I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
From Bissau to Palau, in the shade of Avalon
From Fiji to Tyree and the Isles of Ebony
From Peru to Cebu, hear the power of Babylon
From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, ooh, ooh
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, ooh, ooh
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, oh
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
From the North to the South, Ebudæ unto Khartoum
From the deep Sea of Clouds to the Island of the Moon
Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never been
Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never seen
We can sail, we can sail with the Orinoco Flow
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can steer, we can near
With Rob Dickins at the wheel
We can sigh, say goodbye Ross and his dependency
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can reach, we can beach
On the shores of Tripoli
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Bissau to Palau, in the shade of Avalon
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can reach, we can beach
Far beyond the Yellow Sea
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Peru to Cebu, hear the power of Babylon
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can sail, we can sail
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
From Bissau to Palau, in the shade of Avalon
From Fiji to Tyree and the Isles of Ebony
From Peru to Cebu, hear the power of Babylon
From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, ooh, ooh
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, ooh, ooh
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, oh
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
From the North to the South, Ebudæ unto Khartoum
From the deep Sea of Clouds to the Island of the Moon
Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never been
Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never seen
We can sail, we can sail with the Orinoco Flow
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can steer, we can near
With Rob Dickins at the wheel
We can sigh, say goodbye Ross and his dependency
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can reach, we can beach
On the shores of Tripoli
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Bissau to Palau, in the shade of Avalon
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can reach, we can beach
Far beyond the Yellow Sea
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Peru to Cebu, hear the power of Babylon
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can sail, we can sail
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
You know what so many people dislike this song but i really, really love this one. I don't care about the music video or anything. Lyrics are so meaningful and it makes me feel happy all the time.
C'mon guys didn't you ever wish to get on a ship and sail away? Forget who you are, what are you doing and all of your problems? Just go where that blue sea goes and felt the wind? Well i do. I do all the time.
This song is like escaping and finding a new purpose for me.
@Panflake It's a beautiful song about finding freedom. I'm with you on escaping and discovering the world beyond the mess this country has become.
the first time I heard this (and was, like, 7) I thought it was "save a whale, save a whale, save a whale..."
@catherineks I just laughed my first laugh today! Thanks!
Enya tends to seem kind of airy and light, mellow, serene. The music makes my cats purr.
the best song about sailing ever
LOL @ catherineks ! Yeah, now i listen a bit closer; it do sounds like that !
amazing song; the voices really 'penetrated' me; very spiritual; a real chilling song.
My mum used to listen to Enya when I was really small, like 3 and 4 years old! So I've always liked Enya, it reminds me of being really happy as a small girl. This was my favourite song and I used to dance round my living room to it! But now I'm older and I've begun to fully appreciate the beauty of Enya's music, its amazing! I think part of the beauty of her music is that the songs dont have a specific meaning, they all mean different things to different people. But, no matter what the songs mean, the music is serene, peaceful and always makes me happy!
@baby_girl Never stop dancing! Go with the "flow". I like to think of you dancing to this day.
this song reminds me of traveling. And when I'm in my car, I get all sorts of wanderlust, that i want to get out of the country and away from my daily obligations, you know just get a vacation! i don't know what i'd do if I didn't have Enya's CDs to listen to in my car :)
Rob Dickins was the head of WEA Music UK at the time, and was the executive producer of "Watermark"
Ross Cullum was listed as the album's engineer, and also its co-producer with Nicky Ryan and Enya.
"The Ross Dependencies" is a geographic reference, only one of many in the song. It seems likely that Roma, the lyricist for enya, simply couldn't resist making a little joke based on Ross's name.
I don't think it's about sailing at all. I think it's about music taking you somewhere you might not be able to go on your own--hence the line, "Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up." The references to the studio name (Orinoco--now part of Miloco Studios, U.K.), Rob Dickens, and Ross Cullum serve to substantiate this theory.
All that said, if what one takes from the song is merely a sense of escape, that's not such a bad thing, and certainly what Roma wanted. It's actually a pretty powerful song. It sure takes a beating from Pop Culture thugs (South Park--I'm lookin' at you!!!)...
Just Listen and escape. I have been listening to Enya since I first heard this song in 1988 on a job site away from home, on MTV. Yep, MTV used to play nothing but music and videos. <br /> <br /> When I feel the need to relax, I listen to Enya.
@heavynova - For me, that very personal reference to Rob Dickens diminishes the work, like a great actor in a moving scene choosing to break the fourth wall and suddenly making a "shout out" to a colleague. The reference to Ross is similar, though I choose to think of the Ross Sea and that helps restore the sea theme for me.
She says "Adieu",before the chorus of "Sail away". Island of the Moon (Comoros); also an island on Lake Titicaca, Peru & Bolivia; or Isle Maree (Scotland) Coral sea is in the Pacific near Australia The Sea of Clouds, possibly Mount Huangshan, China Isles of Ebony, England