Carry On Wayward Son
The Best Song Ever Written
As Ludwig van Beethoven once said: “Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy”. Have you ever felt like you could reflect every single moment in your life in just one song? Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” is a song with a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Livgren, a person in the band became an evangelical Christian in 1980, and has said that his songwriting to that point was all about “searching”. This song is also on my favorite tv show called “Supernatural” and they use the song in every season finale intro. By examining the literary devices, tone, and structure, I will argue that “Carry On Wayward Son” is the greatest song of all time.
As you may all agree, the theme in “Carry On Wayward Son” is a universal theme, meaning has a higher message and to many it might have a different significance, everyone can interpret the song lyrics differently. For example, Kansas sings about many different things, to some it may not even mean anything, for example: “If I claim to be a wise man it surely means that I don’t know,” “I set my sails for winds of fortune but I hear the voices say..,” “…nothing can equal the Splendor”. The theme is the reason why this song is so good, it can speak to different people in different ways, it can communicate either to a younger and/or older person. Therefore, the theme of this song is universal and doesn’t really have a story itself, it’s up to you what the story is and means.
In addition, the simile used in “Carry On Wayward Son” lead to communicate the feeling of being emotionally confused. For example, Kansas states that in the song the person is confused and shaken: “On a stormy sea of moving emotion; Tossed about, I’m like a ship on the ocean”. The person feels flustered like a boat in a stormy sea of emotion, which makes the audience imagine a rumbling scene that is full of uncertainty when everything is being moved around viciously. Due to usually connecting confusion with a strong wave of emotion and strange feelings, the images of ocean water and emotions all over the place make an accurate comparison. Therefore, the simile of a boat in a stormy sea of moving emotion explains the strongly confused feelings inside the person from the song.
Lastly, the structure used in “Carry On Wayward Son” is not so coordinated and still has the main chorus. For example, Kansas uses a long interlude towards the end of the song in which there are two guitar solos and one piano solo. The song has the main chorus and uses it a lot but also some other lyrics that connects to the song’s theme. Because we usually listen to songs with a very well coordinated lyrics and a strong structure leads me to believe that the song has an inaccurate comparison to other songs normal structures. Therefore, the song’s structure is not exactly well laid out and a bit uncoordinated but I believe that it can connect strongly to the song’s meaning.
Kerry Livgren, a key member of the band Kansas, became a born-again Christian and based his next three albums on that, giving some religious meaning about newfound faith in many of his songs including “Carry on Wayward Son” and other songs. I discovered this song by watching a tv show and the song played every last episode of every season concluding all the adventures and dangers the characters in the show went, though, and also marked the start of every new season. In the song, the theme, similes, and structure show that the song is fitting to any person at any age because it has a deeper meaning for each and every person. They also show how the song is very emotional and has a somewhat disorganized structure. Therefore, having examined the theme, similes, and structure, it’s evident that “Carry on Wayward Son” is the best song ever.
