Wow, I really can't believe this song has no comments. This is one of the greatest songs off of what i think is arguably Nick and Co.'s finest effort to date. But i know a lot of people don't care for this album, which is a shame. As Nick puts it, duende (the inexplicable sadness) is paramount for all love songs to truly be, and where the Bads Seeds are concerned, no album has more of it than Boatman's.
For some reason, i always got the impression Nick was singing about a woman that had died, making the song, for me anyway, just that much sadder. The image of the boatman (or charon) ferrying the dead has no small part in that i'm sure. I picture a man, sitting in a lime tree arbour saddly remember a woman who now protects him everywhere and always. Perhaps the arbour was a place they shared together.
The boatman having left by the end of the song leads me in this direction too - as well as Nick's use of the word "PUT" in his stanza, in contrast to "PUTS" in hers. This is small, i know, but for some reason, i always found his use of put to imply past tense, as in he no longer puts his hand on hers. However, she still puts hers on his. Weird i know, but thats always the sense i got.
Would love to know what other people think about this wonderful song.
@StickityWicket: that is what this song is about. Charon's boat metaphor, taking her beloved. 5 years since my then partner passed away, I always play it in her aniversary
@StickityWicket: that is what this song is about. Charon's boat metaphor, taking her beloved. 5 years since my then partner passed away, I always play it in her aniversary
Wow, I really can't believe this song has no comments. This is one of the greatest songs off of what i think is arguably Nick and Co.'s finest effort to date. But i know a lot of people don't care for this album, which is a shame. As Nick puts it, duende (the inexplicable sadness) is paramount for all love songs to truly be, and where the Bads Seeds are concerned, no album has more of it than Boatman's.
For some reason, i always got the impression Nick was singing about a woman that had died, making the song, for me anyway, just that much sadder. The image of the boatman (or charon) ferrying the dead has no small part in that i'm sure. I picture a man, sitting in a lime tree arbour saddly remember a woman who now protects him everywhere and always. Perhaps the arbour was a place they shared together.
The boatman having left by the end of the song leads me in this direction too - as well as Nick's use of the word "PUT" in his stanza, in contrast to "PUTS" in hers. This is small, i know, but for some reason, i always found his use of put to imply past tense, as in he no longer puts his hand on hers. However, she still puts hers on his. Weird i know, but thats always the sense i got.
Would love to know what other people think about this wonderful song.
@StickityWicket: that is what this song is about. Charon's boat metaphor, taking her beloved. 5 years since my then partner passed away, I always play it in her aniversary
@StickityWicket: that is what this song is about. Charon's boat metaphor, taking her beloved. 5 years since my then partner passed away, I always play it in her aniversary