Balancing work and family life can prove difficult for folks in just about any occupation. Now imagine trying to do it when you’re a famous rock star, facing constant travel and professional obligations to sustain your career. The Beatles’ own Macca always seemed to handle those pressures with grace. Understandably, his kids would occasionally find their way into the songs he wrote. “Waterfalls”, a song Paul McCartney released in 1980, gives out some charming fatherly advice in the lyrics.
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The Weight of “Water”
When Paul McCartney started making the album that would become McCartney II, he did it in part because he needed a break from Wings. The band he started in the aftermath of The Beatles’ breakup had undergone many lineup changes and had come to a bit of a creative crossroads at the end of the decade.
As a result, McCartney wanted to switch things up with a solo album that wasn’t afraid to get a little experimental. He initially planned that the album would have nothing but freshly-written material. But he knew enough not to be so rigid about those guidelines.
After writing a bunch of new songs, McCartney decided to go against his earlier edict. He dusted off a song that he had worked on with Wings. The dreamy ballad, entitled “Waterfalls”, featured a chorus that seemed like one attached to a love song.
When you dig deeper into the lyrics, however, you’ll find several lines in the verses of “Waterfalls” that seem like parental advice. As McCartney explained in the book The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present, his kids were at ages where such words were warranted:
“The protagonist of the song sounds very much like me talking to my kids, advising them to stay safe and not to get into any scrapes,” McCartney wrote. “You want them to grow up healthy and have their adventures, but you don’t want them doing dangerous stuff, because you don’t want to lose them. Heather would have been about seventeen when this was written, and that’s always an interesting time to be a parent. Mary would have been about ten, so not quite a teenager, but on the cusp and wanting more independence. Stella and James would still have been pretty young, about eight and two, so mostly doing as they were told.”
Behind the Lyrics of “Waterfalls”
McCartney advises caution in the opening lines of “Waterfalls”: “Don’t go chasing waterfalls / Please keep to the lake.” Why? “People who jump waterfalls / Sometimes can make mistakes.” While willing to grant his kids their adventures, he also preaches wisdom about knowing how far to go.
He continues in that vein as the song progresses. “Don’t go chasing polar bears,” he warns. After all, “Some big friendly polar bear / Might want to take you home.” It’s clear he wants to hold on to them for as long as he possibly can.
While the waterfalls and the friendly polar bears seem benign enough, there’s something more menacing about the motor cars that show up in the final verse. “Someone’s glossy motor car / Might take you for a ride,” he explains.
The refrains deviate from that plot, as the narrator looks out for himself and his search for love. Maybe he needs that bedrock of strength in his life to prepare him for when his kids move beyond his protection. “Waterfalls” provides a lovely glimpse into Paul McCartney, the father. And it still displays his boundless gifts as an artist as well.
Photo by Wood/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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