God and Daddy

The Poetry of Carly Simon

Originally Posted at “Old Ones Dream” May 19, 2023 and updated here.

---

Back in the 1970s I conceived of a collection called “The Poetry of Carly Simon.” Nothing was done on that topic by me or, as far as I know, anyone else. Fifty years later one of her resonant creations came to mind—I cannot recall what triggered the memory. But, it was timely in light of my struggles to create and publish “Magnolia Elegy,” a work that I characterize as “homage to a time and place” but which is prominently a manifestation of my successful struggle to come to terms with a lot of Daddy and a little of God. Her relationship with God and Daddy differed from mine, separated by gender and culture, but her telling power is universal.

Embrace Me You Child

At night in bed I heard God whisper lullabyes

While Daddy next door whistled whiskey tunes

And sometimes when I wanted, they would harmonize

There was nothing those two couldn't do

Embrace me you child, you're a child of mine

And I'm leaving everything I am to you

Go chase the wild and night time streets sang Daddy

And God sang, Pray the devil doesn't get to you

I thought together they must sing the moon away

I thought that they must know each other well

For the magic that they made, when they played

Wasn't lost between their Heaven and their Hell

Embrace me you child, you're a child of mine

And I'm leaving everything I am to you

Go chase the wild and night time streets sang Daddy

And God sang, Pray the devil doesn't get to you

Then one night Daddy died and went to Heaven

And God came down to earth and slipped away

I pretended not to know I'd been abandoned

But no-one sang the night into the day

And later night time songs came back again

But the singers don't compare with those I knew

And I never figured out where God and Daddy went

But there was nothing those two couldn't do

- Carly Simon, No Secrets, released November 16, 1972

[Embrace Me You Child by Carly Simon - ] Provided to YouTube by Rhino/Elektra

-Album cover thanks to images.genius.com

Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children’s author born on June 25, 1945 in The Bronx, New York City.