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Well I hold the rope
And I hold the sail
And I kept my papers
To keep from land in jail
And I fought piranhas
And I fought the cold
There was no one with me
I was all alone, yeah
Well it's Easter morning now
And there's no one around
So I unroll the sermon
And walk into the town
There was no one with me
I was all alone
And I fought piranhas
And I fought the cold, yeah
Well you know what it's like
I don't got to tell you
Who puts up a fight
Walking out of hell now
When you fought piranhas
And you fought the cold
There's nobody with you
Yes, you're all alone, yeah
And I hold the sail
And I kept my papers
To keep from land in jail
And I fought piranhas
And I fought the cold
There was no one with me
I was all alone, yeah
Well it's Easter morning now
And there's no one around
So I unroll the sermon
And walk into the town
There was no one with me
I was all alone
And I fought piranhas
And I fought the cold, yeah
Well you know what it's like
I don't got to tell you
Who puts up a fight
Walking out of hell now
When you fought piranhas
And you fought the cold
There's nobody with you
Yes, you're all alone, yeah
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Not to mention Christ burns in Hell for our sins, against his own will?
No, I don't think it's about Christs ressurection. Firstly Jesus wouldn't (at the time) call it Easter, would he? Also cement's too innaccurate a word for a boulder (I thought it was "sermon" anyway). It could be about someone who's become a hated outcast from society and possibleybeen accused wrongly as a result: It's Easter morning and everyone else is in church, but he won't go because he's not wanted, so he takes advantage of this to go into town without prosecution.
yall are idiots this guy is yelling about how hes seen and done it all nothing can hurt him but he is pretty lonely which is hurting him more than the 'piranhas'
@ezkamo I get it, it's almost got the ring of "Sunday Morning Coming Down" by Kristofferson or Cash or whomever wrote that poetry.<br />
"And I kept my papers, To keep from land in jail"
How awesome is that? "To keep from land in jail."
well i think hes just talking about time in jail...i dont think jack personally has ever done time in jail but i think thats wut the song is based on...
well you know what it's like i don't got to tell you who puts up a fight walking out of hell now when you fought piranhas and you fought the cold there's nobody with you and you're all alone
and i do also absolutely love the lines... "And I kept my papers, To keep from land in jail"
@yanx84 Ya, that's a cool line, I don't get it yet. Its not landing in Jail, it's like, "while in jail, one wants to stay off the land, like out at sea, and one's papers make this possible, like an "escape" from the lousy land circumstances in the jail. Too, the world and the body are called prisons, (in Plato and Isaiah [Ezekiel?]).
I don't think it's about time in jail cause in the second verse it says "so i unroll the cement and walk into the town" If he's in prison he can't walk into town I think it's about depression does anyone think the same?
He holds the rope & sail, which makes me think he commanded a ship on a river in Venezuela and fought piranhas. There's no one around on Easter because they are all in church & is not attending (cool). & I'm not as sure about this one but "unrolling the cement" sounds like someone unrolling a red carpet so he is possibly walking around this ghost-town feeling like royalty. At the end his nerves are so hardened by everything he's been through he has no desire to fight anyone.
I get a loner-captain bluesy vibe from this song. My favorite White Stripes song. & Jack's guitar is amazing!
I think a worthy interpretation of the song I've heard is that it's based on Moby Dick by Herman Melville, the Piranhas being an allusion to the whale.
Ishmael was the lone survivor, who would have had to hold the rope and sail and the same time, etc. I would argue that the word in the middle verse is 'sermon' and not 'cement', there is definitely no trace of a 't' sound on the end. In the novel there are numerous sermons, and it could be physically unrolled if it were on a scroll or something.
Food for thought
@ijordingo Oh my. Don't get us on unrolled sermons! The cement is like "unroll the red carpet," but I like your lyric better. The scroll with the fold is the Revelation, unrolled, and in Ch. 10, John eats the little scroll, as Ezekiel did. The sailor has the rope and sail, as Cohen writes ,He said all men shall be sailors then until the sea has feed them, for... Nice Moby Dick stuff, and likely correct. Dylan was just doing Moby Dick for his Nobel speech.
I dont' think it's of a very religious nature. Firstly, there are too many very modern references to be about the Resurrection. EG: "Papers", "Jail", "Cement". Secondly, while I'm fairly certain Jack is religious, with nearly becoming a priest and all, I've noticed in many of his blues covers of artists like Son House, he'll cut out parts that directly mention god. Lice "cannon" which is a partial cover of "John the Revelator" Son House openly talks about god in his version, Jack white only take snippets, which, while of a religious nature, don't directly state anything about god. He's also probably the most neutral guy in the world. He doesn't vote, he doesn't take a stance on drugs, nor take drugs, nor has he ever openly stated his religion, after becoming an artist, other than that he almost became a priest. He's never compromised him by writing an original song that referenced a specific religion, to the best of my knowledge.
my fav song by this band
Frackin Jesus freaks.<br /> <br /> Clearly about life at sea.<br /> <br /> Alone.<br /> <br /> Duh.
i dont really understand, but i heard somebody say this song had a spiritual meaning. i dont see it...can anyone help me out here?