My Father’s Words is Sacred Machines’ tribute to the wisdom of Carruthers’ esteemed father, who passed away at the beginning of 2020. The words of the poem speak for themselves.
Yet while My Father’s Words is a tribute to a specific man, it is a universal mantra felt by sons and daughters everywhere. In retrospect, we always understand the guiding wisdom of our parents, and we regret not having listened in the moment. And yet, we wonder if things would have been different had we spoken the same emotional language as our elders.
The Sacred Machines album Zero Footprint is dedicated to DHC, as well as to RE-VO’s life partner (aka LY-RA-KI).
- Honourable Douglas H. Carruthers (April 17, 1930 – January 14, 2020) passed away “on Tuesday, January 14th in his 90th year, with family at his side. Called to the Bar in 1955, Doug practiced law until he was appointed to the High Court of Justice (now the Superior Court of Justice) in 1977. ..he was appointed the longest serving Chair of the Ontario Review Board from 1996 to 2012 and the Nunavut Review Board in 1999 to 2012….
- As a result of his intense commitment to legal and mental health issues, the first Mental Health Court in Canada was established to help deal with accused persons who have mental health related problems.
- The Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies was another one of Doug’s great passions in life….
- In 2005, Doug was appointed an Honorary Member of Queens’ College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.
- In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the administration of justice, Doug was awarded the Society for Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators Medal in 2007….
- Predeceased by his wife, Barbara, in 2008, Doug is survived by his loving partner, Christina, his two sons, David and James, and his grandson, Christopher, along with many family members and friends. His indomitable spirit, his impressive wit, and his exceptional ability to find and do the right thing will be missed….”
- See: Turner & Porter. (2020). In Celebration of Honourable Douglas H. Carruthers. Turner & Porter Funeral Directors.
MY FATHER’s WORDS
(Carruthers/RE-VO) (2018)
A golden boy
thundering down the track
Nothing’s gonna stop him,
never looking back
But when pride and arrogance meet
a dream is borne of defeat
The rebel turns away
from his father’s words and a future day
I never heard my father’s words
Yeah, he tried to tell me, tried to tell me
A generation flying ’round a curve
Just missing the big oak tree
I didn’t listen to my father’s words
Yeah he tried to tell me, tried to tell me
I would’ve listened if he’d laid down his heart
My father’s words fell silent in the dark
A sad old man
stumbling down the road
Anyone can stop him
He carries a heavy load
‘Cause when youth and wisdom meet
We’re destined to repeat
the rebel’s hopeless quest
My father did know best
CHORUS
It’s not about the money
It’s being the child you were born to be
Discover what you were meant to see
Just climb the old oak tree
CHORUS
Now the child has his own son
What will he think of his father’s words?
