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Look out, Mama, there's a white boat comin' up the river
With a big red beacon, and a flag, and a man on the rail
I think you'd better call John,
'Cause it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail
And it's less than a mile away
I hope they didn't come to stay
It's got numbers on the side and a gun
And it's makin' big waves.
Daddy's gone, my brother's out hunting in the mountains
Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmy-Lou
So the Powers That Be left me here to do the thinkin'
And I just turned twenty-two
I was wonderin' what to do
And the closer they got,
The more those feelings grew.
Daddy's rifle in my hand felt reassurin'
He told me, Red means run, son, numbers add up to nothin'
But when the first shot hit the docks I saw it comin'
Raised my rifle to my eye
Never stopped to wonder why.
Then I saw black,
And my face splashed in the sky.
Shelter me from the powder and the finger
Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger
Think of me as one you'd never figured
Would fade away so young
With so much left undone
Remember me to my love,
I know I'll miss her.
With a big red beacon, and a flag, and a man on the rail
I think you'd better call John,
'Cause it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail
And it's less than a mile away
I hope they didn't come to stay
It's got numbers on the side and a gun
And it's makin' big waves.
Daddy's gone, my brother's out hunting in the mountains
Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmy-Lou
So the Powers That Be left me here to do the thinkin'
And I just turned twenty-two
I was wonderin' what to do
And the closer they got,
The more those feelings grew.
Daddy's rifle in my hand felt reassurin'
He told me, Red means run, son, numbers add up to nothin'
But when the first shot hit the docks I saw it comin'
Raised my rifle to my eye
Never stopped to wonder why.
Then I saw black,
And my face splashed in the sky.
Shelter me from the powder and the finger
Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger
Think of me as one you'd never figured
Would fade away so young
With so much left undone
Remember me to my love,
I know I'll miss her.
Lyrics submitted by kevver
Track duration: 05:31
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Powderfinger is about Cocaine.
" Raised my rifle to my eye
Never stopped to wonder why.
Then I saw black,
And my face splashed in the sky."
I believe he knows very well who is on the boat. His comment that they "don't look like they've come to deliver the mail" sounds slightly sarcastic. As for the color red, it could be that was how the two sides identified themselves; a red beacon could have been the enemy, so you should avoid them. Unfortunately, they were pretty much already there, so he had to do his best. The whole final part, to me, sums up the tragedy. Granted, there are plenty of parallels you can draw from this story in relation to the tragedy of war, of premature death, or whatever. I just feel the story speaks for itself.
The Emmy-Lou line is the one I find most moving. I love how Young can write such powerful lyrics with superlative clarity and simplicity.
Great, great poetry. Huge song. I love it even more when I see that few people can understand it.
Great, great poetry. Huge song. I love it even more when I see that few people can understand it.
With his father out hunting, a young man foolishly attempts to take on the gunboat with his father's musket. The gunboat fires back, hitting the dock the first time. The second time, the gunboat's shot blows his face off and kills him.
Considered more broadly and metaphorically, the song is definitely "anti war".
Interestingly, Neil Young contributes vocals to the Elton John/Leon Russell ballad "Gone To Shiloh". It too is an anti-war song set in a Civil War setting.
Raised my rifle to my eye
Never stopped to wonder why.
Then I saw black,
And my face splashed in the sky.
It surprises me that no one has commented on these lines, the last being the best line in the song, IMHO.
My friend and I have a joking argument about it; He says that the kid runs out in the water, his rifle misfires, blows up in his face and he falls forward - The water he falls into reflects the sky above, so his "face splashed in the sky".
*I* say that his gun explodes (OR he gets hit by incoming gunfire) and, naturally, he falls Backward into the water; As he sinks, facing upward, the sky seems to "splash" around his face.
I think it's just a cool story that could fit into any war but the weaponry and the relaxed Mississippi River rolling feel to the tune had an American Civil War-Era flavor to it. Actually, the bootlegger/revenooers conflict seems more likely to me. The specifics of red beacons and such is relevant only to the kid and his family.
IMHO
I wonder if Neil knew what it was about; he's said that he doesn't "edit" songs, he just writes them down quick as they come to him and records them as soon as possible while they're fresh. I often do that with paintings, and later analyze them as if I'm looking at someone else's art. Since the songs just "come to him" then it explains why he never spends any time explaining what they mean.