Ethics Behind Clapton Tears In Heaven

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Tears in Heaven In the song tears in heaven Eric Clapton is writing to his deceased son Connor, who fell out of a window when he was 4 years old. Clapton’s song “Tears in Heaven” was written years after Connor died leaving Clapton with years to mull over the untimely death of his young son. As the song title suggests, Tears in Heaven is about the thought of seeing someone again in the afterlife (heaven). It suggests a bittersweet moment as the name itself, being happy, yet sad at the same time (having tears in a place where it is believed to be happy). The song leaves us with a feeling of hopeful but painful feelings from longing and the thought of unfamiliarity with the departed. The writer emotes a great deal of complementary words to help us figure of out the nature of the author and subject. For example, the song starts out with a question “Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven?” giving us a feeling of unfamiliarity between the two. It also asks if the two are going to heaven in the first place. IF I saw you in heaven, THEN would you know my name? Asking a conditional question suggests perhaps behavior or feelings undeserving of heaven. It also can be a light of hope that there is a possibility that I can see you again, in heaven. The second section, the chorus, tells us of the fact that he cannot stay “here in heaven”. It expresses feelings of a soldiering on through a hard situation. “I must be strong and carry on,” tells of a suffering in the present. The bridge tells us a section where it feels as if he is saying as the time has gone on the pain is persistent and getting worse “time can bring you down, time can bend your knees”. As Connor is a young child one could also explore the fact that the bended knee will be able to be at a four year olds level. He goes on to comment on the issue of a broken heart, evidence of a previous relationship
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