Songfacts®:

• Mike Connell, the leader of the Raleigh-based rock band The Connells, told Songfacts he had one of his sons in mind when he wrote this coming-of-age tune. "I found it to be pretty tough to write a song as personal as this song without getting overly sappy and sentimental," he confessed. "Hopefully, I mostly managed to dodge that pitfall. Anyway, it's about how I perceive that this young man is starting to know and understand himself and find his way in the world - so, gradually 'fading in' and 'fading fair' and coming into his own."
• Connell said that this is one of his favorite songs from the album, along with "Song For Duncan," which is about his other son.
• Steadman's Wake is The Connells' first album in 20 years (since 2001's Old School Dropouts).
• The album was produced by John Plymale, a fellow North Carolina native who also produced the Meat Puppets' 2000 album, Golden Lies.