My 4 Year Old Philosopher

Today the boys and I were in the car when Candle in the Wind came on the radio.  Peter started asking me questions about the lyrics and we discussed candles and flames and wind.  

Then he asked me what a legend is...ie. "Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did."  I told him that to answer that he had to understand something special about the song - that even though the singer was talking about candles, that the song was actually about someone who had died.  "Who," he asked.  A woman named Norma, who everyone called Marilyn, who died when Nana and Papa were still kids.

Out of curiosity, I asked Peter if he could think of why the singer was saying candle in the wind when he meant Marilyn dying?  How were those two things the same?  Peter had an answer right away, "First they are there and then they are gone."

So I told him that a legend is a story we tell about someone after they die.  And the singer was saying that even though Marilyn had died, people would still be telling stories about her for a long time.  Without missing a beat, Peter said, "Like this song!  This song is a legend about her."  Exactly, kiddo, well reasoned.