Interpretations:The Bloodboat
- Song
- Lyrics
- Interpretations
- Credits
- Guitar Tab
- Bass Tab
- Chronology
Contents
What does the shipwreck represent?
A ship is sunk by the weight of silver cutlery it carries as cargo. The song itself compares the boat to a beating heart, but leaves further analogy to the listener.
The song reminded me of obesity. The silver cutlery represented the fatty meals eaten by the heart's owner, which eventually overwelmed the capacity of his body and caused cardiac arrest. "Down they spin, forks and knives, precous lives." Many lives are lost here, as weight-related problems claim many north american lives each year. Notice how the silver cutlery suggests it is an affliction of the rich. Not rich in the 'I work at Macdonalds so I eat my lunch there' sense, but definitely on a global scale.
I'll be the first to admit this probably NOT what the writer intended. The metaphore really streches thin if you try to compare the sailer to fast-food workers or hospital staff. But anyone who remembers the 'particle man'/quantumn uncertainty argument will forgive it.
--AntiEgo
I think that "The Bloodboat" is a parody of "The Love Boat". Maybe not the song itself but the phonetics of the of the titles. "The Bloodboat" sounds a lot like a commercial/theme advertising a movie, television series, or something of the sort. I don't know exactly what the song itself represents, I'm just looking at the surface of the song, not the actual or implied meaning. -Brittany W.
Stab[edit]
This song is about a guy who got stabbed.
"Mighty pump, do not fail / Push the water, let me sail" - stab victim hoping his heart doesn't stop before help arrives.
"A boat is like a beating heart / Inside out / Blood is like the ocean" - blood is spilling out from inside the heart, veins, and arteries creating a pool of blood.
"Engine man, we're too slow / Two days out, three to go" - victim realizes he can't make it to a hospital. As the victim bleeds out, time seems to creep along while he writhes in pain.
"Forty tons of cutlery" - the huge knife used to stab the victim
"...'Til the hull is split / And the Bloodboat flounders" - the knife slicing through the chest and into the heart.
"Down they spin, forks and knives / Precious lives / When the ship comes to rest" - the victim collapses as his heart gives out.
The final "Mighty pump, do not fail / Push the water, let me sail" at the end of the song is the victim's last cry for help before he dies.
Tiny Doctors[edit]
I think it is the heart inside a sinking heart, and the boatsmen are tiny doctors like in the song tiny doctors
--jimmyZenShinsThreeHundred11 (talk)
The fall of an empire[edit]
I like to think that this song is about a country or empire that rose from other fallen empires, only to eventually fall just as the ones who came before them did. The Bloodboat represents the entire empire.
"Returning triumphantly to port!" - This empire is currently strong and respected around the world.
"Mighty pump, do not fail!/.../ Cries the engine man" - Workers become apprehensive of the longevity of the empire, but remain faithful to it.
"Blood is like the ocean" - The empire has built itself up from the collapse other trading nations, 'sailing' on the blood of the fallen.
"Fancy silver in the hold / Must be sold" - However, it's clear that the nation must continue trading to sustain themselves.
"Push the throttle up / Says the captain" - The leader of the empire starts to fear its collapse, and pushes for quick growth.
"Forty tons of cutlery / Crushing her against the sea" - People try to meet the ambitious demands of the leader, but they take shortcuts and risks to achieve this.
"The Bloodboat flounders" - As a result, the empire falls, allowing another to take its place and repeat the same events.
