Lonely Boy -- Andrew Gold

He was born on a summer day, 1951 And with the slap of a hand
He had landed as an only son His mother and father said "what a lovely boy" We'll teach him what we learned  yes, just what we learned  We'll dress him up warmly and  We'll send him to school
It'll teach him how to fight  To be nobody's fool
what a lonely boy  Oh, what a lonely boy

In the summer of '53 his mother  Brought him a sister
But she told him "we must attend to her needs"
"She's so much younger than you" Well, he ran down the hall and he cried how could his parents have lied When they said he was an only son He thought he was the only one
what a lonely boy  Oh, what a lonely boy

He left home on a winter day, 1969  And he hoped to find all the love He had lost in that earlier time Well, his sister grew up
And she married a man He gave her a son  yes, a lovely son
They dressed him up warmly  They sent him to school
It taught him how to fight To be nobody's fool
what a lonely boy  Oh, what a lonely boy


the life of a child who is neglected by his parents after the birth of a younger sister. Many assume this song to be autobiographical of Andrew Gold, yet the artist has denied this, despite great similarities between the lyrics and Gold's own life. The lyric, "He was born on a summer day in 1951" matches Gold's August 1951 birthday, and "In the summer of '53 his mother/Brought him a sister" matches his sister's birthday.