Presumably written with Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison is mind - after leaving the VU he become somewhat of an isolationist, pursuing a Ph. D in midevil studies and becoming a tugboat captain. I think the song more generally is about escaping the trivialities of the social world, and reconnecting with life and nature. I think of a tugboat captain as someone who charters the vast, open waters. But then again tugboat captains have a specific destination they are heading to. So a tugboat captain is not entirely a recluse, but maintains just enough of a link to society to know why he no longer wants to be there. This song is then a call to let go of the modern world and return to a more natural, simple way of life.
Presumably written with Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison is mind - after leaving the VU he become somewhat of an isolationist, pursuing a Ph. D in midevil studies and becoming a tugboat captain. I think the song more generally is about escaping the trivialities of the social world, and reconnecting with life and nature. I think of a tugboat captain as someone who charters the vast, open waters. But then again tugboat captains have a specific destination they are heading to. So a tugboat captain is not entirely a recluse, but maintains just enough of a link to society to know why he no longer wants to be there. This song is then a call to let go of the modern world and return to a more natural, simple way of life.