My interpretation is that the three girls were each unhappy with their father, so they faked their own deaths to escape him. Nellie wanted to not have to act so tough all the time, Dottie wanted to kiss people without her father beating her, and Becca... well, I'm not so sure about her, but "the pleasure of sin's not as good as it sounds" might refer to sexual abuse.
Whatever the details, the narrator is wrong to say that the three girls have nothing in common. What they have in common is that their father is ruining their lives and they need to get away. So, they hatch a scheme: they'll be seen climbing into the rowboat, and then they'll secretly get out of the rowboat and set it adrift on the "merciless" river. When the wrecked rowboat is later discovered, everyone will assume that the sisters have drowned, and that the bodies are missing because their heavy clothing made them sink to the bottom of the river. In fact, the reason why the "bodies were never found" is that there aren't any bodies. They're not dead. They're free!
So I disagree with the previous commenter who said it's a said song. I think it's a song about empowerment, about taking control of your own destiny, and I think the lyrics are well-suited to the strong, triumphant melody.
My interpretation is that the three girls were each unhappy with their father, so they faked their own deaths to escape him. Nellie wanted to not have to act so tough all the time, Dottie wanted to kiss people without her father beating her, and Becca... well, I'm not so sure about her, but "the pleasure of sin's not as good as it sounds" might refer to sexual abuse.
Whatever the details, the narrator is wrong to say that the three girls have nothing in common. What they have in common is that their father is ruining their lives and they need to get away. So, they hatch a scheme: they'll be seen climbing into the rowboat, and then they'll secretly get out of the rowboat and set it adrift on the "merciless" river. When the wrecked rowboat is later discovered, everyone will assume that the sisters have drowned, and that the bodies are missing because their heavy clothing made them sink to the bottom of the river. In fact, the reason why the "bodies were never found" is that there aren't any bodies. They're not dead. They're free!
So I disagree with the previous commenter who said it's a said song. I think it's a song about empowerment, about taking control of your own destiny, and I think the lyrics are well-suited to the strong, triumphant melody.