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Carry On My Wayward Son
Carry On My Wayward Son
Name: ______________________________
Block: _____ Date: _________________
According to songwriter Livgren, the song was not written to express anything specifically
religious, though it certainly expresses spiritual searching and other ideas.
Livgren became an evangelical Christian in 1980, and has said that his songwriting to that
point was all about "searching." Regarding this song, he explained: "I felt a profound urge
to 'Carry On' and continue the search. I saw myself as the 'Wayward Son,' alienated from
the ultimate reality, and yet striving to know it or Him. The positive note at the end
('Surely heaven waits for you') seemed strange and premature, but I felt impelled to
include it in the lyrics. It proved to be prophetic."