I was listening to "Someday Never Comes" and I thought about it. What it is is a father talking to his son. Essentially, John Fogerty's father talking to him, and then at the end of the song John Fogerty talking to his son. It's a great song with killer lyrics but I don't understand why "Someday" never comes. If someone could explain that it would be great. Thanks.

Dear Friend:

I suppose that Fogerty is meaning 'never' at the same time he's saying 'someday'. He takes an imaginary day that would be exists anytime, someday... He could said 'anyday' too. For case is the same.

An argentine friend.
Andr?s.

I think "Someday Never Comes" means sometimes parents knowns about sometings we don't understand at the time... but when we grow up, we just understand that things.... and remember

I think "Someday Never Comes" means sometimes parents knowns about sometings we don't understand at the time... but when we grow up, we just understand that things.... we forget for a while and remember about that things when kids asks about that...

its a wonderful song!

my english is too bad... sorry...

he says that someday you will understand. understand life in general. but that someday never comes, we can never truly know the meaning of life, we can only live it.

maybe, or it could mean not to put off things in your life by saying "someday i'll go to europe" because someday never comes.

I guess, John is referring to the attitude of many parents: If they don't want/cannot explain something to a child, they day: "You're not old enough to understand this. But someday, when you're grown enough, you will understand". However, in this song this "someday" when the grown child should understand this subject, never comes. So: Frustration.

It's about his parent's divorce and his father leaving the home. The second part of the song is about his own divorce and him leaving his son behind. I read that somewhere.

The point of the lyrics is that some things just can't be understood. His father tells him (and he tells his own son) that "Someday you'll understand." But the chorus tells us that the "someday" will never come; therefore, you won't understand because some things just don't make sense...

i sort of think it has some connection with the whole Mari Gras album. It was the defintive end of CCR and maybe John is trying to say the "Someday with never come" for the band , about how there breaking apart


just a thought
Joey from SouthJersey

anyway, its a killer song!

// Sweden

I think [b]Someday never comes[/b] talks a bout the "wheel of life" in general, and the father in this song had to serve his time for war.
Everyone has to get to an end, but the "wheel of life" will never stop. That's why [b]Someday[/b] never comes, and [b]Someday[/b] is the day that people living in peace.

All of you are missing the point. There was WW I. Then WWII. Then the Vietnam War. Each of these wars consumed one generation of men after another. Men usually went off to war just after they started a family. Imagine the young father telling his young son as he goes off to war, "Try to be a man and someday, you will understand." Someday never comes because just as you are old enough to understand, you go off to war and you are killed. That is why "someday" never comes. The song is trying to convey the tragedy of war. It starts off with a very somber and thoughful beat and ends in the same way. It is a song that is so poignant and expressive that when you grasp the meaning of the sorrow that war inflicts upon families, tears come. Listen to the tone of the music and the lyrics and the meaning will dawn upon you.

As an adjunct to the note I just wrote, I might add that I first thought the song was describing the breakup of families perpetuated through the generations by errant fathers, but that has really been something more prevalent in the last 50 years. Keeping in mind the song was written 30 years ago, when divorces were just starting to become more prevalent, I feel the song more likely describes men going off to war. The departure of the father and subsequently the singer from their families in the lyrics seems very permanent and deep, implying that the young son will never see his father again.

I believe it is about a father trying to explain to his son that he is going off to war, to kill people. Now, saying that in those words is very blunt, so he avoids the explanation by saying, son, someday you'll understand, and i think the point the song is trying to make, is that it is hard to find a real and plausible reason for war in the first place. So, i think that by the father telling his son, someday you'll understand, he's implying that he doesnt really understand it himself, hence, "someday never comes".

-hope that made any sense

I think we are on the same plane. In the past century, wars were frequent, and successive generations of men went off to fight war and died. In the song, he mentions that years and tears went by as I collected dust. To me, that implies that his father never returned... he must have died. Death is permanent and mothers and their sons must listen and recognize that someday never comes: war never ceases, and young men will always go off to the battlefield and die. The song made me think of relatives that went off to foreign lands at an early age never to return. What a tragic end to life. We take life for granted these days.

Well im only 16 here, but my parents went through a divorce, and i think i can kinda relate to this song. I'm thinkin its about john fogerty's father leaving him and telling him that "Someday you'll understand". Yet that day never came, and he eventually did the same thing, and he sings about leaving his son, telling him "Someday you'll understand." All the while he's singin in the chorus speaking to the 'mother's song', which would be people that were raised by their mother, and never really had a father. He's telling those people that you need to learn it on your own, and hopefully 'break the cycle'. So that you don't do the same to your kids. So I'm thinkin its about Divorce and how important it is to have a father.

let me know if you think this is a pretty good explination...

-eilert

Your explanation seems plausible. I guess from what I gathered in the song's tone, the loss expressed seems forever (with divorce, you still have your father, to some extent, unless he leaves and never sees you again). When the father goes off to war and dies, that's it. Never to be seen again. But you are correct in that both circumstances involve loss and pain. You have gained much wisdom for your age and I hope you will put it to good use and seek happiness. Peace to you.

What a beautiful song, i cannot stop listening to it. The song itself, almost makes me emotional especially when you relate it to your own life. GOD BLESS

I like the way he keeps some of the lyrics a bit vauge. The repeated references to going away could mean divorce, war, or just death - The parsings so far on this board have all made sense to me. My mom died recently, and this song has been seed fodder for a few good cathartic cries ( I realize the song's about a father and son, but emotions are, by definition, irrational)

I think the "anonymous" posts, which describe the song as a reference to war are right... for the most part. While I do think it makes OBVIOUS reference to that, I think there are some of the more "intangible" subject (growing up, generations passing, etc.) that some of you others touched on. Great tune...

I was pleased to find i'm not the only one touched yet slightly mystified by this song. I agree that it's related to family breakup, with the son repeating the cycle started by his father leaving. "someday you'll understand" is a nice patronising explanation from an adult to a child, akin to "go ask your mother" - it evades responsibility for actions, and alludes to some higher meaning to what is essentially just a really hurtful and juvenile thing to do (leaving your children). The war intepretation would fit; your choice would depend on whether you want to read large scale or small scale politics into it

Someday never comes is just like saying tomorrow never comes. We don't have tomorrow and we don't have someday. We only have today. We should live each day like it is our last. One day we will run out of time and all the things we meant to say or do will never happen because that someday never came.

I think that he means that you're learning your whole life, each day.

The father is talking to John about live, how to live in a good way.
John doesn't really care what his father says and that's why the father says :

" someday, you'll understand "

Well, like i said, we are learning our whole life and that's what is meant by " but someday never comes "

Live can not be understood.

An Anonymous poster stated that "It's about his parents divorce and his father left home. The second part of the song is about his own divorce and him leaving his own son" John wanted to write about how a kid feels. It also talks about how this 'cycle' countinues. You know like when John dad divorced and then he did the same thing. There is an interview where John talks about this song. I will post what he said later. Any way its NOT about war. I hope you have a nice day and RCOK ON!!!

Ok here is the answer I hope you enjoy:
Is "Someday never comes" autobiographical?
JOHN FOGERTY: "Every parent tells their child "someday". "Gee daddy,can we go fishing?"... yeah, someday. My parents didvorced when I was young and I ended up divorcing from my first wife... The song is basicly talking about... here it happend to me when I was young and here I go doing the same damn thing. It's sad. I wanted to express what a kid feels, "Someday never comes." There is a link on this web site that sais Electric Bayou. If you go to links and go to this site you will find this. I hope you have a nice day and ROCK ON!!!