In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
liberty calls on a liberty call!
six weeks at sea
and what does that mean?
we need liberty!
rolling with the hell-ride
yaw and pitchin' inside
liberty!
clear the gangway, pop the hatches
fireman hurley sayin' "get them batches!"
we're sailor men and we're in your town
drink that bourbon right straight down!
we're mission men and here to learn
here to take on fuel and burn!
liberty calls on a liberty call!
me and the boilerman
checking out the other lands with what?
our liberty!
figuring out the histories
tripping on the mysteries
liberty!
clear the gangway, pop the hatches
fireman hurley sayin' "get them batches!"
we're sailor men and we're in your town
drink that bourbon right straight down!
we're mission men and here to learn
here to take on fuel and burn!
six weeks at sea
and what does that mean?
we need liberty!
rolling with the hell-ride
yaw and pitchin' inside
liberty!
clear the gangway, pop the hatches
fireman hurley sayin' "get them batches!"
we're sailor men and we're in your town
drink that bourbon right straight down!
we're mission men and here to learn
here to take on fuel and burn!
liberty calls on a liberty call!
me and the boilerman
checking out the other lands with what?
our liberty!
figuring out the histories
tripping on the mysteries
liberty!
clear the gangway, pop the hatches
fireman hurley sayin' "get them batches!"
we're sailor men and we're in your town
drink that bourbon right straight down!
we're mission men and here to learn
here to take on fuel and burn!
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Fireman Hurley Lyrics as written by Mike Watt
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.