Let me off of this boat
I'm sick of this ride
The world is heading ever southward
And I can't stay in here

And you're lying awake
Away on your side
The feeling comes in waves and burns us
And I don't want to die

From the slippery hands
To the line of your throat
The fever now consumes us both
In a fire now we will go

Santa Maria
Why did you have to go?
Santa Maria
One day we will know

In a bowing of heads and a passing of hands
And all we thought they'd understand
Is lost and they won't know
And what have we left
It's all that we've got
There is no 'X' to mark our spot
What's past is done and gone

Santa Maria
Why did you have to burn?
Santa Maria
One day you will learn


Lyrics submitted by x_t_rex_killa_x

Santa Maria Lyrics as written by David Odlum Colm Macconiomaire

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Santa Maria song meanings
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6 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    As the comment above show, it's been introduced as being about both the ship and Egon Schiele.

    An the more I thought about it, the more the two stories have similarities but are told in the song.

    The basic thing that ties them together is that the ship went down with billions of gold and one survivor - Egon Schiele's wife died at his side while 6 months pregnant. To him that left him alone, and all of his treasure - his wife and unborn child, were gone.

    The ship has no 'x' to mark its spot, neither is there an 'x' to mark Schiele, his wife and child's passing. Schiele was only 28 when he died, so his potential career and works of art if he lived would be similar to the ship's treaseure being lost too.

    tomton May 14, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Glen has said quite often that this song is about the death of Egon Schiele - as he lay in bed with spanish flu, knowing that he was dying and that his lover was dying before him.

    I kinda figure that Sickbeds is the same really,

    frureon October 24, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Hmm... I heard that it was about the wreck of the Santa Maria off Ireland... with only one survivor.

    Although I did get that from a possibly dodgy source...

    Beruthielon June 29, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Glen has offered both of the above explanations for the song - the Egon Schiele one being the most oftenly used.

    Once though, Glen simple introduced the song by saying...

    "This song is about a ship".

    The Santa Maria De La Rosa, one of the Spanish Armada ships sheltering from the weather off the coast of Kerry in Ireland in 1588, struck some rocks and sank, leaving only one survivor, and the equivalent of billions of pounds worth of gold on the sea bed - most of which still lies unrecovered.

    niteflite01on December 10, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The live version of this song on "Set List" is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.

    Glen has mentioned he wrote this because of an album he listened to quite a bit...I don't remember the artist...but I think it was titled "Music for Egon Schiele."

    magomraon July 03, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    that band would be rachel's, an instrumental band. great classical sounding stuff, with an indie kind of twist to it.

    southern.com/southern/band/RACHL/disc.php

    thejones2on February 02, 2008   Link

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