(Intro) My Dad and Follies

Song Meaning

This intro sets up a poignant connection between a musical and a personal family history. The narrator recounts how their parents, after loving Sondheim's *Company*, saw *Follies* and famously walked out. This seemingly minor detail gains significant weight when juxtaposed with the later revelation of their parents' divorce a few years later. The narrator's own viewing of *Follies* in high school provided the key, a moment of dawning realization that the show's themes must have deeply unsettled their parents. The core of the narrator's reflection lies in the unsettling resonance *Follies* held for their parents. The show, by its very nature, seems to confront the disillusionment and complexities of long-term relationships, a subject that clearly hit "a little too close to home." The act of walking out becomes a powerful, albeit indirect, expression of discomfort or perhaps even recognition of their own marital struggles. It’s a stark contrast to their initial enjoyment of *Company*, suggesting *Follies* presented a far more challenging mirror. The narrator specifically highlights a song sung by the character Ben in *Follies*, which evokes thoughts of their own father. This personal connection transforms the theatrical experience into a deeply introspective one. The narrator wonders about their father's internal state during that viewing, imagining the unspoken thoughts and feelings that might have surfaced. It’s a fascinating exploration of how art can unexpectedly illuminate private emotional landscapes, prompting questions about parental experiences that remain largely unknown. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics stems from their quiet, observational tone and the slow-burn reveal of emotional depth. The narrator isn't stating grand pronouncements but piecing together a personal understanding through artistic experience and lived reality. The power lies in the inferred connection: the parents' exit from the theater becomes a silent, potent premonition of their eventual separation, a realization that dawns on the narrator years later.