Song Analysis 2

Though The song was inspired by a children’s book which John Foggerty’s son read, and Wrote some of the lyrics, Foggerty is able do Intertwine A Narrative in which he in coming “coming home from Illinois”, probably referencing returning from a gig and Hanging out with his kid at his house and a dreamlike depiction of the events, effectively by Implementing Fanciful Imagery, Local color Featuring Americana of the time or even earlier , and a paternal point of view in order to reveal the Rewarding nature of spending time with one’s child without “no sorrows”

The presence of fanciful imagery combined with parental symbolism in looking out my back door, is used to both display the imagination that only a child could have, and to evoke a sense of juvenile fascination with the events unfolding in the song. These depictions show ridiculous and pointless things such as giants doing cartwheels, and a statue wearing high heels. These two contrasting images represent the fun that can be had by a child with adults the “giants” and the uniform, cold nature of them in other situations. Essentially whit these symbols are conveying is that Foggerty is a “fun dad” and that his mother is cold like a statue. The happy creatures could be children who are present. In the chorus the “tambourines and elephants” help to reinforce that the father is in a band, but is still implying that he is fun, because of the abnormal nature of this. The “flying spoon”, taken by some as a drug reference most probably represents the cliché “airplane” role play that comes with feeding a young child, and symbolizes the contorting difficulty of “Illinois” and home as well as reinforcing the theme of imagination throughout the song.

Local Color in this song helps o reinforce the nostalgia that one feels for being home, especially when on tour. The Dinosaur Victoria playing buck Owens, a musician from the time whose unique sound featuring archaic types of instruments such as the fiddle and the petal steel guitar, is something likely familiar to Foggerty, another musician of the time period. The use of the phrase Dinosaur Victrolla in the place of an ole record player helps to enrich the song with detail, an old record player of American manufacture helps to set the tone of the song, by adding common images that one would see at home.  A less obvious example of this is Foggerty’s desire to “sit down on the porch” a motif of Southern Hospitality; a stereotype of the manner in which people from the American south are expected to treat guests and the pleasantries of home.

The father’s point of view is crucial to the message of this song. The fact that he is telling his child to “lock the front door oh boy” is indicative of the mood the father is that he wants to ignore his other responsibilities for a while and just spend time relaxing at home. The Imagination that sets that is felt when he is “resting on the porch” helps to reinforce that he is content doing nothing when he is at home. The Music that is playing in the narrative of the song is a buck Owens song, buck being a current star on a TV show at the time “he has” a children’s program. This implies that this is for the benefit of his son.

Just got home from Illinois lock the front door oh boy!
Got to sit down take a rest on the porch.
Imagination sets in pretty soon I'm singin'

CHORUS:
Doo doo doo Lookin' out my back door.
There's a giant doing cartwheels a statue wearin' high heels.
Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn.
A dinosaur Victrola list'ning to Buck Owens.

CHORUS
Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band.
Won't you take a ride on the flyin' spoon?
Doo, doo doo.
Wond'rous apparition provided by magician.

CHORUS
Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band.
Won't you take a ride on the flyin' spoon?
Doo, doo doo.
Bother me tomorrow, today, I'll buy no sorrows.

CHORUS
Forward troubles Illinois, lock the front door, oh boy!
Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn.
Bother me tomorrow, today, I'll buy no sorrows.