Ship Of Fools Lyrics
From which no one has ever returned
Torn by the promise of the joker and the fool
By the light of crosses that burn
Torn by the promise of the women and the lace
And the gold and the cotton and pearls
It's the place where they keep all the darkness you meet
You sail away from the light of the world on this trip, baby
You're gonna pay tomorrow
You will pay tomorrow
Save me from tomorrow
I don't want to sail with this ship of fools
Oh, save me
Save me from tomorrow
I don't want to sail with this ship of fools
No, no, I want to run and hide
Right now
They will leave you drifting in the shallows
Drowning in the oceans of history
Traveling the world, you're in search of the good,
But I'm sure you'll like I knew you would
Using all the good people for your gallant slaves
As your little boat struggles through the warning waves
You will pay
You're gonna pay tomorrow
You're gonna pay tomorrow
Yeah, you're gonna pay tomorrow
Save me from tomorrow
I don't want to sail with this ship of fools
Oh, save me
Save me from tomorrow
I don't want to sail with this ship of fools
Where is that coming from?
Where is it going to?
It's just a ship of fools
The songs meaning is quite simple, its about the curse of capitalism and greed. How, for some reason we never seem to be content. It tells us that on our journey to gather as much as we can, we will ultimately never reach our goal, and we only hurt others in our attempt. Only the foolish chase wealth beyond their means, only the foolish think that chasing it will bring them happiness. We are all sold this "dream" and pushed into its virtual reality, but I for one, just like Karl, want to get off the boat!
Essentially he is not wanting to get caught in the rat race with all of the other fools and lose sight of what is really important. And for those who don't get out of it are in the ship thinking that they are on the correct path ("torn by the promise of women/lace/gold/cotton/pearls"), but will pay for it a later time, perhaps post mortem. In addition, the ship isn't even going to the right destination ("You sail AWAY from the light of the world...")
Yo Das, look deeper, but you got the Light of the World right, Jesus
Yo Das, look deeper, but you got the Light of the World right, Jesus
@Finepearl Ugh
@Finepearl Ugh
i think this song is painfully underrated.
it's incredible songwriting and composing for a one-hit wonder.. some call it a prophecy, that sadly is ringing true..
something for kate did a gorgeous cover of this song on their live at the corner album.
I agree, now look at how weird it is that they leave the mention of sodom out of the lyrics written above. Line 5 after the verse that starts with avarice and greed. It really goes, "but I'm sure you'll fill your sodom like I knew you would." Save me from bunk so called interpret lyrics when they don't give you the whole song to interpret. Kind of makes it hard to get to the bottom of the meaning...a?
I agree, now look at how weird it is that they leave the mention of sodom out of the lyrics written above. Line 5 after the verse that starts with avarice and greed. It really goes, "but I'm sure you'll fill your sodom like I knew you would." Save me from bunk so called interpret lyrics when they don't give you the whole song to interpret. Kind of makes it hard to get to the bottom of the meaning...a?
"one hit wonder" ??? karl wallinger ? thou showest thy ignorance ...
"one hit wonder" ??? karl wallinger ? thou showest thy ignorance ...
The "Ship of Fools" written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter is a different song, performed by The Grateful Dead. This song was written by Karl Wallinger, who is the sole member of World Party. I wonder if they got it wrong for "Ship of Fools" by Erasure, too.
I love this song, but after reading the lyrics again, it reminds me of how I feel about our current leadership under "W".
Current? CH 1, it's been going on since long before this song was composed a? Skull and cross bones, oh ya, all the W's have been in that little secret group. Did any of you all know who george sr.'s dad was? Oh ya, huge banker baby, look it up...google and go from there. Who just bought out wa mu? Chase baby....rock er feller, ship of fools...us? Ya, if we don't stop avarice people like the W's and the O's that want to socialIZE us.
Current? CH 1, it's been going on since long before this song was composed a? Skull and cross bones, oh ya, all the W's have been in that little secret group. Did any of you all know who george sr.'s dad was? Oh ya, huge banker baby, look it up...google and go from there. Who just bought out wa mu? Chase baby....rock er feller, ship of fools...us? Ya, if we don't stop avarice people like the W's and the O's that want to socialIZE us.
Great song, meg is right thats its underrated, definitely underplayed. Cdhound1 makes a perfect point about it too, its contemporary 20 + yrs after it came out...
Ok, I'll start to interpret by saying these guys saw tomorrow big time, and I bet they're all in good shape these days, if they weren't fools that is. They start with saying the ship is going to a place where no one has ever returned, that would be death...true? Drawn by the joker...etc. and who would that be? Sounds like the serpant of old to me, the place where they keep all the darkness you need and leave the Light of the World, a name for Jesus. Then repeats, "you will pay, you will pay and again..tomorrow." Yes, we can pay and will pay, but Jesus by the Word and Blood says....He paid. Then the call for salvation, they don't want to be on a boat with fools, why? Cause like the Titanic it sinks eventually. Look at the words, the avarice and greed and the endless sea, leave you in the shallows. Revelation describes the masses as an ocean or "sea" so the whole world is wrapped up in greed and about to hit the rocks of destruction in the weak shallow economy, see? "Traveling the world in search of no good," well, that can describe all kinds of deception, but this one has sodom in it which isn't in the lyrics above for whatever reason but helps in understanding what they are trying to relate in the song. "Using all the people," sounds like the government and elite, no....that is world wide the situation. Now, the pay tomorrow, don't know what the time frame for these guys is but I do know Jesus paid for all of man kind, today...yesterday, and forever and who so ever will, can receive that salvation and stay off of this ship of fools!