What the hull?
As fate would have it, a nautical narrative has been floating around in my life for the past few months.
I walked the plank in mid-April of this year. I plunged into the sea screaming dramatically. I thought my time thinking about anything nautical this year would end once I pulled myself out of the ocean and onto shore.
But I never got out of the ocean. Instead, I am stuck floating in it. Ever since the show, the 70s music I have been listening to has unintentionally been about nautical-related things.
Some of my favorite songs I have listened to since April are:
1. Shadow Captain by Crosby, Stills, and Nash
Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills, and Nash
Southern Cross by Crosby, Stills, and Nash
The first line in the song is: “Got out of town on a boat, going to Southern islands.”
Wind Wave by America
Per Britannica: “Wind waves are the wind-generated gravity waves. After the wind has abated or shifted or the waves have migrated away from the wind field, such waves continue to propagate as swell.”
The Captain and Me by The Doobie Brothers
The two lines in the song: “Deep as the river, wide as the sea. Changin’ the ways of a captain and me.”
Or Down You Fall by Gil Scott-Heron
The first line in the song: “I sail out on my paper ship.”
7. Night by Night by Steely Dan
The chorus:
“Well I don't really care
If it's wrong or if it's right
But until my ship comes in
I'll live night by night”
Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) by Looking Glass
Here are the first five lines of the song:
“There's a port on a western bay
And it serves a hundred ships a day
Lonely sailors pass the time a way
And talk about their homes
Theres a girl in this harbor town”
On top of that, I am currently reading Moby Dick for my required summer reading for AP Lit.
Moby Dick is all about going a-whaling so far. I am 26 chapters into the book. I have 102,308,458,923,579,224,358,497,234,790,438,257,962,354,697 chapters to go.
Later this summer, I am traveling to Cape Cod with my school. To no surprise, we are going whale watching.
This unexpected nautical narrative has found its way into my hobbies, music, and schoolwork.
As to why this happened, I have zero idea. Maybe it symbolizes something.
Oar maybe naut.
I do love to explore, after all. I generally dislike boats, though. I usually get super seasick when I am aboard one (unless it is on a lake).
I’d love to know if any unexpected narratives have come into your life this year. Let me know by sending me an email or commenting below this article!
Lyle Lovett - If I Had a Boat
A nautical song suggestion: Guy Clark, Verlon Thompson - Boats to Build. They've both got great versions, Also covered wonderfully by Jimmy Buffett.