Harry Chapin - Story of a Life

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I can see myself it's a golden sunrise
Young boy open up your eyes
It's supposed to be your day
Now off you go horizon bound
And you won't stop until you've found
Your own kind of way
And the wind will whip your tousled hair
The sun, the rain, the sweet despair
Great tales of love and strife
And somewhere on your path to glory
You will write your story of a life

And all the towns that you walk through
And all the people that you talk to
Sing you their songs
And there are times you change your stride
There are times you can't decide
Still you go on
And then the young girls dance their gypsy tunes
And share the secrets of the moon
So soon you find a wife
And though she sees your dreams go poorly
Still she joins your story of a life

So you settle down and the children come
And you find a place that you come from
Your wandering is done
And all your dreams of open spaces
You find in your children's faces
One by one
And all the trips you know you missed
And all the lips you never kissed
Cut through you like a knife
And now you see stretched out before thee
Just another story of a life

So what do you do now?
When she looks at you now?
You know those same old jokes all the jesters tell
You tell them to her now
And all the same old songs all the minstrels sang
You sing 'em to her now
But it don't matter anyhow
'Cause she knows by now

So every chance you take don't mean a thing
What variations can you bring
To this shopworn melody
And every year goes by like a tollin' bell
It's battered merchandise you sell
Not well, she can see
And though she's heard it all a thousand times
Couched in your attempted rhymes
She'll march to your drum and fife
But the question echoes up before me
Where's the magic story of a life?

Now sometimes words can serve me well
Sometimes words can go to hell
For all that they do
And for every dream that took me high
There's been a dream that's passed me by
I know it's so true
And I can see it clear out to the end
And I'll whisper to her now again
Because she shared my life
For more than all the ghosts of glory
She makes up the story
She's the only story
Of my life

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Harry Chapin (December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter whose legacy is built not only on his unique style of folk music, but also on the vast humanitarian influence he had.

Chapin was born in New York, New York. He later joined the Brooklyn Boys Choir where he met John Wallace (“Big” John Wallace on stage), who would be his collaborator throughout his entire career. As a teenager, Chapin played the trumpet before moving to the guitar. He often played music with his brothers, Tom and Steve, who like Wallace would become his future bandmates.

After high school, Chapin did a brief stint at the United States Air Force Academy – later alluded to in his hit song, “Taxi” – and tried to get into the documentary film scene, directing Legendary Champions in 1968. However, in 1971, he turned his focus fully to music.

His first solo album was Heads and Tales, which featured “Taxi.” Afterwards, both Elektra Records and Columbia wanted to sign Harry to their label, with Elektra winning out by giving Chapin the largest new artist recording contract in history.

Chapin released Sniper and Other Love Songs in 1972 and Short Stories in 1973 to less acclaim than his first album. It was his fourth album, however, Verities and Balderdash, that spawned his biggest song and only #1 hit, the wistfully ironic “Cat’s in the Cradle.”

As shown in his youth, he continued to explore other show business avenues. He wrote a musical called The Night That Made America Famous, based on the song of the same name, and the music for the show Cotton Patch Gospel. He served on the board of many Long Island arts associations, including the Long Island Philharmonic. He also continued to release albums, although none received the fame that “Cats in the Cradle” did.

In 1975, Chapin and radio host Bill Ayres founded World Hunger Year (now WhyHunger). Many of his concerts from that point on were benefit concerts, supporting WHY as well as other causes. He often did over 200 concerts a year. He also fought for hunger outside of his musical career, lobbying in Washington D.C. and serving on various committees.

In 1981, Chapin was driving on the Long Island Expressway when he put his hazard lights on for unknown reasons. He then swerved across two lanes before ending up in front of a tractor-trailer. The truck hit the back of his car, causing the fuel tank to explode. However, once at the hospital, his cause of death was determined to be cardiac arrest; whether it occurred before or after the crash is unknown.

Chapin’s legacy as a humanitarian grew after his death. Ken Kragen, Chapin’s manager in the years after the creation of WHY, organized USA for Africa and Hands Across America. The Harry Chapin Award is given to those who fight against hunger, and the Harry Chapin Memorial Run/Walk Against Hunger is held in Croton-on-Hudson annually. His widow, Sandy, runs the Harry Chapin Foundation, which raises money for charity and community programs around the United States.

On December 7, 1987, Chapin was honored posthumously for his philanthropic work with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress gives.