Dan Fogelberg finds it both amusing and exasperating that many people think this is a song about Jesus (perhaps because Jesus was the son of a carpenter named Joseph, and the lyrics refer to "a cabinet maker's son").

In reality, the song is a tribute to Dan's father, Lawrence Fogelberg, who was a music teacher and band director (hence, he was literally "leader of the band") at an Illinois high school. Lawrence Fogelberg had tried to make a living as a musician and composer, before settling down to raise a family... but he taught Dan to play several instruments, and inspired Dan to try to become a professional musician himself.