best song on the album, hands down.

I hate to nitpick, but these three things need to get fixed:
1. key = quay
2. proud = prow
3. may lay = melee

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Brace yourselves, this album will be amazing.

so.
fucking.
great.
this album IS amazing.
will sheff is one of the most eloquent humans on earth.

"ENSUING MELEE ESCAPE"

my god.

and they did something with this album that tilly and the wall EPIC FAILED at.
they modified their sound and at the same time STAYED TRUE TO OKKERVIL RIVER.

thye're fucking great.

Love the song, the guitar is great, lively as always with this band. I just wanted to write what i think the song is about. It seems to me that Will Sheff is comparing life to sailing on a ship. He doesn't seem to want to be on it, as is life, you're not given a choice to make wether to come on this earth or not. Also, I feel the fact that you never really know what to expect from life, it's a big uncharted sea, lost coastlines and that eventually you find you've lost your way, maybe doubting you're doing the right thing or maybe what you really want "well we have lost our way" you just need to keep going "Just go la la la la...." Maybe it's too simplistic of an interpretation, and i'm not sure if Sheff is against that way of going with the flow, if he wants to break free, start over, and not be lost in the sea... I just wanted to start a discussion on the lyrics, it's the first song that pushed me into doing this. Love this band.

What a song.

I just heard Lost Coastlines for the first time on their website, and it's good! I basically agree with WillG on the meaning. You must keep moving on, toughing it out, sailing into the unknown, losing the coastlines you're lovingly familiar with, though with a hope that there will also be some greatness where you're headed...

I can't wait for The Stand Ins, especially after what laviebonne said. Tilly and the Wall, another one of my favorite bands, disappointed me so much with their new album, and Rilo Kiley did the exact same thing to me last year. But I have faith that Okkervil River's album will be incredible!!

I somewhat agree with you WillG about the unexpected turns in life and setting forth through doubt...but what I think you're missing is Johnathan Meiberg's (sp?) leaving Okkervil to focus on his band Shearwater. This is really the only true duet btwn Will and John...and I think that the intent is to show that this split is on good terms and that neither knows what will happen with their respective bands in the future...or if there may ever be an Okkervil "reunion"

Great song...just pre-ordered the new album and will be seeing them in NYC this October.

I somewhat agree with you WillG about the unexpected turns in life and setting forth through doubt...but what I think you're missing is Johnathan Meiberg's (sp?) leaving Okkervil to focus on his band Shearwater. This is really the only true duet btwn Will and John...and I think that the intent is to show that this split is on good terms and that neither knows what will happen with their respective bands in the future...or if there may ever be an Okkervil "reunion"

Great song...just pre-ordered the new album and will be seeing them in NYC this October.

Obviously there is a lot of reference to other songs too. For example, the sailing ship could be referring to a girl in port, and he is saying he could continue doing this if he pleases. It also mentions a key (No Key, No Plan) and a star (Song About a Star, All the Latest Toughs)

Eh sorry the version that I have is different from the album. It's Just Will playing acoustic and using a harmonica without drums. Thanks for the suggestions on correcting the lyrics though.

Think that Censored_by_laurie is exactly right, Will is expressing his hesitance at turning in his ticket and going ahead with his musical career, especially without the guidance of his friend and fellow Okkervil mate Jonathan.

But Jonathan essentially tells him that he has the talent to succeed, to keep going, he's given him the maps and everything he needs to succeed but he didn't let on just how difficult it would be (the lost coastlines).

Great song, obviously Will and co. aren't so lost as they may think, they're doing a fantastic job and so is Jonathan, but of course, it's Will's job to be a melo-dramatist. Good stuff

Maybe I'm just a dog but this song sounds to me like the guys in the band dealing with their misgivings over indulging in the pleasures of the road.

The "Lost Coastlines" refer to their moral boundaries disappearing as a result of constant travel (i.e. never having to remain in a place long enough to deal with the consequences of their actions).

And who here hasn't found themself in the middle of "waves wild and wide" deliberating whether or not they should give in to their lustful side? Anyone? I didn't think so. Sometimes you just have to say La, La... La, La, La...

"Is that marionette real enough yet to step off of that set to decide what her dance might be doing? Ruining the play to, in the ensuing melee, escape?"

You can tell that this is what he's really singing, and it's also the way the lyrics are listed in the cover insert.

Incredible song.

"will sheff is one of the most eloquent humans on earth."

AMEN BROTHER...

Sit down, sit down on the prow to wave bye
There might not be another star further on the line

We sing
Is that marionette real enough yet to step off of that set
To decide what her hands might be doing
Ruining the play to, in the ensuing melee, escape

We packed up all of our bags
The ship's deck now sags from the weight of our tracks
As we pace beneath flags black and battered
Rattling our swords in service of some (faded/fated) foreign lord

We sail out on orders from him but we find
The maps they sent to us don't mention a lost coastline
Where nothing we've actually seen has been mapped or outlined
And we don't recognize the names upon these signs

I want to become the tambourine player for Okkervil River. just sayin

WillG - To relate a song to talking about "life" is a cop out. Every song ever written is about life is some way, shape or form.

This is a political song at heart.

It deals with the American public throughout the presidency of George W. Bush.

Read on and you'll find out.


Lets break it down-

Asos is correct as well, it has a few underlining tones of a band struggling with the pressures of the road.

"Packed and all eyes turned in, no one to see on the quay. No one waving for me just the shoreline receding. Ticket in my hand and thinking wish I didn't hand it in."

The narrator has boarded a boat and looking back on where he left, there was no one seeing him off. This means people close to the narrator most likely disagreed or were unaware of his departure. He second guesses himself as he looks at his ticket. He obviously doesn't want to be on this trip. You could compare this to a soldier heading off to do Bush's bidding. (It will make sense later, read on.)

"Cause who said sailing is fine? leaving behind all the faces that I might replace if I tried on that long ride, looking deep inside but I don’t want to look so deep inside yet."

Who said joining the service was such a great gig anyway? The narrator obviously has strong ties to the place he left. He is leaving behind a lot of people and now he will have to make new acquaintances on this long ride. While thinking about the place he is leaving it makes him reflect on his thoughts and look deep inside, but he obviously does not want to be in this position.

"Sit down, sit down on the prow to wave bye. There might not be another star further on the line. Look out, look out at each town that glides by, and there's another crowd, to drown in crying eyes."

There might not be another place like where he left on this journey. There is a feeling that this boat is taking the narrator very far away and he will not be coming back or he will be a different man when he returns, just like a soldier. The towns that glide by only have crowds, not people that he knows.

"And see how that light you love now just won’t shine, there might just be another star, that’s high and far in some other sky."

Getting further into the journey the tone of the voice turns to optimistic and bright. He realizes that he has left the place he loves but he keeps hope that he one day will find a place just like it.


This is where it gets tricky:

"We sing, is that marionette real enough yet to step off of that set to decide what her hands might be doing,"

It's hard to figure out what he is literally saying. One would be an idiot not to point out that this is a political statement at it's finest. Think of president Bush as the marionette (puppet), he has often been referred to as such. Is a puppet sentient enough to make major decisions? I like how he writes "to decide what her hands might be doing" this implies that a puppet has no knowledge of what is going on around him/her and remember "hands" can often refer to the people a person in power surrounds themselves with. Even if they could decide what their "hands" are doing they would only know what they "might" be doing. I believe they refer to the puppet as "her" due to the use of the word marionette, and the "ette" part of the word has a feminine meaning.

"ruining the play to, in the ensuing melee, escape"

First of all, WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW OMFG!!!!!!! This song is great and this is the best line in it. A puppet controlling things will only ruin the "play" to a marionette ("country" to president Bush). And in the melee that follows, the puppet escapes without repercussion. Something Bush has been trying to do all of 2008.

"We packed up all of our bags. The ship's deck now sags from the weight of our tracks"

The true meaning of this statement is that when you "pack up your bags" that means you will be moving your bags. Notice the narrator has started to refer to the group rather than just himself, using "we" rather than "I". This implies that in the beginning he was against going on the trip and didn't have many people on board with him (remember, no one was on the shore to see him off when they set sail, he was looking back and seeing no one because everyone he knew was on the boat with him!) Now that the others on the boat have started to join his dissent. Just like what happened in America, when week by week more and more turned against Bush and his war. The group is getting off the ship and the deck is sagging from the weight of only their tracks, which literally means the deck isn't sagging at all because a person's tracks weigh nothing.

"As we pace beneath flags black and battered"

The ships has landed on a new place, the group is now off the ship, on land, beneath flags black and battered. Just picture that in your head. Think about what the flag means to you. The flag and everything you thought it stood for is now unrecognizable, black and battered by the lure of a false war and the Patriot Act.

"Rattling our swords in service of some fated foreign lord"

Taking up arms in service of this now foreign lord. This is a great line. The leader or the "puppet" that once ruled them is in another country, they now inhabit a place that is different from where they came from, making the leader that sent them there "foreign". This means that more and more people started turning against Bush, making him an outsider rather than a leader. This is why the 2008 elections were immensely popular, we were looking for a new captain.

"We sail out on orders from him but we find the maps he sent to us don't mention lost coastlines. Where nothing we've actually seen has been mapped or outlined and we don't recognize the names upon these signs"

Following the orders from a superior is like taking maps from someone and sailing out blindly. But take it literally for a second and say you are sailing and following the map. You can come upon a coastline that wasn't on the map. What would it do? It would make you question the mapmaker. Bush's tenure in the White House is like the map we followed, he made a case for war and told us how it was going to happen. You were either with him or against him. But now we are all on the boat as Americans, and we can see a coastline that wasn't in the original plans. We never found WMD's and Iraq is a quagmire. Nothing has been mapped or outlined for the future of foreign policy or the economy or anything for that matter. This is all uncharted land we are experiencing in history.

"And every night finds us rocking and rolling on waves wild and wide, well we have lost our way, nobody’s gonna say it outright. Just go la la la la la la la la la….. "

We have all lost our way due to us being led by a puppet captain on a ship following a broken map that has no mention of Lost Coastlines. Just picture the boat and passengers as the American public over the past few years. There have been slow protests, but most of the people just followed like sheep and wouldn't bat an eye to the map we all were following. No one has really come out against the president outright.

The song ends with over two minutes of "la la"'s. This plays to the effect that the future has yet to be written in this game, there is more to the song, and to be living in this day and age is an uncertain thing. We have no idea where we are headed, but lets make the best of it.

Thank you.

I suspect JoeF is right about this (although in an incredibly smug and arrogant manner it has to be said).

Just a couple of thoughts to add:

What if Lost Coastlines refers more specifically to the unsuccessful search for Weapons of Mass Destruction In Iraq?

Then - "We sail out on orders from him but we find the maps he sent to us don't mention lost coastlines" - relates to those who were sent by Bush and Blair on a wild goose chase.

Maybe I'm reading to much into it but that would be clever songwriting in my humble opinion.

Not being American, I'm not sure how much influence or authority (if any) Condeleeza Rice had in the decision to send weapons inspectors but if she did play an important role then could she be our "marionette".

And, when we've finished serving and volleying semantics, it's a great song and it's a big universe so I rather suspect it doesn;t matter:-)

Yeah.......I really don't think it's political.

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Political? biggest load of bullshit ever. Censored by laurie seems more on the money. that rhymes :)

And to impossible. are you stupid or something;

A quay (pronounced key) is a wharf or bank where ships and vessels are loaded.
this makes sense in the context of the song your version does not.

The prow is the foremost part of the boat that cuts through the water.
i.e hes looking out in the direction the ship travels.
why sit on the proud? doesn't make sense

Melee (from the French mêlée IPA: [meˈleː]) generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters.
"ensuing melee" suggests there is a battle brewing. or they expect one.
again may lay doesn't make sense.

so impossible don't suggest somethings incorrect just because your slightly illiterate and you don't recognise the words.

First off I think Impossible was correcting the original mistakes and therefore not an idiot but absolutely right.

I would also have to disagree with Joe that the song is political. Political songs tend to have much more obvious meanings by definition since they are trying to call attention to a cause. Also, your description was just confusing - first you say Bush is the marionette or puppet then you say that the puppet is controlling the country. Puppets usually get controlled by something or someone, not the other way around. That said, I found your interpretation interesting anyway and who am I to say it's wrong.

Here's my take on the song: It seems like the singer is using a long voyage at sea as a metaphor for a major life decision and the regret that inevitably comes with it. More specifically, it could be the band's decision to pursue music and life on the road as others have mentioned above.

Take the 1st verse: the guy just handed in his ticket and is already regretting the decision.
"looking deep inside but I don’t want to look so deep inside yet" - the singer has been forced to look inside himself to make a major life choice but is clearly uncomfortable with growing up so soon and having to face real consequences.

2nd verse: I like the use of stars in this verse, "there might not be another star, farther on the line", seems to mean there might not be another opportunity and the singer feels like he has to take this trip (make the life-changing decision). To apply it to the band scenario - the singer feels like he might not get another opportunity to be in a successful touring band. Later in the verse, however, "there might just be another star, that’s high and far in some other sky" - perhaps the singer has become disillusioned with life on the road and his original decision and realizes that his life could have turned out a lot different had he made a different choice.

3rd Verse: This is the toughest to decipher but I think the singer/band, seeing more commercial success, feels like a marionette being manipulated (from manager, agent, label, etc.). They step back and reflect upon the meaning of what they are doing - there doesn't seem to be a point, it's all a big show. The descriptions seem to get even more grim as they describe themselves as pirates, practicing their craft to make others rich. Not only does their chosen path meaningless but perhaps it is actually harmful? (Note: the last word in the verse is most definitely lord or lords and not war)

4th Verse: On my version I don't hear the Jonathan part, so I'm just going to assume that was taken out for the CD version. The ship is sailing into uncharted waters just as the band perhaps is entering a new period of recognition. Maybe they have strayed from their original vision of the band or are regretting "selling out". Finally, resigned the band admits "well we have lost our way, nobody’s gonna say it outright." My favorite part both musically and lyrically is the "every night finds us rocking and rolling on waves wild and wide" section because it seems to tie in both literally and figuratively: literally in that the band plays rock shows and figuratively in that they are rocking on the waves. Almost like they are questioning the value of their music and their way of life. It also seems to be the climax of the song, after which there is a bunch of "la, la, las" to underscore the pointlessness of it all.

I recommend you check out the music video for this song as I think it backs up some of what I mentioned, I think you'll know what I mean.

Anyway, I love the song and would appreciate any more interpretations.


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I believe the foreign lord is 'feted' not 'fated.' Feted means celebrated, but I usually hear it said (and Will sings it) derisively. Now whether this lord is Bush/Cheney, a record label executive, Billboard charts, money, music critics or whatever is a different matter entirely.

In an interview in NPR's All Songs Considered, Will said that The Stand-Ins is sort of the rebuttal to The Stage Names. In this case he said that this was the conterpart to Unless It Kicks, which is about the joys and fun stuff of touring, Lost Coastlines on the contrary is about the bad side of touring and playing shows.

this guy i know kind of introduced okkervil river to me last spring, and i was like "ehhhh this is decent but thats it."

and then i heard this song a few months later, and changed my mind.

brilliant.