Sailing through your disease and you
Your disease and you
Your body's like a basket
Shivering in static
Ride this phase of angry tears
All those years you were alive inside the closet
With nobody in it there but me
But now you are coming
Your life is off running
Tearing itself apart at the seams

And you are a liar
You are a liar
You are a liar
And you are a lie
You are a liar
You are a liar

Now I'm off sailing
Sickness inhaling
Every drop of blood you could bleed
The world is all coming
They're coming in millions
Billions of people too sick to believe
And I really wanted just to be in your body
To be in your body
To be inside you
And I really wanted just to be in your body
To share in your sickness
To shield around you

But you are a liar
You are a liar
You are a liar
And you are a lie
You are a liar
You are a liar
You are a liar
And you are a lie

Wrap you up in master
Cover you in plaster
Spit in your mouth and then say, "I love you"
But is this supposed to save us?
Is this supposed to break us?
Into the toilet, with our faces removed
And I really wanted just to be in your body
I really want to be in your body
I really want to be inside you
And I really wanted just to be in your body
To share in your sickness
To shield around you

But you are a liar
You are a liar
You are a liar
And you are a lie
You are a liar
You are a liar
You are a liar
And you are a lie
You are a liar
You are a liar
You are a liar
And you are a lie
You are a liar
You are a liar
You are a liar
And you are a lie


Lyrics submitted by buckley, edited by JezLucas

Sailing Through song meanings
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18 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    Quote from Magnum on a version I have: "It's not really about sex. It always sounds like it's about sex. It's just about getting inside of people but not through...that way."

    I Am Not Amusedon January 05, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Loogey cup! :)

    BuddytheRaton November 04, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I have a version where he segues into Two-Headed Boy Part II after this song...it's the most gorgeous, haunting thing I've ever heard.

    I think it's about wanting to get close, really, intimately close to someone but it turns out that they aren't who you want them to be, and they aren't who they said they were, and it hurt you. That one line that we all fixate on, 'Spit in your mouth and then say I love you', sort of sums up the whole of it, that you say one thing and do another because you are a liar, and you are a lie.

    ABookOnAShelfon February 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    One of my absolute favorite Neutral Milk Hotel songs. I'm not really sure what this song deals with, wether it's twisted emotions towards a girl or being gay, I have no idea :/ Does anybody have the answer?

    buckleyon August 23, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "it's about people fucking each other all the time... the shitty side of it" i got a live recording and that's his explanation

    XteeXjayXon April 17, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "it's about people f*%$ing all the time.. the $#!tty side of it..."

    XteeXjayXon April 17, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Loogey cup! :)

    BuddytheRaton November 04, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Loogey cup! :)

    BuddytheRaton November 04, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I have the same version a I Am Not Amused, but I have heard the version that teejay was referring to.

    Maybe he was drunk during one performance?

    deaffromsilenceon January 25, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this songs so amazing. and yes i've heard both versions.. who knows what he's trying to get across. personally i do think it's about sex.

    tothehospitalon February 05, 2005   Link

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