Prodigal Son

Album: Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Prodigal Son is a Biblical story about forgiveness: the son blows his inheritance money on selfish things, but is welcomed home by his father nonetheless. It's also the name of a song by The Rolling Stones, which is based on an old Blues song.

    This Sevendust song was written by their drummer, Morgan Rose, and lead singer Lajon Witherspoon. When Songfacts spoke with Witherspoon in 2013, he explained: "When I wrote that song, I was staring over the back of my balcony into these woods, and the moon was right there. I felt like I could touch the sky. The moon was so bright, and it was just a weird night.

    I feel like you have to believe in something. Not to get all wound up in Christian stuff, but I am. I believe in the Lord, I pray every day. I'm a Baptist. I was able to put in a little bit of my growing up beliefs into a song and tell a story and it was really cool to be able to do."
  • When we asked Lajon Witherspoon how his life relates to the Prodigal Son parable, he explained, "I might have got off the beaten path there for a little while."

    Lajon adds that he enjoyed the Rock Star lifestyle for a while, but points out that his experience was similar to what many young people went through, except that instead of having a blast in college, he was doing it on a tour bus. As he got older, he matured and became a family man, moving to Kansas after having two children with his wife.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.