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I'm holding on to the hope that one day this could be made right
I've been shipwrecked, and left for dead, and I have seen the darkest sights
Everyone I've loved seems like a stranger in the night
But oh my heart still burns, tells me to return, and search the fading light
I'm sailing home to you I won't be long
By the light of moon I will press on
Until, I find, my love
Trouble has beset my ways, and wicked winds have blown
Sirens call my name, they say they'll ease my pain, then break me on the stones
But true love is the burden that will carry me back home
Carry me with the, memories of the, beauty I have known
I'm sailing home to you I won't be long
By the light of moon I will press on
So tie me to the mast of this old ship and point me home
Before I lose the one I love, before my chance is gone
I want to hold, her in, my arms
I've been shipwrecked, and left for dead, and I have seen the darkest sights
Everyone I've loved seems like a stranger in the night
But oh my heart still burns, tells me to return, and search the fading light
I'm sailing home to you I won't be long
By the light of moon I will press on
Until, I find, my love
Trouble has beset my ways, and wicked winds have blown
Sirens call my name, they say they'll ease my pain, then break me on the stones
But true love is the burden that will carry me back home
Carry me with the, memories of the, beauty I have known
I'm sailing home to you I won't be long
By the light of moon I will press on
So tie me to the mast of this old ship and point me home
Before I lose the one I love, before my chance is gone
I want to hold, her in, my arms
Lyrics submitted by starsie
Track duration: 04:17
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It's a song about the Odyssey
It's a love song
It's all of these things, because music can have multiple meanings like that. God put a little bit of the story of eternity in the story of a love between two people so we can understand His heart toward us. Josh captures that aspect nicely. Wonderful, isn't it?
Before I lose the one I love, before my chance is gone."
I've just started listening to this album, and am at the point where I can't really remember which song is which yet. I was listening to this song, left my iPod mid-song, came back later, and was like "oh, I think that this is one of the songs I like less. Maybe I should skip the rest." But I didn't skip it. And as soon as I pressed play, those lines started, and it was so beautiful. I love it.
All this to say, thanks to Jallenw for clearing it up for me. Anyhow, the song is about this character in the Odyssey. I believe Josh identifies and sympathizes with this character because the Christina life has similarities to this story. In the context of this album, I think Josh is using the story of the Odyssey as a metaphor for the Christian life. But I definitely understand your confusion cdm369. I was having the exact same thoughts as you were.
But in this song I see something a bit different. Josh is a master with metaphor and seamlessly incorporates history and literature into his songs in a fascinating way. Sea and water imagery especially run throughout the album. This song, unlike some of his others, feels old and weary. Even some of the lyrics hint at that. The impression I'm getting is a guy who is feeling weighed down by the burdens of this life but has a determination (not entirely by his own strength) to make it through. But he shows this by using a metaphor of getting home to a person.
This seems to come to a head with his usage of the myth of the sirens. Greek poets wrote of bird-women whose song was so irresistible that the sailors on passing ships couldn't resist sailing towards the sound of their voices only to have their boats dashed on the edges of the rocky cliffs where the sirens lived. In the Odyssey, Odysseus wants to hear the sound of their voices but knowing the danger, he makes his crew stop their ears with beeswax and bind him to the mast. Directing them not to untie him no matter what he did or said, they passed by the cliffs safely achieving what was thought to be impossible.
It's a really powerful metaphor that fits with the theme and feel of the song and serves to illustrate the desperate difficulty of the situation. It also fits with the idea that the song is referring to a person because Odysseus was trying to get home to his wife who assumes he has died in the Trojan war.
All in all, it's a powerful and beautiful song that seems to include multiple themes and topics.