by Cat Stevens · 2024
The song “Oh Very Young” by Cat Stevens reflects on the fleeting nature of youth and life, urging young people to consider the legacy they will leave behind and to carry love and hope as they make their brief journey through the world.
This song has been Shazamed over 479,524 times. As of this writing, Oh Very Young is ranked 139
Oh Very Young’ by Cat Stevens is a gentle, thoughtful song that asks what young people will leave behind when they’re gone. We’ll explore the song’s meaning, mood, and why its message still matters today. ⬇️
The atmosphere of “Oh Very Young” is bittersweet, like a soft sunset that makes you pause and reflect. The story is a tender conversation about youth, time, and the fleeting nature of dreams.
️ The chorus is the heart of the song—“Oh very young, what will you leave us this time? / You’re only dancing on this Earth for a short while.” It’s as if Stevens is holding up a mirror to our short, beautiful existence, nudging us with gentle urgency: what mark will we make before we’re gone? We’re caught between hope and melancholy, sensing both the invitation to dream and the ache of impermanence.
In the verses, Stevens crafts images that stick: dreams tossed about, denim jeans fading skyward, patches making each goodbye sting just a bit more. “And though you want him to last forever, you know he never will”—this line punches through with the knowledge that nothing, not even love or legacy, escapes time’s slow erasure. There’s a question woven throughout: will we carry kindness, will we ride the “great, white bird” into something better, or will we simply fade, like old jeans left in the sun?
The real intent of the song seems to be a quiet urging—an almost whispered plea—for us to live with purpose, to love, and to leave something meaningful behind, because our dance on this Earth is heartbreakingly brief.
Writer(s) of Oh Very Young:
