She's Leaving Home by The Beatles.

[TooBigForMyBoots]

DS1 is leaving for London at the end of the week.

When I left for London, my mother, along with my very extended family, sang this song to me. I haven't listened to it in a long time.

I love that it was relevant to me.
I hope it isn't relevant to him.

Beautiful song.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jDF-S4mrYVA

It's a really sad story. It's not about someone leaving with love and blessings, it's about a young woman sneaking away and leaving a note. No contact details. She's cutting off her parents. They will never see her or hear from her again.

It's not a bon voyage song, I'm suprised that some parents play this when their adult children leave home.

I dropped off DS last year for his first year at uni. We were listening to a playlist on the way down and the song that randomly came on as we were approaching the halls of residence was ABBA’s “Slipping through my fingers”. I had been absolutely fine up to that moment but arrived at the halls red eyed and mascara running. Tried to pass it off as something in my eye but DS sarcastically pronounced I was going to be one of those mums.

Year2, I am counting down the hours until I can move him into his flat. And will be singing all my happy songs on the way home. It’s amazing how quickly you adjust to an empty house only to have them fill it with all their stuff when the year finishes. It was lovely having home for a couple of weeks but the novelty has worn off now.

This.

As for the Beatles song I think it is the anthem of every woman who finally realises their marriage is over. The saddest line is “she’s leaving home after living alone for so very long”. I know it’s about a young girl leaving but that line must hit hard for anyone whose marriage has died.
I often wondered if it was also a nod to Lennons wife who left him around the same time. Like most Beatles lyrics they often had a plausible backstory.

It was based on news report around a runaway, Melanie Coe, who ran away from home as her parents were trying to make her be a dental nurse and she wanted to be an actress.
(She now apparently lives in the US and buys and sells costume jewellery)