So many of the Hip's songs have layered meanings to me. I hear Canadian history and politics.
On one level this is about ships lost at sea. The "Lifeboat" reference with Tallulah Bankhead and Canada Lee is just one of the references. Those actors are no longer acting. That's part of it and leads to the next thing.
The next thing is the changed words; THE Tallulah Bankhead and Canada Lee. These suggest fishing boats to me. They are lost but not necessarily lost at sea.
Although none of the lyrics say so explicitly, I felt from the very beginning that it was a lost way of life. An extinction. The loss of the cod fishery and Newfoundlanders way of life.
The dire wolf is extinct. The Newfoundlander dog isn't extinct, but like the fishermen, his way of life as a working dog is. He can't save the fishermen now. He's been paused. That's in there too.
"Better boats done by less water". Doesn't matter how seaworthy the boat is.
If I think about this song as political commentary, it all fits beautifully for me. I felt that way about it even before looking closely at the lyrics.
Does anyone else feel this?
So many of the Hip's songs have layered meanings to me. I hear Canadian history and politics. On one level this is about ships lost at sea. The "Lifeboat" reference with Tallulah Bankhead and Canada Lee is just one of the references. Those actors are no longer acting. That's part of it and leads to the next thing. The next thing is the changed words; THE Tallulah Bankhead and Canada Lee. These suggest fishing boats to me. They are lost but not necessarily lost at sea. Although none of the lyrics say so explicitly, I felt from the very beginning that it was a lost way of life. An extinction. The loss of the cod fishery and Newfoundlanders way of life. The dire wolf is extinct. The Newfoundlander dog isn't extinct, but like the fishermen, his way of life as a working dog is. He can't save the fishermen now. He's been paused. That's in there too. "Better boats done by less water". Doesn't matter how seaworthy the boat is. If I think about this song as political commentary, it all fits beautifully for me. I felt that way about it even before looking closely at the lyrics. Does anyone else feel this?