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.
Boat on a hill, never going to sea.
Anchored to a fixer upper's dream.
This boat is beat, never gonna be a boat now.
Thirsty, sees the sea from high on ice plant.
He keeps patching it and painting.
Thinking about his pension plan.
But the boat is out to pasture.
Seems it never had a chance.
I wanna be a boat.
I wanna learn to swim.
Then I'll learn to float.
Then begin again.
Begin again.
Boat remembers the carpenter's sure hand.
Missing fishy flutter on it's rudder.
Sold at an auction, on a dolly ever since.
Sometimes rainy days drop boyish wonder.
Anchored to a fixer upper's dream.
This boat is beat, never gonna be a boat now.
Thirsty, sees the sea from high on ice plant.
He keeps patching it and painting.
Thinking about his pension plan.
But the boat is out to pasture.
Seems it never had a chance.
I wanna be a boat.
I wanna learn to swim.
Then I'll learn to float.
Then begin again.
Begin again.
Boat remembers the carpenter's sure hand.
Missing fishy flutter on it's rudder.
Sold at an auction, on a dolly ever since.
Sometimes rainy days drop boyish wonder.
Lyrics submitted by oofus
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hey hybrid.. heres what blake said it was about in some interview
he was in a relationship where the girl just totally out grew him and he feels trapped in a dead end relationship (thirsty, sees the sea from high on iceplant), he wants to get back out there (i wanna learn to swim) and start over (begin again) but he doesn't feel like going through the break up, he feels stuck in a pasture
I agree with Andy 100%.
One of the most beautiful songs ever written, and the most powerful metaphor I've ever heard.
one of my favorite songs by this band. the lyrics are just beautiful to me for some reason. i think it's just about losing hope. that's just how i interpret it.
sometimes rainy days drop boyish wonder. holy god that is a great one liner!
in the first part, blake is talking about this old boat that doesnt work any longer, attached to an old, run-down, house [hence the 'anchored to a fixer uppers dream' line].
a man, probably older ['thinking about his pension plan'] is continuously working on it, making futile attempts to make it seaworthy.
this part could be a metaphor for [something else, haha] any big investment put into a hopeless cause.
im kind of thrown on the 'i wanna be a boat' portion, maybe the thought of being able to sail away, find new shores and new beginnings.
i think the part after that, though, is talking about the boats beginning, how there was lots of hope and oppourtunity for it to go out to sea, but then it got put away and now will never have the chance [sold at auction, on a dolly ever since].
this part could also be a metaphor. probably it is.
I always considered this song to be about hitting a repetitive, dead end of something, and having a desire to start over.
this song always felt like nostalgia for me. Like thinking about what might have been, and thinking about something particularly fond in your memory.
i think this song is an applicable metaphor for anything where you're left feeling somewhat useless. great imagery, definitely one of Jawbreaker's finest.
I always think of this song as a metaphor for a dream deferred. The boat (dream) is broken down and the dreamer always tries to patch it up but never actually accomplishes anything (taking it to sea). The process repeats itself as in the chorus. Honestly, this is one of the best songs ever written.
Absolutely.
Boat remembers the carpenter's sure hand. Missing fishy flutter on it's rudder.
surely this is a metaphor for ones penis and hand, he can do it alone now. quite brilliant actually.