’m proud of you, can you sit for a while?”
He shook his head, and said with a smile
“What I’d really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See ya later, can I have them please?”
And the cat’s in the cradle, and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home Son?
I don’t know when but we’ll get together then, Dad
You know we’ll have a good time then
Now I’ve retired, my son’s moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, “I’d like to see you, if you don’t mind”
He said, “I’d love to, Dad, if I could find the time
My new job’s a hassle and the kids got the flu
But it’s nice talkin’ to you Dad, it’s sure nice talkin’ to you”
As I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He’d grown up just like me
My boy was just like me
And the cat’s in the cradle, and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home, Son?
I don’t know when but we’ll get together then Dad
You gonna have a good time then

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