Know something about this song or lyrics?
Add it to our wiki.
Goodbye, little Robin-Marie
Don't try following me
Don't cry, little Robin-Marie
'Cause you know I'm coming home soon
My ships' leaving on a three-year tour
The next tide will take us from shore
Windlaced, gather in sail and spray
On a search for the mighty sperm whale
Fly your willow branches
Wrap your body round my soul
Lay down your reeds and drums on my soft sheets
There are years behind us reaching
To the place where hearts are beating
And I know you're the last true love I'll ever meet
Starbuck's sharpening his harpoon
The black man's playing his tune
An old salt's sleeping his watch away
He'll be drunk again before noon
Three years sailing on bended knee
We found no whales in the sea
Don't cry, little Robin-Marie
'Cause we'll be in sight of land soon
Don't try following me
Don't cry, little Robin-Marie
'Cause you know I'm coming home soon
My ships' leaving on a three-year tour
The next tide will take us from shore
Windlaced, gather in sail and spray
On a search for the mighty sperm whale
Fly your willow branches
Wrap your body round my soul
Lay down your reeds and drums on my soft sheets
There are years behind us reaching
To the place where hearts are beating
And I know you're the last true love I'll ever meet
Starbuck's sharpening his harpoon
The black man's playing his tune
An old salt's sleeping his watch away
He'll be drunk again before noon
Three years sailing on bended knee
We found no whales in the sea
Don't cry, little Robin-Marie
'Cause we'll be in sight of land soon
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!
And what is this line saying about her?
And I know your the last true love I'll meet
Here is what I think about this verse is about
Fly your willow branches
Wrap your body round my soul
Lay down your reeds and drums on my soft sheets
drum cards are used in making small threads from wool to spin on a spinning wheel to make long threads to be used to weave cloth on a loom. Reeds are used on looms to drive the cross threads across the perpendicular threads. When the weaver is going very fast the reed guiding the long thread across appears to fly through the other cross threads. This part if pretty far fetched but what else could the reeds and drums be? Did she suddenly become a musician? probably not.
I think he is telling her to hold on tightly to his memory and spend her time weaving cloth for soft sheets for him for when he returns. I know you're the last true love I'll ever meet means he loves her so much that no one else could ever be his true love after her. It also implies that he knows he is going into a dangerous place and he is trying to convince her (and himself) that he will return and they will be together when he returns.
whaling was a dangerous job
Fly your willow branches
Wrap your body round my soul
Lay down your reeds and drums on my soft sheets
It wasn't the thene to World in Action but Weekend World.
The Nantucket Sleighride of the title is how whalers referred to their boats being dragged along behind a harpooned whale.
Kinda pisses on your drugs theory, doesn't it?
"Starbuck's sharpening his harpoon
The black man's playing his tune
An old salt's sleeping his watch away
He'll be drunk again before noon"
. This sounds like a heroin addict is getting his fix while he listens to black music. Kinda backs up my theory that the greatest songs are written on and about drugs. Great song.