They are very open-ended lyrics, and like the best poetry can hope to be lends itselft to multiple interpretations, but to me the song is about the contrast between doing something and doing nothing. You can either "piss in the river" or answer the call of the "beckoning sea" as the song mentions. Or you can "turn your back" and "keep pissing on the river". Looking at the other songs, in this album, I think that this is something that Patti Smith does a lot (ie: beckoning the listener to transcend, while mixing the mysticism that she is known for; hearing this album for the first time in my life, I have to say, I like it and I like her approach).
They are very open-ended lyrics, and like the best poetry can hope to be lends itselft to multiple interpretations, but to me the song is about the contrast between doing something and doing nothing. You can either "piss in the river" or answer the call of the "beckoning sea" as the song mentions. Or you can "turn your back" and "keep pissing on the river". Looking at the other songs, in this album, I think that this is something that Patti Smith does a lot (ie: beckoning the listener to transcend, while mixing the mysticism that she is known for; hearing this album for the first time in my life, I have to say, I like it and I like her approach).