Cape Canaveral

This song is about life's journey and his spirit from youth on through death...and trying not to lose his integrity of who he is on the inside.

The first part is the awakening of his spirit no doubt from the dabbling of drugs:

Oh, oh, oh brother totem pole I saw your legends lined up And I never felt more natural Apart, I just came apart

He never felt more natural, having the high remove him from all of the reality that society has served up. An escape. "Apart, I just came apart" is not saying that he had a breakdown but that the high put him in touch with his spiritual side. Then...

Please, please, please sister Socrates You always answer with a question Show some kindness to a petty thief Forgive, you did forgive

The mind expanding and how the high makes you look and search for answers. But it is not a natural high, being drug induced, he is "stealing" the knowledge. So he asks for forgiveness and his mind, he receives it. Then the mind always reverts back to something from childhood:

And watch the migrants smoke in the old orange grove And the red rocket blaze over Cape Canaveral

You've been a father to me In 1960's speak

His memories are sprinkled with "1960s speak" meaning he was influenced by the era of the 60s with free love and peace, and no motivation of material gain, and yes even drugs. He goes on more about the feeling of high

Give me comatose joy like we're on TV While the mountain side was shining Wild colors of my destiny

psychedelic, yes, but it is also prophetic for him. His spirit is that of purity and simplicity and that is his destiny to be that way.

I watched your face age backwards Changing shape in my memory You told me victory's sweet Even deep in the cheap seats

That part is a memory of whoever was with him (maybe his dad?) in his younger days. "I watched your face age backwards" meaning this person looks much different in his memories than he does now. He taught him to enjoy life, no matter what his status in life is. Sort of a focus on the journey and not the destination.

Hey, hey, hey mother interstate Can you deliver me from evil Make me honest make me wedding cake Atone, I will atone

Then as he got older, he bought into society's idea of what he should be as man. Mother Interstate...getting into the hustle of the secular world. Give up the lax lifestyle, give up the drugs (deliver me from evil), "make me honest, make me wedding cake": is society's cookie cutter lifestyle, the guy is supposed to wise up, get married and atone for the wrong that he's done in the past.

Wait, wait, wait mighty outer-space All that flying saucer terror Made me lazy drinking lemonade A waste, it just went to waste

While he is rushing around and working non-stop and getting off track from his spiritual roots, a fearful reminder of that which is out of our hands: death. Colorful phrasing here where he is telling nature or god to Wait. Outer-space (heaven) flying saucer terror is just another take on the grim reaper. Depression sets in. He feels like everything was a waste.

Like the Freon cold out the hotel door Or the white rocket fade over Cape Canaveral You've been a daughter to me Your buried shoe-box grief

With the death of a close friend,he talks about how quickly someone can leave us, like the cool air going out the door. She fades away the same as the rockets faded out of sight from his childhood memory. He was close to her as a daughter. Buried shoe-box grief eludes that she was simple too.

I felt your poltergeist love like savannah heat While the waterfall was pouring Crazy symbols of my destiny

Her spirit was still with him or visits him. Usually people describe a poltergeist visit as a chill or cool breeze but he refers to hers as a savannah heat, making reference to how strong and warm her love is. During this visit, he sees signs in the waterfall and it affirms his destiny.

I watched your face die backwards Little baby in my memory You told me victory is sweet, Even deep in the cheap seats

In his memory she comes to life, or dies backwards...she is alive to him. Her return reminds him of who he really is. A simple man. He accepts it and he knows she accepts it too:

And you don't judge me That's not your style

But I won't see you for a little while And there's no worries Oh lord, Whose got time? All these changes are going to fill your mind

He wants to be with her again so that he can show her that he is still the pure person he once was. He won't see her for a little while because it is not his time to die yet. "All these changes" refers to how much things have changed since she died...including him. .

Like the citrus glow off the old orange grove Or the red rocket blaze over Cape Canaveral It's been a nightmare for me Some 1980's greed Gives me parachute dreams Like old war movies

He said it was a nightmare because he drifted so far from what he really was on the inside.
Talks about how he got off track from the free love, peace and simplicity, to the 80's greed of more, more, more. Gotta have the big house, bmw, etc. Realized that it all wasn't what it cracked up to be...that he had formed the illusions, much the same as a kid dreams of being a war hero when they watch old movies.

While the universe was drawn Perfect circles form infinity

All the while, his destiny was the same as it was in the beginning. The universe was doing what it would do anyway. This last verse, he returns to what he was, maybe even drifting in death to the spirit world and saying that he stayed simple and was still victorious

I watched the stars get smaller Tiny diamonds in my memory I know that victory is sweet Even deep in the cheap seats

Ultimately, we all have the same demise, no matter our station in life.

"I watched your face age backwards changing shape in my memory."

"I watched your face die backwards little baby in my memory."

The entire song, but these lines especially, makes me think of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," recently made into a movie.

my favorite of the new ones, I cannot wait till all these songs are recorded!

Saw the migrants smoke in the old orange grove And the red rocket blaze over Cape Canaveral You’ve been a father to me In 1960’s speak In the comatose joy that we’re on TV

Is actually:

And watch the migrants smoke in the old orange grove And the red rocket blaze over Cape Canaveral You’ve been a father to me In 1960’s speak Give me comatose joy that we’re on TV

You told me victory’s sweet Even deep in the cheap seats

is actually:

You taught me victory’s sweet Even deep in the cheap seats

Later in the song:

A lonely victory sweet is actually: You told me victory’s sweet

All these changes are going to fill your mind is actually: All these changes gunna fill your mind

It’s been a nightmare to me is actually: It’s been a nightmare for me

Saw the stars get smaller is actually: I watched the stars get smaller

Great song!!

i hate to be one of those fans who tries to pinpoint exactly who the song is about based on other songs, but does anyone else think that this song from the line "like the freon cold out the hotel door" to "all these changes are going to fill your mind" is about sabrina duim? it would make sense since the song as a whole is dealing with spirituality, and talking about the death of an friend would go hand-in-hand with that. the line "you don't judge me" sounds like sabrina's personality from what we know of her in "breezy", and "i won't see you for a little while" is a very conor oberst-way of talking about a friend who has passed. it seems like that entire section of the song is riddled with what could be references to sabrina.

Eshame: Do you guys think he means "Savannah heat" like the city of Savannah, GA? It gets pretty hot here. Or does he mean "savanna" like a grassland? Anyone have any insight here?

I was wondering the same before I looked up the lyrics, but knowing the poltergeist line, I know now he's talking about the ciy of savannah, one of our nation's most haunted cities. how do I know this? Resident of course. They've got more ghost tours than clothes stores it seems. from walking tours to trollies to hursts converted into touring vehicles ( no shit), they'll make a buck off the dead as easily they'll make it off the living.

i think this is a great song in that it can mean something different to everyone who listens to it. it sort of reminds me of losing a family member or close friend.

the "but i won't see you for a little while" line is pretty overt, he also talks about seeing the person's face "age backwards changing shape in my memory" which suggests that he's not seeing the person anymore, just remembering them. then later in the song he says "i watched your face die backwards little baby in my memory." the "i felt your poltergeist love like Savannah heat" line reminds me of the tangible feeling of a loved one who passed away giving you a hug.

and then there is the fact that the song title is "Cape Canaveral," which is where humans (at least americans) get the closest we can really get to heaven. it also talks about outer space being sort of a scary place "all that flying saucer terror made me lazy drinking lemonade," sort of like space/death is this scary thing that makes you not want to take any risks and just sit at home drinking lemonade.

like i said, that's just my interpretation, for all i know he wrote this song as a tribute to neil armstrong or something. the whole 2012 Mayan calendar thing is really interesting too.

I guess no one here as ever heard of his addiction. The song is about heroin, it's use, and his battle with it. "give me comotose joy like rerun TV" "you don't judge me, that's not your style, but I won't see you for a little while"

my favorite of the new ones, I cannot wait till all these songs are recorded!

There's a couple words/lines I'm not sure about.

i.e. In 1960's speak(?) & Some 1980's grief or maybe greed(?)

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