Back To The Lake

okay - this is certainly not the meaning that bob had in mind when he wrote the song - but this is what i always think of when i hear this song:

once i read a book about borneo (into the heart of borneo?) and the author was giving a light hearted account of the native people's beliefs about the afterlife. i can't recall; and can't find the book right now - but it involved people, after death, being deposited in various lakes.

also, the bible tells about the "lake of fire" (ie. hell) which of course was the subject of a famous meat puppets song (covered by nirvana on thier excellent unplugged album). so naturally when i hear back to the lake i think about the various afterlife myths, or . . . uh . . . theories.

back to the lake = death

but then again one time i was running a marathon (in the redwoods) and i had my play list on my ipod set up so i'd hear this song right at the end of the marathon . . . meaning i was finished. (we live right near a lake - so it meant coming home.)

anyway - like i said - these ramblings have nothing to do w bob's original intentions (which are rarely very clear so i might as well add my own personal view, right?)

amazing piece of music. probably about about some sort of relationship that has gone astray for one reason or another, makes no sense, but they're looking to draw them back to where they were before because they feel as though they still have unfinished business.

How can I tell you All that is wrong Nothing invites you Can't get along - with you now And I try to There is a page It's still unwritten Why can't you find Time in your schedule To pick up...

i don't really know what the lyrics mean. The music is really fantastic. Why wasn't this a hit?

Now, just because Bob's lyrics are overly cryptic or esoteric, doesn't mean their just nonsense. The guys written thousands of songs, he's got a muse. The twisted, perverted narratives give the band their quirk. The clues are here for a kind of sequel to A Salty Salute. Perhaps this is the same "lake."

"The bus will get you there yet To carry us to the lake The club is open."

Here it seems like a more personal call, to one individual who has fallen out with Bob and his drinking buddies. It could be a girl or just a friend that Bob pissed off in his drunkenness.

Isn't it just about going out in the evenings?

Isn't it just about going out in the evenings?

Isn't it just about going out in the evenings?

okay - i was just watching the extraordainarily well edited dvd GUIDED BY VOICES - THE ELECTRIFYING CONCLUSION and right before bob started this song: "back to the lake with you kids . . . what lake? the great lake!"

so what does that mean? back to ohio, i guess (lake erie).

The song is about King Arthur's sword Excalibur .

The legend says the Lady of the Lake will emerge with the sword when Brittan again is in dire need of a true king.

That is why the lyric says there is a page still unwritten....

This song has the same meaning most of Bob's other songs have, namely, none at all, for the most part.