“My 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 talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,
He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.
You know I'm gonna be like you."”

— Harry Chapin

Cat's in the Cradle, written with his wife Sandy Chapin
Song lyrics, Verities & Balderdash (1974)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "My child arrived just the other day, He came to the world in the usual way. But there were planes to catch, and bills…" by Harry Chapin?

Harry Chapin photo

Harry Chapin 90

American musician 1942–1981

Related quotes

“I know that I'm gonna be like this forever
I'm never gonna be what I should
And you think that I'll be bad for just a little while
But I know that I'll be bad for good.”

Jim Steinman (1947) American musician

"Bad for Good"
Bad for Good (1981)

“I'm a-gonna tell you how it's gonna be,
You're gonna give your love to me.
I wanna love you night and day,
You know my love a-not fade away.
A-well, you know my love a-not fade away.”

Buddy Holly (1936–1959) American singer-songwriter

Not Fade Away, written by Buddy Holly and Norman Petty
Song lyrics, The "Chirping" Crickets (1957)

“I have not spoken to him directly. Here's the reason. Because my experience is, when you talk to a guy like a BP CEO, he's gonna say all the right things to me. I'm not interested in words. I'm interested in actions.”

Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America

I would have fired BP chief by now, Obama says http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37566848/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf/ (June 8, 2010)
2010, 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill (April 2010)

“And I started wondering who he was going to be
And I thought heaven help us if hes anything like me.
He'll probably climb a tree to tall and ride hes bike to fast;
End up every summer wearin something in a cast.
He's gonna throw a ball and break some glass in a window down the street.
He's gonna get in trouble, oh he's gonna get in fights.
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep.
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me.”

Brad Paisley (1972) American country music singer

Anything Like Me, written by Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois, and Dave Turnbull.
Song lyrics, American Saturday Night (2009)

“When I made the switch to a plant based diet, people, they were like, "I don't know how you're gonna lift that much weight." And, "You're not gonna be eating anything, you're just gonna eat grass. Like, how you gonna be strong?" I qualified for my third Olympic team, you know what I'm saying? I broke two American records. I won at the Pan-Am games. I was like, "Man." Like, "I think, I should've done this a long while ago."”

Kendrick Farris (1986) American weightlifter

Like, "Why didn't I research this before?"
Interview in the documentary-film The Game Changers by Louie Psihoyos (2018).

“I've long since retired and 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.
You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's have the flu,
But it's sure nice talking to you, dad.
It's been sure nice talking to you."
And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,
He'd grown up just like me.
My boy was just like me.”

Harry Chapin (1942–1981) American musician

Cat's in the Cradle
Song lyrics, Verities & Balderdash (1974)

“They say you just stand over there, he'll say thank you and you walk back off and that's what I thought was gonna happen, but in my head, I had for five or six years known that he was gonna call me over.”

Ellen DeGeneres (1958) American stand-up comedian, television host, and actress

Ellen DeGeneres, commenting on being called over to sit with Johnny Carson back in 1986

“We born dyin'… But you ask a man an' he talk like he gonna live forevah.”

Walter Mosley (1952) American writer

Source: The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

“I tell you, Satan's gonna have no trouble taking over here 'cause all the women are gonna say: "What a cute butt." "He's Satan!" "You don't know him like I do." "He's the Prince of Darkness!" "I can change him."”

Bill Hicks (1961–1994) American comedian

Arizona Bay (1997)

“But when it came to eloquence, George [ H. W.] Bush was Winston Churchill compared with his vice president, the legendary J. Danforth Quayle. You never knew what Dan was going to say next, and the wonderful thing was, Dan clearly didn't know either. He'd be asked a question, and he'd start talking, and you could see in his eyes that he was thinking, Ohmigod I'm talking and I HAVE NO EARTHLY IDEA WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING RIGHT NOW!”

Dave Barry (1947) American writer

Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway (2001)

Related topics