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Quiz about Anatomy of a Song Cats In The Cradle
Quiz about Anatomy of a Song Cats In The Cradle

Anatomy of a Song: "Cat's In The Cradle" Quiz


Just how much do you know about Harry Chapin's classic "Cat's In The Cradle"? Pit yourself against 10 questions about the song and/or associated facts. Song #23 in the 'Anatomy' series.

A multiple-choice quiz by FussBudget. Estimated time: 2 mins.
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Author
FussBudget
Time
2 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
216,698
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
6143
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: MacaroniTree (8/10), Guest 174 (10/10), Guest 47 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. In the early part of the song, what is the son's goal in life? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Which of the following popular children's nursery rhymes is mentioned in the song's lyrics? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What did the son learn to do whilst dad was away? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In the course of the song, it becomes apparent that the singer has become a grandfather. How many grandchildren does he have? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In the song, when does dad say he is coming home? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which birthday gets mentioned in the song? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. What did the son receive for his birthday? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What does the son want to borrow from his father? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. What sort of illness are the kids suffering from, which prevents the son from seeing his father? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What occurred to the father about his son as he "hung up the phone"? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Nov 20 2024 : MacaroniTree: 8/10
Nov 17 2024 : Guest 174: 10/10
Nov 13 2024 : Guest 47: 9/10
Nov 09 2024 : Chavs: 8/10
Nov 06 2024 : Mookie325: 9/10
Nov 04 2024 : leith90: 10/10
Nov 02 2024 : Cross-Words: 4/10
Oct 31 2024 : Coachpete1: 10/10
Oct 30 2024 : bgjd: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In the early part of the song, what is the son's goal in life?

Answer: To be just like his dad

"He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

Oh oh! Big mistake kiddo! Keep singing the song, and you'll find out why.
2. Which of the following popular children's nursery rhymes is mentioned in the song's lyrics?

Answer: Little Boy Blue

Little boy blue gets a guernsey every time the chorus is sung:

"And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon"
3. What did the son learn to do whilst dad was away?

Answer: Walk

"My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away"

"Cat's In The Cradle" was covered by Ugly Kid Joe on their 1992 album "America's Least Wanted". Hmm, perhaps not the best track to cover, the sensitivity of the whole thing sort of got lost under the inability to sing delicately, for starters!
4. In the course of the song, it becomes apparent that the singer has become a grandfather. How many grandchildren does he have?

Answer: At least two

The clue to this answer lies in the following lyrics:

"I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and the kids have the flu"

The 'kids' have the flu, inferring there are at least two, as they have been pluralised. No, not pleurisy, plural!

A lot of lyrics sites quote the song as saying "the kid's got the flu". Please listen to the song, this is clearly not the case, there is no hard 'G' sound. Please do not send correction notices about this.
5. In the song, when does dad say he is coming home?

Answer: He doesn't know when he is coming home

"When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then, Son
You know we'll have a good time then"

You know, when all is said and done, at least he had a father who came home (albeit, eventually). Many kids would love to have that now.
6. Which birthday gets mentioned in the song?

Answer: Tenth

"My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
7. What did the son receive for his birthday?

Answer: A ball

"My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"

Under the circumstances then, the bike may have been more fun! At least he could have ridden it to his heart's content!
8. What does the son want to borrow from his father?

Answer: Car

"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

You're not takin' the car! I just shampooed the glove compartment!
9. What sort of illness are the kids suffering from, which prevents the son from seeing his father?

Answer: Flu

"I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu"
10. What occurred to the father about his son as he "hung up the phone"?

Answer: He'd grown up just like his father

"And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me"

This of course was the point of the whole song, and is very sad. The father's inability (manageable or not) to spend enough time with his son eventually sees the boy grow up to be a carbon copy. Still - that's life, folks.
Source: Author FussBudget

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Anatomy of a Song - Part 3:

This is part 3 of a collection of all of my "Anatomy of a Song" quizzes. They were the originals, much imitated since. I guess I should take that as a compliment!

  1. Anatomy of a Song: "Ernie (Fastest Milkman)" Average
  2. Anatomy of a Song: "Sylvia's Mother" Average
  3. Anatomy of a Song: "Cat's In The Cradle" Average
  4. Anatomy of a Song: "In The Ghetto" Easier
  5. Anatomy of a Song: "Lola" Easier

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