Calypso

John Denver

To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean
To ride on the crest of a wild raging storm
To work in the service of life and the living
In search of the answers to the questions unknown
To be part of the movement, part of the growing
Part of beginning to understand

Aye, Calypso the places you've been to
The things that you've shown us
The stories you tell
Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit
The men who have served you so long and so well

Like the dolphin who guides you, you bring us beside you
To light up the darkness and show us the way
For though we are strangers in your silent world
To live on the land we must learn from the sea
To be true as the tide and free as a wind swell
Joyful and loving in letting it be

Aye, Calypso the places you've been to
The things that you've shown us
The stories you tell
Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit
The men who have served you so long and so well

Aye, Calypso the places you've been to
The things that you've shown us
The stories you tell
Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit
The men who have served you so long and so well


Lyrics submitted by woodcock92627

Calypso Lyrics as written by John Denver

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Calypso song meanings
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8 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment
    this song is actually dedicated to Jacques Cousteau, from john denver
    usafreedomloveon January 04, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    Love this song, really does give you the feeling of being on the ocean, watching Costeau's adventures on tv is a nice memory of years ago.
    kevwizon July 04, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    nothing bro
    To Xi Ci Tyon December 10, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    *Please disregard the previous comment. I didn't make it.
    To Xi Ci Tyon December 11, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    This was my favourite song growing up. Which CD is it on? I want to hear it again.
    beforerainon January 31, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    this is one of those songs i'm still completely puzzled over. it sounds good though and it just keeps getting stuck in my head
    infinitypoolon April 07, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning
    Some here have said that the meaning of Calypso was for the USSR, and some make it about a simple boat. Well, the latter is partially true, it was about the Calypso, a mid sized research vessel that for many years had brought breakthroughs and discoveries on the high seas. Unfortunately, the ship sank in a California Harbor if I remember. The song has a much larger meaning though. It is about not only the ship, but about how we can learn to live better by looking at our aquatic counterparts: "To light up the darkness and show us the way For though we are strangers in your silent world To live on the land we must learn from the sea." The Calypso's purpose was to find out about the sea's life, and apply it to our lives on land. In the song, John gives reference to being free, showing others the way to life, to be in the service of life and the living, and to find answers to questions that haven't been asked yet. The lyrics have a very deep meaning in them, just like many John Denver songs. And he wasn't a communist sympathizer like some here have posted, John Denver only wanted peace between the two superpowers, as did most people by that time.
    jjwsongon January 22, 2013   Link
  • -4
    General Comment
    You tend to miss the point with this song. It's generally tended to be referred to as a song about Jacques Cousteau and his boat Calypso, but in reality it's a homage to the USSR and it's expansion. There are many Communist references in the song: for example: 'like the dolphin who guides you, you bring us beside you' is a reference to Lenin (the dolphin) and the international revolution that Lenin hoped would come after Russia capitulated to the Bolsheviks in 1918.
    Dolgochon November 17, 2010   Link

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