Van Zant: Come Summer Time

There is something special about tossing a line in the water, kicking your feet back, blasting the radio to your favorite tunes, and leaving all of your worries behind. It is an indescribable feeling. Come summer time, that is exactly what I look forward to the most: living easy, living simply, living in the moment with a fishing pole in my hand. Most of my summers were spent in Ocean City, Maryland, arguably one of the filthiest and grungiest beaches I have ever set foot on. However, this place held a special place in my heart as it was where my father first taught me how to fish. A distant, yet powerful memory that replays over and over in my head as if it happened yesterday. My father and I woke up at the crack of dawn to get a head start

I didn’t pay attention to the lyrics or its meaning, just the patterns and guitar melodies. However, day after day, year after year, fishing trip after fishing trip, I began to understand and realize the beauty of this song. The simplicity of the repeating arpeggiated chord sequences in combination with Van Zant’s soft, warm vocals gives the song a calm and relaxing feeling. However, the most important part of this song is the message it sends. The song is about a mother’s advice to her son on the most important things in life that we need to be truly happy. She says “Oh, take your time, don't live too fast” meaning that you should slow down and enjoy the simpler things in life that have become obsolete in today’s society. She also tells her son to “forget your lust for the rich man's gold, all that you need is in your soul.” This lyric means that money is not the most important thing in life, but rather, what makes you truly happy. Finally, considerably the most important lyric from this song is “all that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied.” I interpret this lyric to mean that the most important thing in life is to be satisfied with yourself and your life. In modern times, the message behind this song has been completely lost. Technological advancements have allowed people to constantly be “plugged-in” and “connected”, causing an extra layer of stress that