Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
Packed and all eyes turned in, no one to see on the quay
No one waving for me, just the shoreline receding
Ticket in my hand, I'm thinking "Wish I didn't hand it in"
'Cause who said sailing is fine?
Leaving behind all the faces
That I might replace, if I tried on that long ride
Looking deep inside but I don't want to look so deep inside yet
Sit down, sit down on the prow to wave bye
There might not be another star further on the line
Look out, look out at each town that glides by
And there's another crowd to drown in crying eyes
And see how that light you love now just won't shine
There might just be another star that's high and far in some other sky
We sing, "Is that marionette real enough yet
To step off of that set to decide what her hands might be doing?
Ruining the play, too, in the ensuing melee escape"
We packed up all of our bags
The ship's deck now sags from the weight of our tracks
As we pace beneath flags black and battered
Rattling our swords in service of some faded foreign lord
And we sail out on orders from him but we find
The maps he sent to us don't mention lost coastlines
Where nothing we've actually seen has been mapped or outlined
For we don't recognize the names upon these signs
And every night finds us rocking and rolling on waves wild and wide
Well, we have lost our way, nobody's gonna say it outright
Just go la la la-la-la-la la-la-la-la
La-la la-la-la la-la-la la
Oh-oh oh
La la la-la-la-la la-la-la-la
La-la la-la-la la-la-la la
Oh-oh-oh oh
La la-la-la-la la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la la
La la-la-la-la la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la la
La la-la-la-la la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la la
La la-la-la-la la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la la, la
No one waving for me, just the shoreline receding
Ticket in my hand, I'm thinking "Wish I didn't hand it in"
'Cause who said sailing is fine?
Leaving behind all the faces
That I might replace, if I tried on that long ride
Looking deep inside but I don't want to look so deep inside yet
Sit down, sit down on the prow to wave bye
There might not be another star further on the line
Look out, look out at each town that glides by
And there's another crowd to drown in crying eyes
And see how that light you love now just won't shine
There might just be another star that's high and far in some other sky
We sing, "Is that marionette real enough yet
To step off of that set to decide what her hands might be doing?
Ruining the play, too, in the ensuing melee escape"
We packed up all of our bags
The ship's deck now sags from the weight of our tracks
As we pace beneath flags black and battered
Rattling our swords in service of some faded foreign lord
And we sail out on orders from him but we find
The maps he sent to us don't mention lost coastlines
Where nothing we've actually seen has been mapped or outlined
For we don't recognize the names upon these signs
And every night finds us rocking and rolling on waves wild and wide
Well, we have lost our way, nobody's gonna say it outright
Just go la la la-la-la-la la-la-la-la
La-la la-la-la la-la-la la
Oh-oh oh
La la la-la-la-la la-la-la-la
La-la la-la-la la-la-la la
Oh-oh-oh oh
La la-la-la-la la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la la
La la-la-la-la la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la la
La la-la-la-la la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la la
La la-la-la-la la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la la, la
Lyrics submitted by error_to_brain, edited by dvorax, sugarnum, bfreeby, inverarity, Kozumou, promachos
Lost Coastlines Lyrics as written by Will Robinson Sheff
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
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Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
I just heard Lost Coastlines for the first time on their website, and it's good! I basically agree with WillG on the meaning. You must keep moving on, toughing it out, sailing into the unknown, losing the coastlines you're lovingly familiar with, though with a hope that there will also be some greatness where you're headed...
I can't wait for The Stand Ins, especially after what laviebonne said. Tilly and the Wall, another one of my favorite bands, disappointed me so much with their new album, and Rilo Kiley did the exact same thing to me last year. But I have faith that Okkervil River's album will be incredible!!