This song is especially meaningful in light of John Berryman's poetry itself. The 6th stanza (I was breaking in a case of suds, etc.) is a direct allusion to several poems of Berryman's, and the line "stripped down to move on" is directly lifted from one of the last poems in 77 Dream Songs.
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.
This song is especially meaningful in light of John Berryman's poetry itself. The 6th stanza (I was breaking in a case of suds, etc.) is a direct allusion to several poems of Berryman's, and the line "stripped down to move on" is directly lifted from one of the last poems in 77 Dream Songs.
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.