"Grown Ocean" ties together many of the other songs on the album, so I figured I would post my general interpretation of the album here.
The song "Helplessness Blues" establishes the main dilemma of the album. The singer has led a dissolute life (he's the prodigal son in "The Plains / Bitter Dance") and now, faced with his own mortality, wants to make a change. He rejects the materialism of his former life ("Montezuma"). He idealizes some of the innocence or purity he had in the past ("Bedouin Dress") and connects this with Innisfree. Part of this is a relationship he had ("Battery Kinzie" and "Lorelai").
In "Someone You'd Admire" he pushes himself to find this new way of life, or to change his ways. He realizes that he can become someone to be admired, but if he fails then he will become embittered and not care anymore. The final stanza of "The Shrine" indicates that he fails at this point. He greedily hordes the apples. The last verse in the song indicates the he either literally or metaphorically attempts suicide.
In "Blue Spotted Tail" he discovers that he survived the suicide attempt. This still leaves him in an existential crisis as he ponders death and the absurdity of life.
Finally, in "Grown Ocean" he dreams of reaching his goal and returning to "Innisfree". Part of this dream is being reunited with Lorelai. In fact, she seems integral to his dreams for the future. He realizes that this reunion won't happen until he has finally "woken". The line "In that dream I could hardly contain it \ All my life I will wait to attain it" is very hopeful. He's decided not to give in to bitterness, but to continue searching for the truth.
However, he acknowledges that failure is still possible. He fears that Lorelai, the "wide-eyed walker" from "Battery Kinzie", will betray him. Perhaps she is the singer in "Sim Sala Bim" who considers betraying the person she loves "despite the reservations". Either way, he hopes to "awaken" before this can happen. However, she has left in the past, and he fears this will happen again.
Overall, this gives me the impression that Pecknold is saying that the search for truth is a lifelong struggle. He wants to live in such a way that he helps his fellow man, while not just being a cog in a machine. He seems to reject Tolstoyan "passive resistance" in "Helplessness Blues", but questions how force can be used to overcome evil. He struggles to find meaning in a life that will someday end in death, but, at the least, finds meaning in that struggle. Now, he just worries that he can struggle to the end.
I don't think anyone realizes this is about a man who realizes everything in life is futile to him but his ideal/true love. Everything revolves around her or eros. When she is not there, he is idle, a reproach, and suicidal at least to the hopefulness of life. He is a sacrificial character. But he has not found this woman to give his life to in other words he searches for truth to give himself to something greater than he, and he hopes this in this woman. He is dreaming of having a family with her and she is the...
I don't think anyone realizes this is about a man who realizes everything in life is futile to him but his ideal/true love. Everything revolves around her or eros. When she is not there, he is idle, a reproach, and suicidal at least to the hopefulness of life. He is a sacrificial character. But he has not found this woman to give his life to in other words he searches for truth to give himself to something greater than he, and he hopes this in this woman. He is dreaming of having a family with her and she is the all bearing spouse who will be faithful and lick all his wounds. In Sim Sala Bim she the love of his life or absent love of his life thinks that he is a futile nobody who won't give him his future therefore she has her bitter reservations of staying with him. She needs providence, he cannot provide. Whatever thing that landed him back in his father's nest in The Plains, he is freeing himself now of because he has hope. But the painful past of him leaving him stings yet he does not realize it is cause of his actions. So she felt he was just her reflection and she was on a pedal-stool. That scared her away. So in this song, its a hopeful song about reuniting with her one day and growing an ocean whatever that dream means to the character. I think he is obliges to provide and make a family with her which is most likely what she wants. Perhaps he wasn't the committed type. And it fucked him over that he became lonely when she left. Anyhow I just listened to the whole album tonight and it is soooo good. I have to buy the entire album!
"Grown Ocean" ties together many of the other songs on the album, so I figured I would post my general interpretation of the album here.
The song "Helplessness Blues" establishes the main dilemma of the album. The singer has led a dissolute life (he's the prodigal son in "The Plains / Bitter Dance") and now, faced with his own mortality, wants to make a change. He rejects the materialism of his former life ("Montezuma"). He idealizes some of the innocence or purity he had in the past ("Bedouin Dress") and connects this with Innisfree. Part of this is a relationship he had ("Battery Kinzie" and "Lorelai").
In "Someone You'd Admire" he pushes himself to find this new way of life, or to change his ways. He realizes that he can become someone to be admired, but if he fails then he will become embittered and not care anymore. The final stanza of "The Shrine" indicates that he fails at this point. He greedily hordes the apples. The last verse in the song indicates the he either literally or metaphorically attempts suicide.
In "Blue Spotted Tail" he discovers that he survived the suicide attempt. This still leaves him in an existential crisis as he ponders death and the absurdity of life.
Finally, in "Grown Ocean" he dreams of reaching his goal and returning to "Innisfree". Part of this dream is being reunited with Lorelai. In fact, she seems integral to his dreams for the future. He realizes that this reunion won't happen until he has finally "woken". The line "In that dream I could hardly contain it \ All my life I will wait to attain it" is very hopeful. He's decided not to give in to bitterness, but to continue searching for the truth.
However, he acknowledges that failure is still possible. He fears that Lorelai, the "wide-eyed walker" from "Battery Kinzie", will betray him. Perhaps she is the singer in "Sim Sala Bim" who considers betraying the person she loves "despite the reservations". Either way, he hopes to "awaken" before this can happen. However, she has left in the past, and he fears this will happen again.
Overall, this gives me the impression that Pecknold is saying that the search for truth is a lifelong struggle. He wants to live in such a way that he helps his fellow man, while not just being a cog in a machine. He seems to reject Tolstoyan "passive resistance" in "Helplessness Blues", but questions how force can be used to overcome evil. He struggles to find meaning in a life that will someday end in death, but, at the least, finds meaning in that struggle. Now, he just worries that he can struggle to the end.
I don't think anyone realizes this is about a man who realizes everything in life is futile to him but his ideal/true love. Everything revolves around her or eros. When she is not there, he is idle, a reproach, and suicidal at least to the hopefulness of life. He is a sacrificial character. But he has not found this woman to give his life to in other words he searches for truth to give himself to something greater than he, and he hopes this in this woman. He is dreaming of having a family with her and she is the...
I don't think anyone realizes this is about a man who realizes everything in life is futile to him but his ideal/true love. Everything revolves around her or eros. When she is not there, he is idle, a reproach, and suicidal at least to the hopefulness of life. He is a sacrificial character. But he has not found this woman to give his life to in other words he searches for truth to give himself to something greater than he, and he hopes this in this woman. He is dreaming of having a family with her and she is the all bearing spouse who will be faithful and lick all his wounds. In Sim Sala Bim she the love of his life or absent love of his life thinks that he is a futile nobody who won't give him his future therefore she has her bitter reservations of staying with him. She needs providence, he cannot provide. Whatever thing that landed him back in his father's nest in The Plains, he is freeing himself now of because he has hope. But the painful past of him leaving him stings yet he does not realize it is cause of his actions. So she felt he was just her reflection and she was on a pedal-stool. That scared her away. So in this song, its a hopeful song about reuniting with her one day and growing an ocean whatever that dream means to the character. I think he is obliges to provide and make a family with her which is most likely what she wants. Perhaps he wasn't the committed type. And it fucked him over that he became lonely when she left. Anyhow I just listened to the whole album tonight and it is soooo good. I have to buy the entire album!