Cat's in the Cradle Trivia Quiz

Answer: He came to the world in the usual way.

Harry Chapin was born December 7, 1942 and died tragically on July 16, 1981 in a horrific automobile crash while on his way to perform at a free concert. He was a champion of the fight against world hunger. The song chronologically takes the listener from the child's birth ("just the other day") to adulthood.

Answer: There were planes to catch and bills to pay.

The song goes on to say that the son "grew up while I was away". "Cat's In The Cradle" reached number one on the "Billboard Hot 100" chart in December, 1974. Harry Chapin once stated that the song "scares me to death" because he didn't want the same experience with his own son Josh.

Answer: A ball

The boy thanked him for the ball and said "Come on let's play". Then he asked "Can you teach me to throw?" But the singer responded with "Not today. I've got a lot to do". The son said "That's ok".

Answer: It never dimmed

This was one of the most touching moments of the song because as the singer walked away his son said "I'm gonna be like him"--a foreshadowing of the song's moral message at the end.

Answer: The car keys

The singer told his son he was proud of him and asked if he could "sit awhile" but the boy declined and asked to borrow the car keys followed by a curt "See you later can I have them please?".

Answer: Little Boy Blue

The chorus of "Cat's In The Cradle" is one of the most infectious in the history of popular music. I'm sure it has a lot to do with its inclusion of catch phrases and references to nursery rhymes. The phrase "Cat's In The Cradle" has been interpreted to mean many different things, most notably a fear of death which, in this case, would mean the singer passing without ever having a real relationship with his son. "Silver Spoon" means a child who has had a lucrative material childhood but not much true family love. "Little Boy Blue" is a nursery rhyme but is also a reference to a child being lost.

While "The Man In The Moon" can refer to a fictional character it is also a veiled reference to that father's distance from his son.

Answer: He moved away.

Harry frequently worked with his brothers Tom and Steve Chapin, with whom he recorded his first album. But it was Harry's first solo album that produced his first hit single "Taxi". "Cat's In The Cradle" never specifies where the son "moved away" to but it was obviously a significant distance.

Answer: I'd like to see you if you don't mind

The desperation and sorrow in Harry's voice is particularly evident in this portion of the song. Once again the son's response is an echo of his childhood: "I'd love to Dad if I can find the time". When I saw Harry Chapin in concert I fully expected this to be his closing song. Instead, it closed the first half of the concert before intermission. Harry wasn't one to follow convention.

Answer: It's a hassle

The son also said that the "kid's got the flu". "But it's sure nice talking to you Dad..." the song continues. The love between the two is obvious but it is overshadowed and permanently damaged by the father's earlier priorities.

Answer: He'd grown up just like me.

The irony is not lost as the singer echoes the line with "My boy was just like me" followed by a more passionate rendering of the chorus. "Cat's In The Cradle" was from Harry Chapin's album "Verities and Balderdash". It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December, 1974 and was a top ten hit in Australia and Canada as well.

The song was later covered by the rock group Ugly Kid Joe in 1993. Their version peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. It included some minor, yet significant, changes to the lyrics--notably in the chorus.

Instead of "Man in the Moon" they sang "Man on the Moon", referring to the Moon landing in 1969.