I know Cat converted to Islam, but I'll be darned if he doesn't sound like a Buddhist here. I mean even the title of the song is "sitting". When a Buddhist meditates he or she will often refer to it as sitting. And some of his allusions could have been taken straight out of Buddhism. Like the boat. Enlightened beings are often talked about as crossing over a river. Buddhism being the boat that takes them across. When he wonders if he sleeps too long will he wake up the same. Again, a classic dharma about change and impermance. There are even hints of reincarnation - at least for me - in the song. Especially the part where "you're going to wind up where you started from."
Anyways, I think TPC has got it pretty much right. Cat was hurting in his old ways and was starting to change. I also took the hair reference the same way as TPC. Just a phrase indicating he's starting to feel the spirit moving strongly in him. I didn't and still don't read much more into it.
I do however wonder if Cat was into Buddhism before he converted to Islam, because this really screams Buddhist to me.
I know Cat converted to Islam, but I'll be darned if he doesn't sound like a Buddhist here. I mean even the title of the song is "sitting". When a Buddhist meditates he or she will often refer to it as sitting. And some of his allusions could have been taken straight out of Buddhism. Like the boat. Enlightened beings are often talked about as crossing over a river. Buddhism being the boat that takes them across. When he wonders if he sleeps too long will he wake up the same. Again, a classic dharma about change and impermance. There are even hints of reincarnation - at least for me - in the song. Especially the part where "you're going to wind up where you started from."
Anyways, I think TPC has got it pretty much right. Cat was hurting in his old ways and was starting to change. I also took the hair reference the same way as TPC. Just a phrase indicating he's starting to feel the spirit moving strongly in him. I didn't and still don't read much more into it.
I do however wonder if Cat was into Buddhism before he converted to Islam, because this really screams Buddhist to me.