father of mine

tetradia
Here we are, on Father's Day and I was trying to find a father-appropriate song that I can relate to. My dad wasn't ever around much, left our family for good when I was ten, so it’s not quite a sentimental day. Nonetheless, as I often remind my mom, he’s half of me, however good or bad that may be. In the Shel Silverstein composition, A Boy Named Sue, the protagonist has a future of brawling awaiting him because of an absent father whose only contribution to his entire life was naming him Sue, a feminine forename, which led to endless taunting from bullies and the ensuing battles that followed. After years of searching for his dad, they finally cross paths and commence with the mother of all fights. If you've not heard this one before, I won't ruin the ending - give it a listen.

Before my father left, the only advice he gave me was never get a tattoo, which was based on his experience of having to alter his own ill-named one, and to stay away from cigarettes, since he wasn't able to stop smoking them until his illness. Nowadays, he lives in Manhattan, suffering from leukemia and on his tenth year of recovery from laryngeal cancer, which caused him to have a laryngectomy. The doctors gave him one year to live, so he's in overtime right now. Our bond can best be explained by one of Facebook's relationship status notifiers - it’s complicated, but I still love him. Have a great day, dad.

Johnny Cash: A Boy Named Sue