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John Allyn Smith Sails Lyrics
By the second verse, dear friends
My head will burst, my life will end So, I'd like to start this one off by saying "Live and love" I was young and at home in bed And I was hanging on the words some poem said In '31 I was impressionable I was upsettable I tried to make my breathing stop, my heart beat slow So, when my mom and John came in, I would be cold From a bridge on Washington Avenue, the year of 1972 Broke my bones and skull and it was memorable It was half a second in, I was halfway down Do you think I wanted to turn back around and teach a class Where you kiss the ass that I've exposed to you? And at the funeral, the University Cried at three poems they'd present in place of a broken me I was breaking in a case of suds At the Brass Rail, a fall-down drunk with his tongue torn out and his balls removed And I knew that my last lines were gone while stupidly I lingered on Oh, but wise men know when it's time to go And so I should, too And so I fly into the brightest winter sun Of this frozen town, I'm stripped down to move on My friends, I'm gone Well, I hear my father fall And I hear my mother call And I hear the others all whisper, "Come home" I'm sorry to go I loved you all so But this is the worst trip I've ever been on So, hoist up the John B. sail (Hoist up the John B. sail) See how the main sail sets (See how the main sail sets) I've folded my heart in my head and I wanna go home With a book in my hand In the way I had planned Well, this is the worst trip I've ever been on Hoist up the John B. sail (Hoist up the John B. sail) See how the main sail sets (See how the main sail sets) I'm full in my heart and my head and I wanna go home With a book in each hand (With a book in each hand) In the way I had planned (In the way I had planned) I feel so broke up I wanna go home
Interaction
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06-29-2007
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06-29-2007
Will Sheff astounds me.
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06-30-2007
you can read more about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Berryman
also, i like the throwback to Sloop John B. to me it's fitting both lyrically and melodically, especially since the ship (the John B.) and the subject of this song share the same initials. nice touch!
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07-14-2007
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07-14-2007
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09-08-2007
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09-18-2007
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09-23-2007
The cover of Sloop John B. contains a few more references to those final poems in 77 Dream Songs (which wasn't Berryman's final work though they do heavily deal with suicide, he released over 300 poems after them). The line "I'm full in my heart and my head" is lifted almost verbatim, as well as the concept of carrying books in each hand.
Finally, the way the song addresses the listener as "my friends" is a technique that is often used by Berryman in his poetry. The song itself if straightforward, the story of Berryman's death, but it also acts as an homage to his work by incorporating pieces of his poetry itself.
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01-24-2008
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01-13-2009
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