[clarke]

can anyone fill in the blanks?

hey kids wolf's home
he drops into his easy chair
stares about blank
then bids his family come and gather around his chair
then clears his throat
no one knows quite what to expect
says man's a god, when he dreams and I ????? when he reflects

my life of get and get
i've gotten more than most and yet
i didn't run, i didn't vanish when i was afraid
i never asked, how many out there i only asked where are they
my life of get and get
i've gotten more than most and yet

i got great touch
i learned to vanish when i was afraid
i dont know much
but i dont try not to try, i dont do what i hate

my life of get and get
i've gotten more than most and yet
the road of hardened targets, ???????? started, all the brokenhearted
all i want is
the dearly departed, all the herds i started, young and old poor hearted
all i want is
all i've been afforded, my life, my love distorted, it's its own reward but
all i want is you

[TG]

"a beggar when he reflects"

i think

[sean.bonner]

My favourite track on the record .... but I've only listened to the first six tracks so far :oops:

[cochise]

I could very well be wrong (and probably am), but the more I listen to this song, the more I think it's not an "Introduce Yerself" track about a specific person, but instead a track that didn't make it onto The Secret Path? It has identical sound, production, and really could fit in anywhere on that album quite well.

Is there a background story to it though? Does anyone know if in fact it is a song about a specific person and specifically for Introduce Yerself?

[senrab]

My first thought was his father.

[loach]

My first thought was his father.

That was my initial thought as well, although I think First Person is about his father. Not sure if there would be two songs for Edgar, so maybe a grandfather?

[senrab]

My first thought was his father.

That was my initial thought as well, although I think First Person is about his father. Not sure if there would be two songs for Edgar, so maybe a grandfather?

good point

[Chris Tanz]

Am I alone in thinking First Person is about his mother?

I mean I know there was a strong link with Edgar, but isn't everyone's first person their mother? That's why I assumed Wolf's Home was about Edgar. To complement that, I would argue that the lyrics in Wolf's Home are about a stronger more complex bond than the more basic elemental bond in First Person.

ct

[loach]

I agree that his mother would fit with the 'first person' reference, and there's been some album reviews published that have speculated as such. However, in the preview video that was released for the album, there's some names scrolled on the sheet that is shown with the song titles. In the main Introduce Yerself thread, Senrab tried to pause the frame and read the names - I copied that post below - with Edgar being written beside First Person.

If true, the 'Goodbye' lines probably reflect Gord saying goodbye to his dad upon his dad's passing.

If anyone is trying to put some names to songs, if you pause this video from 1:55 to 2:06 and go frame by frame in full HD you can barely see some names in green pen beside the song titles. And on the right, I think.

[youtube]3dGkrGUd8-8[/youtube]

Here's what I could make out:

My First Girlfriend - Char (his sister)
Love Over Money - The Band
You Me and the B's - Patrick
You Are the Bird - Paula
Snowflakes - Lorna or Laura? (mom or wife? can't make out his handwriting)
Bedtime - Clare
First Person - Edgar
A Natural (Bathouse Again and Again) - Clemens?

The names on the right side:
Joanne
Andrea
Jenn
Josh
Andy
Mike
Jonathan
Ricky
Patrick comes up a few times

[knightrider]

Am I alone in thinking First Person is about his mother?

I mean I know there was a strong link with Edgar, but isn't everyone's first person their mother? That's why I assumed Wolf's Home was about Edgar. To complement that, I would argue that the lyrics in Wolf's Home are about a stronger more complex bond than the more basic elemental bond in First Person.
ct

This is how I have viewed the songs as well, but obviously the notation described above suggests otherwise.

[thedoog]

My current take on it is that it's about Gord, himself. I'm still trying to reconcile the "he"'s and "his"' in the first paragraph with the "i's" and "my"'s of the rest of the song. Perhaps the first paragraph his own perception of his homecomings, with the rest being his assessment of his life. Or the first paragraph is a nod to his father's homecomings. Either way, the "I've gotten more than most... and yet" gets me every time.

[mystery met]

My current take on it is that it's about Gord, himself. I'm still trying to reconcile the "he"'s and "his"' in the first paragraph with the "i's" and "my"'s of the rest of the song. Perhaps the first paragraph his own perception of his homecomings, with the rest being his assessment of his life. Or the first paragraph is a nod to his father's homecomings. Either way, the "I've gotten more than most... and yet" gets me every time.

I think you are right. I have always assumed this is about himself.

[knightrider]

My current take on it is that it's about Gord, himself. I'm still trying to reconcile the "he"'s and "his"' in the first paragraph with the "i's" and "my"'s of the rest of the song. Perhaps the first paragraph his own perception of his homecomings, with the rest being his assessment of his life. Or the first paragraph is a nod to his father's homecomings. Either way, the "I've gotten more than most... and yet" gets me every time.

I think you are right. I have always assumed this is about himself.

This is an interesting take. Could be right. I had thought of it similarly as reflecting and taking stock of his life, and/but also looking for affirmation from his dad (mother, grandfather?) and wanting to be sure he made him/her proud. Sort of a final accounting to the person whose blessing perhaps meant the most.

[Chris Tanz]

It take the he vs. I stuff to be that the Wolf who has arrived home in the first part is now speaking (clears his throat) to the children he has called to gather 'round him.

And if the "I" bleeds into actual-Gord by the end of the song, it is because of the influence of the Wolf on him, which is why I think it is about Edgar.

ct

[thedoog]

With Are We Family making it to the final four in the IBE Weakest Link comp, I was reminded of the song's Wolf reference:

Are we family when it's only if not when
Sisters brothers wolf wolf lover
And the boy who stamped too many ants?
Are we family?