Song Analysis #4 - "A Time To Be So Small"

“A Time To Be So Small” is a song by Interpol, a post-punk rock band from New York City. The lyrics dominantly pertain to an irresolvable conflict between a father and a son. The story is told abstractly from a third-person point of view; the narrators are figuratively referred to as observant underwater creatures. Much of their musings are directed toward the father. The parent longs to shield his child from the alluring dangers of life, while the rebellious son is anxious to break from paternal protection and explore. He hopelessly despairs as he watches his son’s innocence melt away. The message of the song is that a parent cannot always be there as a moral compass for their child; only with experience and exposure to the harsh realities of life can the child truly be satisfied.

This song is filled with ambiguous figurative language that describes the complicated relationship between father and son. Many of the words are in a broad and philosophical nature. The two central characters’ journey through life is embodied by travel on a boat. The translucent, narrative third party remarks, “We saw you making knots, we saw you get the rope.” This metaphor alludes to the father, who is the captain charged with making sure everything runs smoothly. But despite all his meticulous preparation and management, his son clearly has intentions to disturb the tranquil balance of their existence. When the boy finally matures enough to gain access to the “deck” of adulthood, the father is rattled by his son’s aggressive demand to be free. The father’s erosion of the influence over his offspring is referred to as “the bubble of your interest ready to burst.” He is clearly distraught over his son’s interest in the forbidden fruit of life. The father is described as “a sleeping, slow despair,” characterizing him as the epitome of sadness. The son expresses disillusionment about his outdated father, who once was preserved as an image of immaculate perfection in the son’s eyes. Thus, the father recognizes his limitations as a form of influence. The narrative party, in seeing this situation, addresses the father’s despondency, “A creature is a creature, though you wish you were the wind.” This is a sort of reverse personification; instead of nature obtaining human-like qualities, the man desires to transcend his bodily cage and gain omniscient power, only to have more ability to ward off the horrors that his son associates with.

The title of the song, “A Time To Be So Small,” does a exemplary job of encompassing all of the adverse forces working against the poor father. The bond between the father and his son strains instead of getting stronger over time. As the son grows up, his father’s weaknesses are revealed to him when before nothing could desecrate their familial love. The son, indignant at having been shielded for so long, flies the coop. The narrators refer to him as having “a keen eye for what you (the father) used to be.” This leaves the father to lament the folly of his overbearing guardianship. The attractive vices that the father tried to hide for so long, in a twist of irony, steal away the love of the son. This makes the father feel smaller than what he ever could have conceived.

The tone of the song undergoes a significant change during the account of father versus son. At first, complacency and peace emanate from the lyrics. But foreshadowing to what is to come is evident when the boy is “appearing on the deck and making it lurch.” The son rocks the boat as soon as he gets the chance; this does not bode for the father’s chances to save his son’s soul. The father works tediously to preserve his son’s naiveté and innocence, but these efforts are to no avail. The observant narrators predict, “The boat will not stop moving if you tie him up until the end.” Even if the father made it his crusade to hide the wanton aspects of life from his son, the infiltrative agent of time would reveal them. Towards the end of the song, the tone shifts from anguish and despair to mourning over the father’s loss. The son strays from the path of goodness, and the father is compelled to forsake him. The son has reached the point of no return, evidenced by the presence of “the cadaverous mob”, who “saves its doors for the dead men. He has dirtied his soul so much that there is no chance of redemption.

The father, a tragic hero who receives blow after blow to his heart, goes to great lengths to teach his son between right and wrong, but to no avail. He could not accept that it was not up to him to dictate how his son’s life should be led. In the end, it was a tragedy that could not be overturned. Fatherly guidance proved no match for the temptations of sin. This song preaches that the path to hell attracts those who disregard the advice of caring parents and refuse to recognize the perverseness of their own ways.

Lyrics

We saw you from the urchins’ side, from under the boat / We saw you making knots, we saw you get the rope / The boy appearing on the deck and making it lurch / And the bubble of your interest ready to burst

He whistles and he runs

We saw you in distraction: a sleeping, slow despair / Rehearsing interaction, he wasn't even there/ A creature is a creature, Though you wish you were the wind / The boat will not stop moving if you tie him up until the end

He whistles and he runs so hold him fast / Breathe the burn, you want to let it last / He might succumb to what you haven't seen/ He has a keen eye for what you used to be/ When the cadaverous mob saves its doors for the dead men/ You cannot leave x3