Famous Musician Mike Rayburn Performs Moving Rendition Of ‘Cats In The Cradle’ For Dad

Few songs move my heart quite like Harry Chapin’s ‘Cats In The Cradle.’

Perhaps it’s because the bittersweet story weaves an almost-happy tale of love, life, and aging… one that forces us to contemplate our own life, death, and family relationships.

The famously sad song is told by a father whose work keeps him on the road and away from his family. In it, the singer tells us of how his wife gives birth to a beautiful baby boy, “but there were planes to catch and bills to pay. He learned to walk while I was away.”

He then continues to tie together strings of the soulful story that describe an average American life. As the ballad progresses, the young boy grows and begs his father to spend quality time with him, but there was always something more important to do. The unwavering boy is disappointed but still encouraged by his father’s promises that, “we’ll have a good time then.”

In the final two verses, the roles are reversed as the aging father wishes to spend time with his son, who now doesn’t have time for his father. “What I’d really like Dad is to borrow the car keys, see ya later, can I have them please,” the singer recounts.

It isn’t until the final verse that a bittersweet realization dawns on the contemplative narrator when he sees, “my boy was just like me.” The absent father had raised his son to be just like him and his son became an equally absent figure from his own life.

The realization is a tough one for the narrator, who shares his feelings in the melancholy melody that weaves its way beneath the lonely lyrics and bleeds emotion from even the hardest of hearts. Perhaps the only sound more moving than the forlorn folk song is the accompaniment of hospital surroundings.

When comedian and musician Mike Rayburn was losing his own father in 2013, he decided to play the famous song for Dad on his hospital bed. The well-known motivational speaker said he hasn’t always had the best relationship with his father, but it felt appropriate to play the song for the man who taught him the chords.

If you can make it through this devastating take of Chapin’s famous song without tears in your eyes, you are a stronger soul than myself.

If the song does move you, please tell us in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE with somebody you love.

[Featured Image: Mike Rayburn via Youtube]

Famous Musician Mike Rayburn Performs Moving Rendition Of ‘Cats In The Cradle’ For Dad is an article from: LifeDaily