SO this seems to be yet another song about heroin. I'll go through the lyrics line by line but first I'll summarise. The song tells of the morning journey from Manly to the city (and presumably Kings Cross) to 'get on' (buy a hit). The experience of the addict standing apart from the people commuting to work, and the daily wrestle of trying not to use heroin when they are addicted are part of the song,
Meet me down by the jetty landing
Where the the pontoons bump and sway
The song locates us, waiting for the ferry. You may be in a hurry but you can't go anywhere while you wait. A bit like waiting for a dealer. The pontoons bumping and swaying makes me think of a live crowd at a gig.
I see the others reading, standing
As the Manly Ferry cuts its way to Circular Quay
The singer is apart from normal people who don't do what he does. The are standing where he is sitting or fallen in a sense. Presumably he is 'hanging out', feeling sick until he can get on. But more so, he is a failure compared to the people with jobs and healthy lives.
Hear the Captain blow his whistle
So long she's been away
'She' is heroin and he is hanging out. The captains whistle conveys the urgency of the trip and its progress into the busy Circular Quay area.
I miss our early morning wrestle
Not a very Happy way to start the day
Waking up, hanging out and deliberating about getting on, is not fun. Maybe he misses it because there is no deliberating these days. He has to use every day.
She don't like
That kind of behaviour
She don't like
That kind of behaviour
Heroin is in charge now and she doesnt like him thinking that he can not use for a day. The drug is portrayed like an aggressive dominatrix.
So, throw down your guns
Don't be so reckless
Throw down your guns
Don't be so
The singer is telling the listener not to toy with heroin. Put down the needle before you start and certainly before she takes control.
Feel like Scott of the Antarctic
Base camp too far away
A Russian sun beneath the Arctic
He is cold, desperate, dying, isolated from humanity and there is a kind of dead headedness i think in active heroin and methadone addiction that could be like having a polar ice cap over you and between you and the sky
Burke and Wills and camels
Initials in the tree
He is too far from help and out of the living water
She don't like
That kind of behaviour
She don't like
That kind of behaviour
So, throw down your guns
Don't be so reckless
Throw down your guns
Don't be so
So the title of the song relates to what gets people in trouble with drugs despite being warned - they think "it wont happen to me" but like an explorer exploring drugs, they can recklessly push to a point where they are beyond help.
I think this is a very powerful song with real investment by the writer.
@LucasVG It seems Reyna wrote other songs on the topic of heroin addiction (see Hammerhead) but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was an addict. Considering the subject matter and the wide network of the Reyne family, it’s quite possible the songs were ghost written by a struggling addict.
@LucasVG It seems Reyna wrote other songs on the topic of heroin addiction (see Hammerhead) but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was an addict. Considering the subject matter and the wide network of the Reyne family, it’s quite possible the songs were ghost written by a struggling addict.
I’ve had a couple more thoughts. All related to the theme of water and the intimation that the singer is not going to survive.
I’ve had a couple more thoughts. All related to the theme of water and the intimation that the singer is not going to survive.
In his explorer metaphors he offers people dying because they were in an environment of frozen water, under water and too far from water. Water...
In his explorer metaphors he offers people dying because they were in an environment of frozen water, under water and too far from water. Water is the life in Australia but you can die from trying to go too hard.
The Northern Beaches is all about water and health and becoming a life saver is a common activity for young people. When the singer refers to pontoons bobbing, he is alluding g to people who are afloat - in contrast to his situation.
Also the Captains Whistle is reminiscent of a life guard who sees someone drowning. It may also be ‘the man upstairs’ calling time on a life that had run it’s course.
Like the boat ride across the River Styx, the ferry is delivering the singer’s soul.
Arriving at Circular Quay is the end of the journey but the singer gives us his dying advice “Don’t be so reckless” (as I was).
This adds a much darker ultimate interpretation but makes sense for the fine instruments that make the song so beautiful, and the very measured pace of the beat. This is a funeral song.
@LucasVG The reason “put down your guns” can be interpreted as “put down the needles” is because heroin addicts use a needle to ‘shoot up’ hence the gun imagery.
@LucasVG The reason “put down your guns” can be interpreted as “put down the needles” is because heroin addicts use a needle to ‘shoot up’ hence the gun imagery.
@haulinoates
This may be the most precise and lucid interpretation I've ever come across about a song. This is basically the very same one I've been telling since its release in '83. I questioned my interpretive nouse because people thought I was WAY off course, so THANK YOU.
It seems obviously about heroin addiction and the ritual to obtain and use. Having known people with the problem it was strangely familiar and easy to apply. I can't understand why it isn't widely interpreted as such - but that's probably a good thing, because it means it's not too rampant in society...
@haulinoates
This may be the most precise and lucid interpretation I've ever come across about a song. This is basically the very same one I've been telling since its release in '83. I questioned my interpretive nouse because people thought I was WAY off course, so THANK YOU.
It seems obviously about heroin addiction and the ritual to obtain and use. Having known people with the problem it was strangely familiar and easy to apply. I can't understand why it isn't widely interpreted as such - but that's probably a good thing, because it means it's not too rampant in society
SO this seems to be yet another song about heroin. I'll go through the lyrics line by line but first I'll summarise. The song tells of the morning journey from Manly to the city (and presumably Kings Cross) to 'get on' (buy a hit). The experience of the addict standing apart from the people commuting to work, and the daily wrestle of trying not to use heroin when they are addicted are part of the song,
The song locates us, waiting for the ferry. You may be in a hurry but you can't go anywhere while you wait. A bit like waiting for a dealer. The pontoons bumping and swaying makes me think of a live crowd at a gig.
The singer is apart from normal people who don't do what he does. The are standing where he is sitting or fallen in a sense. Presumably he is 'hanging out', feeling sick until he can get on. But more so, he is a failure compared to the people with jobs and healthy lives.
'She' is heroin and he is hanging out. The captains whistle conveys the urgency of the trip and its progress into the busy Circular Quay area.
Waking up, hanging out and deliberating about getting on, is not fun. Maybe he misses it because there is no deliberating these days. He has to use every day.
Heroin is in charge now and she doesnt like him thinking that he can not use for a day. The drug is portrayed like an aggressive dominatrix.
The singer is telling the listener not to toy with heroin. Put down the needle before you start and certainly before she takes control.
He is cold, desperate, dying, isolated from humanity and there is a kind of dead headedness i think in active heroin and methadone addiction that could be like having a polar ice cap over you and between you and the sky
He is too far from help and out of the living water
So the title of the song relates to what gets people in trouble with drugs despite being warned - they think "it wont happen to me" but like an explorer exploring drugs, they can recklessly push to a point where they are beyond help.
I think this is a very powerful song with real investment by the writer.
@LucasVG It seems Reyna wrote other songs on the topic of heroin addiction (see Hammerhead) but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was an addict. Considering the subject matter and the wide network of the Reyne family, it’s quite possible the songs were ghost written by a struggling addict.
@LucasVG It seems Reyna wrote other songs on the topic of heroin addiction (see Hammerhead) but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was an addict. Considering the subject matter and the wide network of the Reyne family, it’s quite possible the songs were ghost written by a struggling addict.
I’ve had a couple more thoughts. All related to the theme of water and the intimation that the singer is not going to survive.
I’ve had a couple more thoughts. All related to the theme of water and the intimation that the singer is not going to survive.
In his explorer metaphors he offers people dying because they were in an environment of frozen water, under water and too far from water. Water...
In his explorer metaphors he offers people dying because they were in an environment of frozen water, under water and too far from water. Water is the life in Australia but you can die from trying to go too hard.
The Northern Beaches is all about water and health and becoming a life saver is a common activity for young people. When the singer refers to pontoons bobbing, he is alluding g to people who are afloat - in contrast to his situation. Also the Captains Whistle is reminiscent of a life guard who sees someone drowning. It may also be ‘the man upstairs’ calling time on a life that had run it’s course.
Like the boat ride across the River Styx, the ferry is delivering the singer’s soul. Arriving at Circular Quay is the end of the journey but the singer gives us his dying advice “Don’t be so reckless” (as I was).
This adds a much darker ultimate interpretation but makes sense for the fine instruments that make the song so beautiful, and the very measured pace of the beat. This is a funeral song.
@LucasVG The reason “put down your guns” can be interpreted as “put down the needles” is because heroin addicts use a needle to ‘shoot up’ hence the gun imagery.
@LucasVG The reason “put down your guns” can be interpreted as “put down the needles” is because heroin addicts use a needle to ‘shoot up’ hence the gun imagery.
@haulinoates This may be the most precise and lucid interpretation I've ever come across about a song. This is basically the very same one I've been telling since its release in '83. I questioned my interpretive nouse because people thought I was WAY off course, so THANK YOU. It seems obviously about heroin addiction and the ritual to obtain and use. Having known people with the problem it was strangely familiar and easy to apply. I can't understand why it isn't widely interpreted as such - but that's probably a good thing, because it means it's not too rampant in society...
@haulinoates This may be the most precise and lucid interpretation I've ever come across about a song. This is basically the very same one I've been telling since its release in '83. I questioned my interpretive nouse because people thought I was WAY off course, so THANK YOU. It seems obviously about heroin addiction and the ritual to obtain and use. Having known people with the problem it was strangely familiar and easy to apply. I can't understand why it isn't widely interpreted as such - but that's probably a good thing, because it means it's not too rampant in society