☝️ Key Points
- The song 'Simple Man' is a mother's advice to her son to focus on the simple things in life and be authentic.
- The mother encourages her son to live slowly and includes a message that problems will come and go.
- The central chorus of the song is a call to live a life that one loves and understands, rather than striving for wealth or power.
- The mother warns against the desire for wealth and conveys that satisfaction comes when one understands that everything one needs is within their own soul.
- 'Simple Man' is a message to lead an authentic, simple, and fulfilling life, characterized by love, understanding, and contentment.
Interpretation
The song 'Simple Man' by
Lynyrd Skynyrd is a guide given by a mother to her son. The mother reminds her son to focus on the simple things in life and to be a simple man. She encourages him to live slowly, as troubles will come and go ('Oh, take your time, don't live too fast, Troubles will come and they will pass'). She advises him to find a woman he loves and reminds him that there is someone up above ('Go find a woman yeah and you'll find love, And don't forget son there is someone up above').
The central chorus of the song ('And be a simple kind of man, Oh be something you love and understand, Baby be a simple kind of man') repeats the call to be a simple man. It is a call to the son to live a life he loves and understands, rather than striving for wealth or power.
The mother also warns against the lust for the rich man's gold ('Forget your lust for the rich man's gold, All that you need is in your soul'). She tells him that everything he needs is within his soul and that he will be content if he understands and lives by that.
Overall, 'Simple Man' is a message from the mother to her son to lead an authentic, simple, and fulfilling life, marked by love, understanding, and contentment.