Castaway Dreams

[michelej1]

Before UTS was released, when they showed the Track List on Amazon and I saw Castaway Dreams, I thought the phrase was taken from a poem by Susan Dickinson. Since Lindsey was familiar with Emily Dickinson, I assumed that he might have come across Susan's work too and that her poem Hyssop was the inspiration for his song title.

After I heard the song, I didn't see any connection. But it was interesting for me to read the poem and try to guess at the meaning of Lindsey's song, before I'd even heard it. The words to Susan's poem are:

Hyssop

Lives burned by grief and sin,
Barred close from warmth and light
Visions of beauty win,
Thro fancy's magic night.

Spent souls at close of fray
Shorn of all gifts but pain.
Shrink from the narrow Way -
And gaze at day again -

In thews of grinding ice.
Fast in its death cold seams,
Of warmth and sunny skies,
The Arctic castaway dreams.

No instant's flash & gleam,
No brief reprieve from pain,
Or lapse in honey dazey dream
For those whom Love hath slain

[David]

Let's talk about why Lindsey opted for the phrasal verb --> "cast away"
instead of the adjective --> "castaway"

Of course, the two mean different things. Also, he doesn't split his phrasal verb in the idiomatic way --> "cast dreams away"

He keeps it together, lending emphasis to "dreams," the final word of the title, & making the meaning in speech ambiguous. (When you hear someone say "cast away dreams," you can't distinguish it from "castaway dreams.")

That's a nice Susan Dickinson poem!

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by David

Let's talk about why Lindsey opted for the phrasal verb --> "cast away"
instead of the adjective --> "castaway"

Of course, the two mean different things. Also, he doesn't split his phrasal verb in the idiomatic way --> "cast dreams away"

He keeps it together, lending emphasis to "dreams," the final word of the title, & making the meaning in speech ambiguous. (When you hear someone say "cast away dreams," you can't distinguish it from "castaway dreams.")

That's a nice Susan Dickinson poem!

Yes, he's casting and pushing those dreams away and letting them defer or wither and die. Speech wise, it is helpful for it to mean "castaway" too, because that blends in with the sea reference in the lyrics. And the sea reference in the lyrics blend in with Sara and the word dreams, would also have an FM history. Got no dreams to sell, got not dreams to be wrapped around, because they're being cast away.

Also, the double entendre is not only good for the "sea" thread, but when you think of castaways you think -- Gilligan's Island -- well, not exactly, but. . . I think of someone who is cut off from the world, like Tom Cruise was. So, you have all the time to indulge your dreams or your "Wilson" because you don't have societal obligations and pressures. You are free to imagine and hope and to envision a world without tethers. But some dreams are just designed for castaways. They are not something a real man with responsibilities, children and a conscience can follow. So, I think "castaway" works nicely too.

As far as what something sounds like verbally goes, Lindsey killed me when he said he made the decision to pronounce "rodeo" like a cowboy rodeo, even though he meant Beverly Hills. Why the pronunciation choice? Don't tell us what you did and then decline to explain why, you nut. What meaning was he going for in doing that?

Michele

[danax6]

Originally Posted by michelej1

As far as what something sounds like verbally goes, Lindsey killed me when he said he made the decision to pronounce "rodeo" like a cowboy rodeo, even though he meant Beverly Hills. Why the pronunciation choice? Don't tell us what you did and then decline to explain why, you nut. What meaning was he going for in doing that?

Because the way it's supposed to be pronounced just doesn't gel with the song. It sounds really awkward if you put the stress on the second syllable. I don't think there's a deeper meaning behind that.

What's more interesting is why he pronounces 'reveille' as 'reverie', thus changing the entire meaning of the word. I think it was done deliberately.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by danax6

Because the way it's supposed to be pronounced just doesn't gel with the song. It sounds really awkward if you put the stress on the second syllable. I don't think there's a deeper meaning behind that.

What's more interesting is why he pronounces 'reveille' as 'reverie', thus changing the entire meaning of the word. I think it was done deliberately.

Just listening to GOS, I thought it was "Beverly Hills". I didn't know any different until UTS came out and Beverly went with Rodeo so. . . Then I got the UTS cd and that was a surprise to me. Also, the best surprise was Show You How because I didn't know the words. I thought he was saying, "and the shadows they will stand in linger." Well, really he said, "shadow singer will stand and linger" and I just about flipped out when I saw those words on paper.

Anyway, my take is that in every day language, "reverie" is not only dream thought, but when reverie comes up in literature, it usually means being lost in thoughts of the past. I associate it more with thoughts of the past than with anything else. Two little children looking at the past, but not being able to touch or achieve it again.

Michele

[danax6]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Just listening to GOS, I thought it was "Beverly Hills". I didn't know any different until UTS came out and Beverly went with Rodeo so. . . Then I got the UTS cd and that was a surprise to me.

I had been debating this with a friend for ages, especially after Soundstage came out and it really didn't sound like he said 'beverly'. We had tried all kinds of words, but never 'reveille', obviously. It was the first thing I checked when I got the album, as it had been driving me insane for a long time.

Anyway, my take is that in every day language, "reverie" is not only dream thought, but when reverie comes up in literature, it usually means being lost in thoughts of the past. I associate it more with thoughts of the past than with anything else.

Then we agree. And 'reveille' refers to waking up from those 'thoughts'. Planted back in the here and now, facing reality.

[David]

I was listening to this song for the first time yesterday in my iPod at the gym. The melody is adapted from an old Kingston Trio number, but I can't remember which one. Anybody? Bueller? It's driving me crazy.