I've always felt there is what songwriters call a "composite" element in this song. Like a character in a novel that's based on several real people. I tend to feel that the Civil War, hillbilly thing is most likely but, like several others have said, the boat sounds too modern. There's almost a Vietnam war feel to that boat. Like many posts have said - who cares? On the radio today I heard someone talk about the essence of a "good song", referring to something by Radiohead; he said that good lyrics are those that "resonate within you, even though you may not know what they mean". Resonate? Powderfinger has me wobbling like a jelly!
I've always felt there is what songwriters call a "composite" element in this song. Like a character in a novel that's based on several real people. I tend to feel that the Civil War, hillbilly thing is most likely but, like several others have said, the boat sounds too modern. There's almost a Vietnam war feel to that boat. Like many posts have said - who cares? On the radio today I heard someone talk about the essence of a "good song", referring to something by Radiohead; he said that good lyrics are those that "resonate within you, even though you may not know what they mean". Resonate? Powderfinger has me wobbling like a jelly!