"The sea goat reads the flight of birds and
writes upon the sand"
Is this the flight of birds preparing for migration in autumn? The
first hint that summer might be drawing to an end and it is time to make a
change.
Jon Green:
Agreed. The second verse begins, as did verse one, with Peter telling us that
he is preparing to offer a prophecy. Writing on the sand certainly suggests
activity of a shamanistic nature. Reading "the flight of birds" is
an ancient divination technique known as augury.
"They left no literature
but the later Romans were indebted to the Etruscans for much of their
knowledge of building, draining marshes, irrigating land and for their belief
in foretelling the future by observing birds in flight and studying the
organs of animals."
- History
"The fates warn, stars teach, and likewise the flights of birds, that I
will soon be the hammer of the world. Rome, a long time wavering, having
committed a multitude of errors, will collapse and cease to be the leader of
the world."
- Frederick II
- Tarot and the Millenium
by Timothy Betts Ph.D. (p. 219)
Neil Ingram:
Any writing on the sand will be soon washed away by the tides. There is a
sense of loss, too.
Jon Green:
Sand writing, while alluding to the temporal nature of everything in the
material world (see: Tibetan Buddhist sand mandalas) and to shamanism also
suggests a sense of futility. Like writing on the beach washed away by the
tide, in the "high bender trender" world of pop music, songs and
their lyrics are quickly forgotten in deference to the latest fad. Given this
milieu in which Peter worked and the general reception given his work by the
critics and listening public, perhaps the deeper feeling here is one of
despair, the sense that no one is listening to what he has to say.
return to page index
Neil Ingram:
The pointing hand might be Peter’s – (see below) and
there is a sense that something valuable (wheat – food) is being lost. The
autumnal image is strengthened.
Jon Green:
I asked Peter about this in December 98:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jon: The reference to autumn wheat in the next verse also suggests
the end of an era - the passage of fall into winter.
Peter Sinfield: "No - just about - politics of distribution...Famines!
Are usually caused by politics?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note that it takes a "pointing hand" to write upon the
sand. I think the "pointing hand" is indeed Peter's. It is the
hand of the shaman or prophet, pointing in the direction of where
we/society are going next. The wheat slipping through his hand suggests,
again, a sense of futility. Perhaps he feels he is not being understood,
valued, receiving the acknowledgement due him as an artist. And then there is
the specter of “something valuable being lost”, the gift being wasted.
However there is another pointing hand and the next line gives away his
identity. It is Capricorn in it's negative aspect as..."the need to
serve the fatherland and to contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of
paternalism within society. The means of enforcement, from police to the
military. The "terrible Father" of this house is the all-powerful
master of his domain whose harsh justice and quick sword immobilises his
subjects. It is the wellspring of martial prowess and all worldly
ambitions."
"Gold waterfalls of autumn wheat slip
through a pointing
hand.
Whose fingers stiff with sentences still
beckon to the
band
To play the "Best Foot Forward March" and deafen all
the land.
With hollow words, it's so absurd!"
Neil Ingram:
It is the weary task of the writer who has to come up once again, with new
tunes for the band to play. And a loud band, too! Notice the' Best Foot
Forward march', is an injunction to make a change. The value of carrying on
is being questioned.
A retreat, perhaps?
"Yes, I forget in Somerset, but now I've lost my silver spoon."
- Peter Sinfield, Hanging Fire
Jon Green:
“Fingers stiff with sentences”
recalls
Islands'
"fingers of stone". This phrase seems to
express Peter's weariness (writer's cramp!) and the sense that he is being
held back by ideas (ego-constructs, social mores/expectations) codified in
words. Perhaps he is feeling constrained by expectations created by the
"words" of his own artistic legacy. "How do I get out from
under the crimson veil?" he may have asked himself. Note that it is also
Uncle Sam's fingers that are "stiff with sentences" and that
sentences are passed under the rule of law. Laws, custom and dogma define
governments, societies and religions. They tend to lead us away from
self-knowledge (gnosis) and toward identification with the group. It would
seem, then, that, just as governments, under Capricorn, pass sentence under
the law, Peter has, in a sense, passed sentence upon himself.
"still beckon to the
band
To play the "Best Foot Forward March"
"Take your stand" sang the sea goat
"the night goes on
and on."
This is the pivotal point of the song and sets the stage for the
drama that follows:
Jon Green:
I also see this passage as a call to stand against negativity in several
respects. Peter needs to "overcome" the sentence imposed upon him
by society (the critics and listening public) and by himself. All of us need
to overcome the suave pirate words of commercialism and governmental
propaganda.
Neil Ingram:
In the first verse, the Sea Goat sounds resigned and exasperated ("Oh,
cant you hear"…). In the second verse he sounds loud and angry:
"It fills the air! It fills the air!
The song of the sea goat shaking in the domes"
Now we must announce that it is time to move on:
"Unwrap your plans" sang the sea goat
"tell everyone
you've gone
To touch the earth and to see the birth
The smile, the style down an unspun mile of life."
Jon Green:
This is a beautiful passage. In the wake of Peter's departure from King
Crimson, a new plan unfolded. The end is always a new beginning, whether we
realize it or not. Peter had presided over the birth of progressive rock and
he was also there to "see the birth" of Roxy Music, a band who, in
the next decade, were to deeply influence the direction of pop music.
"The smile, the style down an unspun mile of life" surely alludes
to (or sets the stage for) the next song on the album,
Under the Sky
.
Neil Ingram:
But still the indecision remains. The author hovers between life in Crimson
(between the sunset's crimson veil) and anonymity (the smooth grey streets
where the drunkard spins his tale ).
Jon Green:
Good point. Note the streets are "smooth" - the easy way out.
|
chapter & page index |
|
Sign
the Dreambook
Read
the Dreambook
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Works |
Lyrics
& Poems |
Gallery |
Guestbook
Archive |
Links | Discography |
E-mail:
Peter Sinfield Jon Green |
Page One |
Arachnophilia