The Iron John Song

I’m having a weekend away, living in the woods
with a group of other men, we’re catching our own food
we’re taking off our shirts and dancing in the nude
and talking about our fathers, the ones who were no good
who always seemed to hurt us, who always put us down
who, though busy at work, would make time for a family frown
and I hear my brothers’ pain, which as men they can’t express
but expressing breaks the chain and gets some pain off your chest
and now they’re crying on my shoulder and blubbing on my breast
and we’re hugging one another and the campfire’s kinda blessed
but I feel a little guilty ‘cause I find I can’t join in
because my father never hurt me in the way that theirs hurt them
he always stood behind me and told me I was good
he always worked for me and as hard as he could
to put bread on the table and some meat in the stew
he never just had one job, he always had two
cleaning in the evenings scrubbing someone’s loo
and a milkman in the morning, well what else could he do?
And me and my brother would help the old man
delivering milk at the weekends as little boys can
through the rain and the snow earning a few bob
it was then our father taught us…
if a job’s worth doing
it’s a worthwhile job
And he took me to the library and showed me books
and from that simple step I learnt how to look
and I learnt how to listen and I learnt how to think
and I saw what he was giving me was a powerful drink
the chance to build better than he ever had the chance
the power of books is the power of knowledge
he taught me to self-teach before I ever got to college
and knowledge is the power, knowledge is the chance
knowledge lets you get that step in in the step ahead dance
and knowledge is a power, knowledge is the chance
knowledge lets you get that step in in the step ahead dance
So I’ve learnt things in the woods through some male bonding pain
and I’m relating to the past like I never will again
and I’m seeing that the root cause of what I’m doing now
was laid down somewhere earlier and I’m glad to avow
that I’m just my father’s son and I’m feeling kinda proud
I’m just my father’s son and I’m feeling kinda proud
I’m just my father’s son and I’m feeling kinda proud
I’m just my father’s son and I’m feeling kinda proud.