"A daydream spills from my corked head
Breaks free of my wooden neck
Left to nod over sleeping waves
Like bobbing bait for bathing cod
Floating flocks of candle swans
Slowly drift across wax ponds"
--This is describing the point of view... something floating along on the water that was cast a-sea by sailors. It's hard to think of something that this could be... the first 2 lines make me think of a wooden barrel or something... but I don't think that's what it is. Maybe... (You'll notice I changed the "left a nod" to "left to nod", because this seems right and makes completely more sense. Like, the men threw it overboard, left it to float along on the water.)
"The men all played along to marching drums
and boy did they have fun behind the sea"
--These are the men on the ship that the narrator is watching.
"They sang, so our matching legs are marching clocks"
--They're maybe singing (this might not be literal), and maybe stomping their wooden legs. 'Matching' as in looking alike... they all have wooden legs, so they all match... their legs are stomping to the marching beat from the previous lines, idk.
"And we’re all too small to talk to God"
--They're poor sailors, been through everything, not noble or good enough to pray.
"Yes, we’re all too smart to talk to God"
--They'll go on singing as their ship is sinking, instead of praying.
"Toast the fine folks casting silver crumbs
to us from the dock
Jinxed things ringing as they leak
through tiny cracks in the boardwalk"
--Thankgod for the people throwing money/valuables/silver things into the sea. The money might be the jinxed things... idk, I'm trying to think of something that would ring. (There's another song I've heard, telling a story of a sinking ship, and, in the point of view of someone on a ship, says, "The ship was sinking, we were drinking, singing one last song, casting our gold into the ocean". This seems really similar to me.) But, because it says "from the dock", maybe it's referring to people waving them off, throwing things... That makes it more confusing.
"Scarecrow now it’s time to hatch
sprouting suns and ageless daughters"
--No idea, but couldn't it be "sons" instead of "suns", since it says "and ageless daughters"???
"That those watermelon smiles just can’t ripen underwater"
--This is another reason why I think the ship is sinking... The watermelon smiles are the smiles of the men on the ship, maybe, joyous in their departure, but when they sink the smiles will have to come to an end, because they'll drown. Darnit, now I'm having to think about the people on the dock, too... maybe they could be the ones smiling... but I don't like that idea, cuz it's too confusing.
"Legs of wood waves, waves of wooden legs"
--Two things: 1)The 'waves' of stomping on the ship deck and 2)The waves of wooden-legged drowned sailors in the water when they sink... wood floats, so it might bob on the waves...
WOW that was difficult (and really long, sorry). I probably forgot a whole bunch of things, and I'm probably really wrong... but that was my try at it. First try at the meaning of a Panic song, too... never thought I could do it.
I don't think I think this is the real meaning, just the imagery. That whole thing could still have some connection to real life, instead of a bunch of sailors.
LOL I really don't know, I just thought I'd supply you all with another full-of-crap idea.
This is what I'm picturing:
"A daydream spills from my corked head Breaks free of my wooden neck Left to nod over sleeping waves Like bobbing bait for bathing cod Floating flocks of candle swans Slowly drift across wax ponds" --This is describing the point of view... something floating along on the water that was cast a-sea by sailors. It's hard to think of something that this could be... the first 2 lines make me think of a wooden barrel or something... but I don't think that's what it is. Maybe... (You'll notice I changed the "left a nod" to "left to nod", because this seems right and makes completely more sense. Like, the men threw it overboard, left it to float along on the water.)
"The men all played along to marching drums and boy did they have fun behind the sea" --These are the men on the ship that the narrator is watching.
"They sang, so our matching legs are marching clocks" --They're maybe singing (this might not be literal), and maybe stomping their wooden legs. 'Matching' as in looking alike... they all have wooden legs, so they all match... their legs are stomping to the marching beat from the previous lines, idk.
"And we’re all too small to talk to God" --They're poor sailors, been through everything, not noble or good enough to pray.
"Yes, we’re all too smart to talk to God" --They'll go on singing as their ship is sinking, instead of praying.
"Toast the fine folks casting silver crumbs to us from the dock Jinxed things ringing as they leak through tiny cracks in the boardwalk" --Thankgod for the people throwing money/valuables/silver things into the sea. The money might be the jinxed things... idk, I'm trying to think of something that would ring. (There's another song I've heard, telling a story of a sinking ship, and, in the point of view of someone on a ship, says, "The ship was sinking, we were drinking, singing one last song, casting our gold into the ocean". This seems really similar to me.) But, because it says "from the dock", maybe it's referring to people waving them off, throwing things... That makes it more confusing.
"Scarecrow now it’s time to hatch sprouting suns and ageless daughters" --No idea, but couldn't it be "sons" instead of "suns", since it says "and ageless daughters"???
"That those watermelon smiles just can’t ripen underwater" --This is another reason why I think the ship is sinking... The watermelon smiles are the smiles of the men on the ship, maybe, joyous in their departure, but when they sink the smiles will have to come to an end, because they'll drown. Darnit, now I'm having to think about the people on the dock, too... maybe they could be the ones smiling... but I don't like that idea, cuz it's too confusing.
"Legs of wood waves, waves of wooden legs" --Two things: 1)The 'waves' of stomping on the ship deck and 2)The waves of wooden-legged drowned sailors in the water when they sink... wood floats, so it might bob on the waves...
WOW that was difficult (and really long, sorry). I probably forgot a whole bunch of things, and I'm probably really wrong... but that was my try at it. First try at the meaning of a Panic song, too... never thought I could do it. I don't think I think this is the real meaning, just the imagery. That whole thing could still have some connection to real life, instead of a bunch of sailors.
LOL I really don't know, I just thought I'd supply you all with another full-of-crap idea.
-peace-