Teach Your Children

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Graham Nash, Neil Young, David Crosby

About Teach Your Children

"Teach Your Children" is a song by Graham Nash. Although it was written when Nash was a member of the Hollies, it was never recorded by that group in studio (a live recording does exist), and first appeared on the album Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released in 1970. The recording features Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar. Garcia taught himself how to play the instrument during his tenure with the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He told Lon Goddard of the British music newspaper Record Mirror in an interview that he recorded a series of pieces on the steel guitar and spliced them together in the studio to create the backing and solo. Garcia had made an arrangement that in return for his playing steel guitar on "Teach Your Children," CSNY would help members of the Grateful Dead improve their vocal harmony for their upcoming albums, Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. Released as a single, the song peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that year. On the Easy Listening chart, "Teach Your Children" peaked at #28. In Canada, "Teach Your Children" reached number 8. Nash, who is also a photographer and collector of photographs, has stated in an interview that the immediate inspiration for the song came from a famous photograph by Diane Arbus, "Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park." The image, which depicts a child with an angry expression holding the toy weapon, prompted Nash to reflect on the societal implications of messages given to children about war and other issues. 


Year:
2015
286 
#1

 Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer

You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good-bye.
Teach your children well,
Their father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.

And you, of tender years,
Can't know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.

Teach your parents well,
Their children's hell will slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

 Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer


Graham Nash

Graham William Nash, OBE (born 2 February 1942) is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor voice and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock super group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer. Nash was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1997 and as a member of The Hollies in 2010. more »

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Written by: Graham Nash

Lyrics © Spirit Music Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


8 facts about this song

Song Origin
"Teach Your Children" was written by Graham Nash during his tenure with "The Hollies", however, it was never recorded by the band.
Successful Release
The song was later recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and included in their 1970 album "Déjà Vu".
Charts Performance
"Teach Your Children" peaked at No.16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, demonstrating its commercial success.
Nash's Inspiration
Graham Nash was inspired to write "Teach Your Children" after a heated argument with a member of The Hollies, who chided him for his simplistic songwriting.
Political Relevance
The song has been used in political campaigns and rallies due to its thematic emphasis on instruction, familial relationships, and general hope for the future.
Legacy
"Teach Your Children" has been widely recognized as a classic folk rock song, and it has been covered by numerous artists including Matthew Morrison and Neil Young.
Unique Instrumentation
The song features an unforgettable pedal steel guitar solo played by Jerry Garcia of "The Grateful Dead". In exchange, CSNY taught the members of The Grateful Dead how to sing harmony for their album "American Beauty".
Recognition
In 2004, the song was ranked No. 395 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

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