I've always wondeded what they meant by the line." "Write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand in the land that our grandchildren knew" Our grandchildren are born after us arn't they. "write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand for my life still ahead pity me . Also this is the only song I've ever heard that I swear at 13 years old I had already knew the song before I had heard it like In another life or something, Yea I know it sounds crazy but its true.
Kinda complicated...but the song is about space travel (apparently at the speed of light) because upon returning, 100 years has passed on Earth while only a year has passed during the traveler's life. So, in other words, when he returned, he returned to the land his grandchildren knew.
Brian has explained the meaning behind this song MANY times. The song is about a man who goes off into space ("the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn, sweetest sight ever seen") in search of a new world because the Earth has become overpopulated ("in the days when the lands were few"), leaving behind his love, whom he spends the trip thinking of ("don't you hear my call, though you're many years away, don't you hear me calling you?"). Because of the relativistic time dilation that goes with faster-than-light space travel, when he returns, he has aged only a year but a lot more time has passed for the people on Earth ("oh so many years are gone though I'm older but a year"), and he sees his love's features in her descendant ("your mother's eyes, from your eyes, cry to me"). Although he's accomplished his mission in finding a new world ("and they bring good news of a world so newly born"), he's lost the thing that was most important to him, as his love has carried on with her life, grown old and died in his absence ("though their hearts so heavily weigh, for the earth is old and gray"), and he'll spend the rest of his life yearning for the love that's lost in time to him ("all your letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand - for my life still ahead, pity me"). An episode of the old TV show "The Twilight Zone" (I believe called "The Long Morrow", which starred Robert Lansing and Mariette Hartley, if anybody remembers it) had a very similar plot. But its a beautiful song in its emotional clarity and lyrical ambiguity, which allows the listener to put their own spin on what the song is about. But as for the originally intended meaning, yes, Brian has talked about the story behind this song many times over the years.
BHM 0271 wrote: Excellent post and analysis Ray. Looking forward to seeing it again in a few weeks when the next person asks what '39 is about.
LMAO Yeah, you're right--this won't be the last time we'll see this question. But I agree; that was a beautiful explanation. Even though I know what the song means, I enjoyed reading Ray's post.
Thank you, Ray!
William Eric Kellum wrote: I've always wondeded what they meant by the line." "Write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand in the land that our grandchildren knew" Our grandchildren are born after us arn't they. "write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand for my life still ahead pity me . Also this is the only song I've ever heard that I swear at 13 years old I had already knew the song before I had heard it like In another life or something, Yea I know it sounds crazy but its true.
Yeah, I only really worked it out quite recently after I heard the speech Brian made about it on ROTC a few times. That always kinda xonfused me.
I believe Thats what the song was about not arguing that but it somewhat fits a regular ship setting sail on the water with some volunteers from England Men women and children,into the blue water in the days when the lands were few,possibly 1586,the sweetest sight ever seen,with the score brave souls inside,for many alonley day "sailed" across the milky seas,never looked back never feared never cried,They found A new land,in North Carolina which became Englands first American colony The volunteers came home that day and they bring good news of a world so newly born though there hearts so hevily weigh, maybe then was when they found the space ship and began there time travel but a time machine dosn,t travel on the milky sea does it SHIT "BEAM ME UP SCOTTIE" Thats why I'm MAD THE SWINE been here before a long time ago!