One of my favorite Aerosmith songs is Last Child from their 1976 Rocks album. The song has an infectious groove that just never ceases to get me moving. Love it! Aside from the rocking and danceable tune, the lyrics are a bit more difficult to decipher. I never took the time to really listen to the lyrics of this song. I knew bits and pieces like "I was a last child. Just a punk in the street." Being from the punk generation, that was my main connection to this song,
Give it a listen. http://youtu.be/d1AaCy-yU9c
Last Child
Songwriters: Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford
Right!
Yeah...yeah
Take me back to a south Tallahassee
Down cross the bridge to my sweet sassafrassy
Can't stand up on my feet in the city
Gotta get back to the real nitty gritty
Yes sir, no sir
Don't come close to my
Home sweet home
Can't catch no dose
Of my hot tail poon tang sweetheart
Sweathog ready to make a silk purse
From a J Paul Getty and his ear
With her face in her beer
Home sweet home
Get out in the field
Put the mule in the stable
Ma she's a cookin'
Put the eats on the table
Hate's in the city
And my love's in the meadow
Hands on the plow
And my feets in the ghetto
Stand up, sit down
Don't do nothing
It ain't no good when boss man's
Stuffin' down their throats
For paper notes
And their babies cry
While cities lie at their feet
When you're rockin' the street
Home sweet home
Mama, take me home sweet home
I was the last child
I'm just a punk in the street
[Repeat]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the simplest interpretation this song is about a desire to get back home. Steven Tyler sings with words that do not easily connect in coherent thoughts. It's more brief snapshots of images and ideas thrown in a general direction. There's a dichotomy between the life he once knew in the country out in the meadow working the fields and loving his sweetheart under the gulf coast Florida sun.
The song cannot be autobiographical in the literal sense. Tyler was from New York and Whitford from the Boston area. By means of a fictional character who was raised in the country around Tallahassee. Florida, the bandmates share their longing for home and a simpler life before the craziness of non-stop touring.
What does the character desire from home? His sex partner is one, but he's too busy working in the city to be with her. He wants his momma's cooking too, but he's having to work for the man who shoves paper dollar bills down his throat.
The reference to J Paul Getty is about the wealth that some pursue. Perhaps the billionaire oil tycoon represents all of city life and the pursuit of wealth. The feeling I get is that the country boy from Florida finds the whole enterprise to be cheap. All the glitter and glitz of the city is nothing compared to his home sweet home and the life he once knew in country.
"Sweathog ready to make a silk purse" is the songwriter's variation on the old proverb "You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear." In other words you cannot make something exquisite or valuable from cheap ingredients. The country boy sees his slaving away in the city as cheap like a sow's ear. In this case the sow is Jean Paul Getty, one of the richest men in the world at the time.
In 1976 J. Paul Getty released his autobiography. Getty was worth over $8 billion in today's currency. He knew six languages. His oil business was enhanced greatly by his ability to speak Arabic. He died of heart failure before it was released. Getty also wrote the book, "How to Get Rich." While I don't remember Getty from the 1970's, he was news.
Getty was known as an infamous miser. The reference to J. Paul Getty and his ear is not simply about the cheapness of money grubbing. J. Paul Getty's grandson, J. Paul Getty III, was kidnapped. When Getty refused to pay the ransom for his son, the kidnappers cut off his son's ear and sent it to Getty as a show of their resolve. They would kill him if Getty did not pay the ransom. In response Getty paid the ransom and then required his grandson repay him the debt!
Our culture celebrates celebrity and wealth. We make rock stars out of wealthy people. Even in small towns the rich are both hated and celebrated. The sow's ear depiction of wealthy men like Getty says something about how the boys in Aerosmith may have been feeling at the time.
They were experiencing success. The 1975 album Toys in the Attic broke Aerosmith into mainstream status and Rocks in 1976 cemented their status as hard rockin' superstars. My guess is that the confusion created by their sudden success was overwhelming and they longed for the younger days when things were simpler and less hectic.
The Bible warns about chasing after wealth. Although the band started out with the desire to play music, the love for music as a career demands touring and touring. It demands growing and building an audience. It means, as Brad Whitford would say, "climbing in a station wagon and going for it." But with the demands of touring and record company expectations to produce income, these bad boys from Boston had not yet learned how to deal with success and wealth.
Tyler developed a significant cocaine addiction and basically blew his wealth on drugs. By the 1980's Aerosmith almost imploded. Through their ability to return to their first love, music and performance, fans have been given four decades of great music.
The apostle Paul wrote to his protege Timothy about counseling the rich in his congregation.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1Ti 6:7-10)After sharing this warning with Timothy, Paul tells him to purse what is really valuable, that is righteousness or godliness.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1Ti 6:11-12)Such a man knows true riches lie in eternal realms found within our spirits through our relationship with God. He will be able to lead others to that wellspring of living water within everyone. The wealthy are in danger of missing true wealth because they are self-reliant.
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1Ti 6:17-19)I've never had the opportunity to fellowship with the insanely wealthy like Getty or Donald Trump, but I've befriended quite a few comfortably well off folks within the church. They are generous, love life and are willing to help when the call comes. They know where true riches are and they understand their earthly wealth is a gift entrusted to them from God. They live gratefully and put their wealth to good use. They don't take vows of poverty. They live with luxuries, but they give to charities and ministries that benefit others.
Then there are those who are all about money and constantly focus on getting more. The money becomes an end to itself. They haven't learned to honor God, nor do they share open-handedly with their neighbors.
When Howard Hughes died, he was one of the richest men in history. He lived in seclusion terrified of germs. His fingernails had grown out at an unusual length and his hair was long and unkempt. He was not prepared for the life to come. He was terrified of losing his life to the point he avoided all dangers. Such is the sad end for those who are so tied to this life that they are not free to embrace the next.
J. Paul Getty used to quip, "The meek may inherit the earth, but not the mineral rights." While he was laughing all the way to the bank, the meek continue to love and honor God and lay up for themselves a life of true riches and a home with God. Jesus taught in his sermon on the mount that the meek shall inherit the earth. (Mat 5:5) He also had a parable tailor made for men like Getty.
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Lk 12:16-21)Dear God, save us from the trappings of the love of money. Teach our hearts to long for our home sweet home with You. Make us faithful stewards of the earthly wealth You entrust to us. Help us to love our neighbors and do good to them that they might know Your love and faithfulness as do we. Amen
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