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All hands on deck, we've run a float,
I heard the Captain cry.
Explore the ship, replace the cook,
Let no one leave alive.
Across the straits, around the horn,
How far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course,
And no one left alive.
We sailed for parts unknown to man,
Where ships come home to die.
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold,
Could match our captain's eye.
Upon the seventh seasick day,
We made our port of call.
A sand so white, and sea so blue,
No mortal place at all.
We fired the guns, and burned the mast,
And rowed from ship to shore.
The captain cried, we sailors wept,
Our tears were tears of joy!
Now many moons and many Junes,
Have passed since we made land.
A Salty Dog, the seaman's log,
Your witness, my own hand.
I heard the Captain cry.
Explore the ship, replace the cook,
Let no one leave alive.
Across the straits, around the horn,
How far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course,
And no one left alive.
We sailed for parts unknown to man,
Where ships come home to die.
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold,
Could match our captain's eye.
Upon the seventh seasick day,
We made our port of call.
A sand so white, and sea so blue,
No mortal place at all.
We fired the guns, and burned the mast,
And rowed from ship to shore.
The captain cried, we sailors wept,
Our tears were tears of joy!
Now many moons and many Junes,
Have passed since we made land.
A Salty Dog, the seaman's log,
Your witness, my own hand.
Lyrics submitted by planetearth
Track duration: 05:34
"A Salty Dog" as written by Gary Brooker Keith Reid
Lyrics © T.R.O. INC.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"All hands on deck, we've run a float,
I heard the Captain cry."
As opposed to using the common term "run aground" the lyrics suggest that the captain is no longer in control. The ship and it's crew is now at the mercy of the sea or "God" if you will.
"Explore the ship, replace the cook,
Let no one leave alive."
This may be a suggestion to take inventory of your life. At this point I believe we can assume the ship is the embodymen of one's life. It has reached the end of its voyage. Control has been relinquished.
"Across the straits, around the horn,
How far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course,
And no one left alive."
I believe "sailor" to mean sinner. The question being asked is "After such a sinful life can this sinner find peace (heaven)?"
"We sailed for parts unknown to man,
Where ships come home to die.
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold,
Could match our captain's eye."
This could be the voyage of repenting. The arduous journey one must take to make amends or find sobriety.
"Upon the seventh seasick day,
We made our port of call.
A sand so white, and sea so blue,
No mortal place at all."
Having atoned for one's sins, the sailor has found heaven or at least made peace with oneself.
"We fired the guns, and burned the mast,
And rowed from ship to shore.
The captain cried, we sailors wept,
Our tears were tears of joy! "
Left the sins behind and moved on to a better place.
"Now many moons and many Junes,
Have passed since we made land.
A Salty Dog, the seaman's log,
Your witness, my own hand."
This is my story of my repentance.
As a whole, I believe the song is ultimately about repentance. However, another parallel, as mentioned, could be the journey to sobriety. This especially occurred to me with the mention of the "seventh sea sick day". This could be alluding the seven day period of addiction withdrawal during rehab. Considering the time period the song was written, this could be the most likely subject.
"our tortured course"
So now the author and the rest of the crew that escaped the ship head off, not knowing where they are going. They find land and make landfall. The captain comes across them many years later, when they meet.. in death.
At least that is my idea. Probably stupid but it's what I think..
Synopsis: The after death impressions of a sailor during his very emotional and
uncertain voyage to the ‘Eternal Shore’.
'All hands on deck, we've run afloat!'
I heard the captain cry.
The ship is afloat again after the fatal shipwreck – however, now in the astral plane.
Afloat: Of a vessel which is floating freely (not aground or sunk).
'Explore the ship, replace the cook.
Let no one leave alive!'
Search the ship for anyone (who may be doing routine chores) pretending to themselves that
they are still alive – they must face fact. No one can proceed under such delusion.
Across the straits, around the horn:
How far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course,
And no one left alive.
A very distant and difficult voyage preceded the fatal shipwreck.
How could they possibly return home?
We sailed for parts unknown to man,
Where ships come home to die
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold,
Could match our captain's eye.
Now sailing in an astral purgatory, they trust the captain’s perseverance amidst
mirages and illusions in finding the Eternal Shore.
Upon the seventh seasick day
We made our port of call.
A sand so white, and sea so blue,
No mortal place at all.
Having, in much angst, purged their ‘sins’ (hates, fears, hurts, longings, etc.)
from all six planes of form, they reached their destination on the seventh.
No mortal place indeed!
We fired the gun, and burnt the mast,
And rowed from ship to shore
The captain cried, we sailors wept:
Our tears were tears of joy.
Thoroughly exhausted, empty, and profoundly grateful, they are Home.
Now many moons and many Junes
have passed since we made land.
The earthly life is hardly remembered now.
A salty dog, this seaman's log:
Your witness my own hand.
“This is my experience.”
This is a song about a man dreaming of his perfect love. "All hands on deck," is the last thing any sailor wants to hear. It means there is terrible trouble about. "We've run afloat," is the opposite of what any sailor would worry about. They were bound to sea, but actually being at sea was a fearful thing. This is a man who has left his home and his mother.
"Explore the ship, replace the cook," terrible freedom from Mother.
"Across the straits," -Keith Reid "straight is the gate and narrow the path that leads to salvation."-- Jesus Christ.
"Around the horn," horn being a symbol of fertility, referring to a penis.
"How far can sailors fly?" sperm being the ultimate sailors.
"A twisted path, our tortured course, and no one left alive," the horrible emptiness of the life of a single man.
"We sailed for parts unknown to man, where ships come home to die," every voyage ends in the port. The port being the right vagina, in this case.
"No lofty peak, nor fortress bold could match our Captain's eye," no woman can fulfill him so far.
"Upon the seventh seasick day we made our port of call," after an eternity of searching adrift, (no seasoned sailor should ever get seasick), he found his girl.
"A sand so white, and sea so blue, no mortal place at all," she had white skin and blue eyes, and was so beautiful that the sailor could not believe she was human.
"We fired the gun, and burnt the mast, and rowed from ship to shore
The captain cried, we sailors wept: our tears were tears of joy," -- ejaculation, and more, an emotional connection.
"Now many moons and many Junes have passed since we made land," they're growing old together.
"A salty dog," he's unworthy of this experience.
"This seaman's log," semen, penis, the account of the whole story.
"Your witness. My own hand." the fact that he can dream it (and masturbate over the idea) means the reality must be out there, somewhere.
I'm more with the thing of "travel through life and death", at least a more poetical option. I would hate to think of it as a wanker's testament! :-)
I have loved this song since my early boyhood, it used to be the opening of one of the very first tv programs I can recall - it was called "adventures" or something - and kept listening to it like a mantra forever.
Then I grew up and sailed around the world for many years, yes I passed the Horn quite a few times, too, and never really felt like having to dig into meanings - weird as it may be. The song was some sort of a "call" to me, if you like, as I was born far from the sea.
Now I'm over fifty and bolted to the mainland, but the song certainly still evokes the freedom and fear of sailing into the blue, totally unaware of whatever comes next, wind in your hair and eyes pointed into the infinite. And all the confused mixed feelings and unanswerable questions that go with it. Just like life when you face it day-to-day, and death.
"we run afloat", though, means "we have a big hole in the hull" and is perfectly consequent to "all hands on deck" as a serious alert.
What I don't understand is: Why "A Salty Dog" ? What has a dog to do with it all ?
I am not mothertongue, so possibly a hidden meaning of this expression eludes me ?
A dog (maybe a humble person) that has spent too much time at sea ?
Thanks buddies, catch you soon.
I came across Libertatia and James Misson in my readings, recently. Libertatia was a libertarian, communist pirate haven set up in Madagascar in the 1600s. I wonder if Reid might have been thinking about it when he wrote this song. Would a ship from England in the 1600s have traveled all the way around Cape Horn just to avoid the Cape of Good Hope? In other words, would they have sailed west to get to Madagascar?
Now many moons and many Junes have passed since we made land.
A Salty Dog
(This seaman's log your witness-- my own hand)
Is there no way to edit or delete on this thing? Sorry for the repost.
Now many moons and many Junes have passed since we made land.
A salty dog
(This seaman's log your witness-- my own hand)
Cape Horn is the most southerly point of South America, and marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage; for many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried trade around the world. However, the waters around the Cape are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds, large waves, strong currents and icebergs; these dangers have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard.
It was on the way to Australia from England.
They're sailing the river Styx. Their captain is Charon. But they do find themselves in Heaven at the end. "The seventh sea-sick day" -- 7 being the number of the infinite. As with most Procol Harum songs that I've heard, Christian imagery and numerology play their part, here.
They fired the gun to announce their arrival, and burned the mast because they intended never to return to their port of departure.
"A salty dog, this seaman's log: your witness, my own hand" is the end of the letter. In his blindness and old age, Paul had Timothy write his last epistles. Paul came in at the end to say, "I write this in my own hand," to prove to the recipients that the letter was authentic, and that Paul was still alive. It should be written like this:
Now many moons and many Junes have passed since we made land.
A salty dog, this seaman's log.
Your Witness
(my own hand)
He felt his name was unimportant, just that he had witnessed this all, and wrote it to us as a promise.