Analyzing Atmosphere's Song 'Became'

“Became” by Atmosphere and My Child

Atmosphere’s song “Became” tells the story of a man’s worry, fear, and anxiety over another person’s life path. Ultimately realizing that the person has taken his own path through life, one where the author cannot follow. The lyrics of this song parallel the relationship I have had with my son growing up.
My son was born with an innate wonder of the world and the confidence and independence to see it through. That day I brought home a beautiful baby boy who would become my whole world. By all accounts a perfect little specimen that I could control and shape to be who I wanted, someone who would be with me always. That was my first mistake. The thing about babies is that they do not stay babies. They grow and they evolve into their own little entities. And like the song by Atmosphere, “Became”, my baby confidently and deliberately traveled his own path through the woods.

That the cocoon of my immediate tribe would stay just the way it was. I stressed and worried through all the steps of his path. Was he warm enough, did he get enough to eat, was he growing on schedule? Just as the author of the song follows the other person through the woods and sees a harsh landscape and predators, I worried about my son’s path through his adolescences.
When my son was a toddler, I dropped him off at pre-school for the first time, my worry was papable, will he get enough food, will he make friends, will be he scared? With tears in my eyes, and butterflies in my stomach, I looked into his little cherub face and prepared myself for the meltdown, the “don’t leave Mama”. Instead my child threw a small wave over his shoulder and ran off to play without a care in the world. My son started making friends, hanging out with different people. Where he sees fun and parties, I see predators. He was making his own way, with his own tribe, and I could not