6. BOAT
I was born
out of nowhere
and back to nowhere
I'll return.

But for now
the river next to the house,
the river inside the house,
and a person's form.

Disconnected and drifting
in my boat.

I built this boat on the shore,
pushed it into the waves
and was born.

In this boat,
blown across the north,
another island appears
and then goes.

Mind only
plus the ocean
and my boat.

There's no way I will be able
to ever step outside of
my boat.

Overall Meaning

Mount Eerie's "Boat" is a contemplative and introspective song about the fleeting nature of human existence, using the metaphor of a boat journeying across the ocean to represent the journey of life. The song begins with the assertion that the singer was "born out of nowhere and back to nowhere," emphasizing the cyclical nature of life and death. This is further reinforced by the lyrics "the river next to the house, the river inside the house, and a person's form," which suggest that the river itself is a metaphor for life and the passage of time.

As the song continues, the singer describes himself as "disconnected and drifting in [his] boat." He built his boat on the shore, pushed it into the waves, and was born. The sense of isolation and disconnection is palpable, as the singer seems to feel adrift on the ocean, with only his boat and his own thoughts to keep him company. Yet even in the midst of this solitude, the singer asserts that "another island appears and then goes," reflecting the constant movement and change of life.

The final lyric, "there's no way I will be able to ever step outside of my boat," is a poignant reminder that no matter how much we may long for something more, we are ultimately confined to our own bodies and our own experiences. The song is a powerful meditation on the inevitability of mortality and the importance of treasuring each moment of life, no matter how fleeting.

Line by Line Meaning

I was born
I came into existence

out of nowhere
from a place or state of non-existence or obscurity

and back to nowhere
to a place or state of non-existence or obscurity

I'll return.
I will come to an end

But for now
at present

the river next to the house,
the body of flowing water beside the place where I live

the river inside the house,
the flow of thoughts and emotions within me

and a person's form.
and the shape or figure of a human being

Disconnected and drifting
feeling isolated and aimless

in my boat.
within the vessel I constructed

I built this boat on the shore,
I created this vessel on the edge between land and water,