I'm Not Ready to Forgive You

I think it's pretty self explanatory, though it took me a few reads through to fully understand it.

Anyways, what I think this song is about is the reason for the sailors departure out to sea for 3 years, as the concept for this cd was about.

"and to your left and right there stood my son, and my daughter"

It is just before deciding to go back to sea for the 3 years. He comes back from a trip to find what used to be his girlfriend/wife and he falls in love with her again as soon as he sees her. Then he notices his children on either side of her.

"but smiling back behind you stood the sum, for departure"

But then he notices a new guy standing behind what used to be his girlfriend/wife, her new guy. So then it's a new decision, he doesn't know what to choose but the two choices are either "spend my life out here at sea" or "be a murderer" (from killing the new guy and/or his now ex girlfirend/wife).

And from the rest of the cd, you can see he decides on the former.

This is a brilliant song on a brilliant album. I can't wait to hear more music from Andy, be it from Right Away, Great Captain! or from Manchester Orchestra

I thought about it more, and if the story is in sequence according to the order of tracks on the cd, then my original idea is kind of wrong.

So my new idea is that, maybe after the 3 years at sea, he comes back to his family and finds the new guy. Then he decides to leave back to sea and just spend the rest of his life on the sea.

right before he left for 3 years he saw his wife cheating on him with his own brother... he did not say anything to his wife or brother or family about it, he just left. this is why he was in so much pain for the 3 years he was gone. im not sure if his wife and brother were together when he returns and this is why he decides to go back to sea.. either way hes not ready to forgive her

sometimes i find myself holding my breath for this entire song.

...me too. i didnt even realize i was doing it. but here i am, holding my breath.

'but smiling back behind you stood the sum, for departure' i think that's when he sees his brother coming to greet him too. & at the sight of his wife he's fallen back in love with her but then he sees the brother & feels all the betrayal he felt to begin with & realises he's not over it & isn't ready to forgive her.

oh sorry, & sum for departure meaning his reason for leaving in the first place &/or his reason for thinking he'll leave again.

i think, after his captain had died his crew decided to come home and maybe regroup. some deciding to stay, while some decided to go back out to sea with a new captain (maybe). but i would believe that this is more or less a year into the three years. he decides to head back out to sea, thinking that is the lesser of the two evils he has for choices. he has so much pent up anger and hatred for his brother and his wife that he believes he would opt for violence rather than being the "bigger man" he obviously assumes he could not be. staying on land for him isn't really a choice, but it really seems to hurt him to leave his children.

i feel pretty certain that this was after the full three years.

how do you know it was his brother?