Another Christmas Song (
Jethro Tull from the album
Rock Island)
Hope everybody's ringing on their own
bell, this fine morning.
Hope everyone's connected to that
long distance phone.
Old man, he's a
mountain.
Old man, he's an
island.
Old man he's a walking says
"I'm going to call, call all my children home."
Hope everybody's dancing to their own
drum, this fine morning --
the beat of distant
Africa or a
Polish factory town.
Old man, he's calling for his
supper.
Calling for his
whiskey.
Calling for his
sons and daughters, yeah --
calling all his
children round.
Sharp ears are tuned to the
drones and chanter's
warning.
Mist blowing round some headland, somewhere in your memory.
Everyone is from somewhere --
even if you've never been there.
So
take a minute to
remember the part of you
that might be the old man calling me.
How many
wars you fighting out there, this fine winter's morning?
Maybe there's always time for another
Christmas song.
Old man is asleep now.
Got
appointments to keep now.
Dreaming of his sons and daughters, and proving --
proving that
the blood is strong.
The song begins with three wishes that are normally associated with Christmas.
- Ringing of (church) bells
- Talking to relatives
- The beating of a drum
In
western society, Christmas has become the singular most important holiday for the
celebration of
family and
community. It is a time when all the family gathers at one place.
The winter solstice holidays are a time through all cultures and religions when people look back at their history and culture. "Everyone is from somewhere - even if you've never been there. So take a minute to remember the part of you that might be the old man calling me."
Christmas is often a time when cease fires are called in disputes all across the world. Throughout the song, a request for peace and harmony echos. "Maybe it's always time for another Christmas song." Maybe it should always be a time when
cease fires are called?
In several other songs by Ian Anderson, the phrase "Old Man" is often used to denote God. Rereading the lyrics with that view of who the "Old Man" is brings a different meaning to the core of the song.