Where Do The Children Play???

[Ruins]

"Where Do The Children Play" is one of the best Cat's songs ever, and one of the greatest lyrics ever, but....who can explain what does this song mean??i still don't get the song!!!

[michaelb]

Hey Ruins

It is a pretty basic message.
Cat is saying he is quite ok with progress and the advancement of humans as a species but we are forgetting the simple things like children playing in a park. Places for people to relax in some sort of natural surrounds.

Will the path we are careering down leave room for this?

Joni's line "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot" sums it up beautifully.

[john]

I love this song and the message, the only thing that ever confused me was that sometimes it sounds like he's saying 'Why do the children play', anyone else notice this?


-John...

[michaelb]

certainly..... and a very valid thing to say given the subject matter.
I don't think it is an error

[italianrover]

i think Ruins follow Where do the children play in the same topic

[Ruins]

Thanks a lot guys, very informitive info's

regards

[john]

michaelb said:

certainly..... and a very valid thing to say given the subject matter.
I don't think it is an error

Where do the children play is obviously valid, but I'm confused as to how Why do the children play could be valid. I mean I'm sure you could link it to the message of the song somehow but the thing is it is never written that way in the lyrics. It is called 'where' and the lyrics always say 'where' for every chorus. So I think it might just be a slip of the tongue on his behalf, what do you think?




-John...

[thewind]

It takes a lot to douse out the spirit of youth and of a child... Though man kind has tried, the dreams of a child continue to allow the children to play and have fun... Progress disaster, war, death, violence. Children living under these conditions and more, this seems to imply, "Why do the children play..." But, the spirit eventually creeps out and the children play... Where, where ever the heart of a child warms his/her imagination

[Daddy-o]

Steve grew up in the West End of London in the shadow of Centre Point and in the middle of the bustling city, theatreland, Soho. He got inspiration one day driving to the studios in London where there were loads of high rise buildings and concrete. Where did the children have to play in those areas? Michaelb has summed it up well. Cat's singing "Where", it's just the accent!

Centre Point... quite beautiful really in a strange kind of way:

www.urban75.org/london/centrepoint.html

[Daddy-o]

"Politicians, planners go, look what you done,
your madness is making a machine of ev'ryone,
but one day the machine might turn on.
Chorus:
We'll tear you down, mess you round,
and bury you deep under the ground,
and we'll dance on your graves till the flowers return
and the trees tell us secrets that took ages to learn..."


Lindisfarne had their opinion too on development.

[michaelb]

Yea it could well be a slip of the tounge but obviously it wasn't deleted.
Cat could be saying; in spite of all this gloom why is it that children do still play?

Whenever I bash it out I throw that line in.

[italianrover]

george2 said:

Steve grew up in the West End of London in the shadow of Centre Point and in the middle of the bustling city, theatreland, Soho. He got inspiration one day driving to the studios in London where there were loads of high rise buildings and concrete. Where did the children have to play in those areas? Michaelb has summed it up well. Cat's singing "Where", it's just the accent!

Centre Point... quite beautiful really in a strange kind of way:

www.urban75.org/london/centrepoint.html

i was there just a month ago for a couple of days, is not my favourite part of London, very chaotic and a lot of cars and stuff... I went to the Bloomsbury Theatre which is inside the royal university, very nice theatre

next time in London i need to do a Cat pilgrimage... what adress is the Cat's parents restaurant you can see in the recent BBC documentary?

[Vivian]

italianrover said:

george2 said:

Steve grew up in the West End of London in the shadow of Centre Point and in the middle of the bustling city, theatreland, Soho. He got inspiration one day driving to the studios in London where there were loads of high rise buildings and concrete. Where did the children have to play in those areas? Michaelb has summed it up well. Cat's singing "Where", it's just the accent!

Centre Point... quite beautiful really in a strange kind of way:

www.urban75.org/london/centrepoint.html

i was there just a month ago for a couple of days, is not my favourite part of London, very chaotic and a lot of cars and stuff... I went to the Bloomsbury Theatre which is inside the royal university, very nice theatre

next time in London i need to do a Cat pilgrimage... what adress is the Cat's parents restaurant you can see in the recent BBC documentary?

I can't recall the exact address of the restaurant, but it is right on the corner of Shaftsbury and New Oxford. It's kind of in a triangle. I don't remember the tube line, but to get there by foot, you want to walk straight down Shaftsbury. DO NOT walk up New Oxford. You will end up walking around in circles, as I did. Good luck.

Peace,Vivian

[Dusty_Day]

.. what adress is the Cat's parents restaurant you can see in the recent BBC documentary?

The address is:-
245 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2 8EH

Linda

[bernadette]

Great, Linda. Now we can all meet for a coffee or tea. Good for you.

[Chris]

I just came upon this on youtube.
The Lorax set to "Where Do The Children Play"
youtube.com/watch?v=XjdVOfnYkyA

[alaskaann]

Where Do the Children Play was always a very important song to me, when I was young and it seemed that growing up meant industrialization, complexity, and focusing on a whole lot of things I didn't think deserved it. So I love O Very Young, Katmandu and But I might Die Tonight too