I do not own the song Two Years Before the Mast.
Astronautalis.”Two Years Before the Mast.” _Pomegranate_ .Eyeball Records, 2008.
Lyrics by Andy Bothwell, music by Andy Bothwell with help from other artists.
Two Years Before the Mast by Astronautalis. Right now I am loving this song. Astronautalis is Andy Bothwell, besides singer he writes all the lyrics and lots of the music as well. His music is rap plus a little bit of everything else, and it’s not the kind of rap that first comes to mind for most either. His lyrics can be weird at times but they have a lot of stories and metaphores behind which is neat. Also, in a couple of his songs (like in Two Years Before the Mast) the words get run together so it can be a little unclear what is being said at first, until listening to the song a couple times.
It took forever for me to try and get the lyrics together and these are as close to the words as it gets ha. There are a few places where it’s just too fast and I’m really not sure what's being said and I can’t seem to find the lyrics anywhere, so enjoy… also whtever is in bold are things that im not sure are right
Two Years Before the Mast
Two years spent before the mast, and no one knows the secrets that
We're hiding.
If word got loose he'd face the lash, and thirteen loops would hold him fast
In silence.
Things are not always as they seem to be
Outside us.
Devil got a poor Persephone but they can't take,
They can't take you from me.
They can't take you from me, can't take you from me, can't take you from me.
Mr. Jones done made a mistake, its all business.
Worst thing than a watery grave, a poor ictus.
Found and bound a barrel of grain in the hole listless
A hollow half out of dismay, afraid princess.
I guess I've gone soft in my age, they call it instinct.
The rebels get the devil to pay and the cat kissing.
Gonna start a new ought to send it to the brig
But strongest not to give and still water calm winds.
And all things aren’t what they seem to be and a small wall separating Earth from Eden one rib did give Eve a meaning and one snip might could keep a secret with a short head hair and a change of clothe fit right in and work soak in oakum four fort nights and she'll know what with opium it might slip by but for imposing.
Two years spent before the mast, and no one knows the secrets that
We're hiding.
If word got loose he'd face the lash, thirteen loops would hold him fast
In silence.
Things are not always as they seem to be
Outside us.
Devil got poor Persephone, but they can't take
They can't take you from me.
Lit by the sheers
Twist of her hair
To the air, handsomely.
Until they
Floated down, among the clouds reflected on the, glassy sea.
And when
Winds disappeared, stripped almost bare, bathed in the, transfixed state.
And all things are what they seem to be.
She floated next to me.
Just out of reach.
There is no knots so steadfast it won’t go broke in the middle of monsoons you both don’t show waiting watching the wet lips it blows so through blinded mind of the red sky in oxide clouds give just as designated response and blooms coupled up with stem it’s stolen once you poke a bridge you get the bulk and a world pitch pulled through your shirt with soft hands and a soak stone.
Mr. Jones is a poor soul who walked in, to a tempest and less time to pull, fools hit them with whipping and head sale but who's the best man, can it end when it’s almost through. So we paid our key. For the sin of a reckless dream. In the scene where the secrets sleep between me and the devil and the deep blue sea.
Two years spent before the mast and no one knows the secrets that
We're hiding.
If word got loose he'd face the lash, and thirteen loops they'd hold him fast
Iin silence.
Things are not always as they seem to be
Outside us.
Devil got poor Persephone but they can't take,
They can't take you from me.
They can't take you from me, can't take you from me, can't take you from me.
So his lyrics can be wired and questionable at times and can make no sense but I find the songs enjoyable to listen to even if I don’t always know what’s going on. The meaning behind these lyrics is really interesting and there are a lot of references that are made. So I broke down the chorus a little just to give a feel of what’s going on…
“Two years spent before the mast” -Two Years Before the Mast is a story by Richard Henry Dana that was written after he spent two years sailing to California and back in the 1830’s, “before the mast” was what they called where sailors would stay on the ship. The song's main references pertain to ships and sailing and i believe the book in general.
"and no one knows the secrets that we’re hiding” -I guess the book is about how poorly the sailors were treated, which plays into this verse.
“If word got loose he'd face the lash, and thirteen loops would hold him fast, in silence” -This is talking about a hangman's noose which were tied with thirteen loops. And from my perspective it sounds like the line is talking about how if anyone had known that Dana had been keeping a journal that he would have been hung. It’s pretty easy to get “hold him in silence” is being hung.
“Devil got poor Persephone”-I found thid to ber really intersting... So according to Greek mythology Persephone was taken by Hades to the underworld where she was forced to be his bride, this earned her the title goddess of the underworld (she was also the goddess of seasons). After some time she was going to be allowed to go back to her mother, until she ate seven pomegranate seeds offered to her by Hades. It was a known rule that anyone who ate while in the underworld was not allowed to return. However because of certain circumstances it was allowed for Persephone to return to her mother every year bringing with her sun, flowers and harvest (spring) but she still had to stay with Hades in the underworld for four months of the year which meant dark months (winter). SO that's what it means by the devil gettin Persephone, that she was taken and then "tempted."
Something that I found to be interesting about the pomegranate mentioning in this is that Astronautalis’ newest album is titled Pomegranate…it's is also suppose to be the food of Hade.
There's also a lot of other things to be found in the song, like the mentioning of Eve and the story behind that as well as the talking about Mr. Jones.
Another favorite of mine by Astronautalis is Oceanwalk.
