Listen to this when
The Living Years
Say it while they can still hear you. 🤍
Who it's for
The song gives voice to a common but rarely spoken grief: regret over conversations with a parent that never happened.
Guilty / Ashamed→Forgiving / At Peace
Feelings it meets
What it is
"The Living Years" is a song by Mike + The Mechanics, written by Mike Rutherford and B.A. Robertson and sung by Paul Carrack, released in December 1988 as the second single from the album Living Years. It is about a son's regret over unresolved conflict with his father, who has since died. Rutherford and Robertson wrote it after realising that both their fathers had died around the same time.
Where to find it
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music (widely available); the official music video features children's and adult choirs.
Before you start
Heads up: Death of a parent.
Age: Ages 9+
Release me from my unfulfilled past clinging to me from behind making death difficult.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 325
