☝️ Key Points
- The song is about a lonely older man who passes down a handmade table to his children, a symbol of his love and dedication.
- The man dies alone and is not mourned by anyone, highlighting the themes of loneliness, indifference, and ingratitude within families.
- The singer identifies with the old man, which is evident through his emotional reactions and his desire for comfort and redemption by morning.
- At some point, there were moments of happiness and connection between the old man and his children, as depicted through the description of children laughing around the table.
- At the end of the song, the legacy left by the man, especially the table with the engraved message 'For my children', remains unclaimed and becomes his sad epitaph.
Interpretation
In the song 'Morningside' by
Neil Diamond, it is about an old man who dies and no one mourns for him. The man leaves behind a table made of nails and pride. He carves the words 'For my children' into the table, indicating his deep love and commitment to his children, despite the obvious indifference or rejection he receives from them.
In the second verse, the singer wakes up from a dream that makes him cry. He remembers the words of the old man and wishes for the morning to wash the sadness from his eyes. This indicates some identification or sympathy from the singer towards the old man.
In the spoken passage, the table left by the old man is described in more detail. The children who sat around the table touched it with their laughter, suggesting that there was once a time when the old man received joy and affection from his children.
In the last verse, the old man dies alone and none of his children claim the gift he left them. The words he carved into the table become his epitaph. The song depicts the tragedy of indifference and ingratitude that sometimes occur in family relationships, and the deep sadness and loneliness it brings for the older generation.