Rael 1
The Who Lyrics
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Will overspill their borders
And chaos then will reign in our Rael
The country of my fathers
A proud land overloaded
Like a goldfish being swallowed by a whale
Rael the home of my religion
To me, the center of the earth
The Red Chins in their millions
Will overspill their borders
And chaos then will reign in our Rael
My heritage is threatened
My roots are torn and cornered
And so to do my best I'll homeward sail
And so to do my best I'll homeward sail
Now captain, listen to my instructions
Return to this spot on Christmas day
Look toward the shore for my signal
And then you'll know if in Rael I'll stay
If a yellow flag is fluttering
Simply held against the morn
Then you'll know my courage is ended
And you'll send your boat ashore
But if a red flag is flying
Brazen, bold against the blue
Then you'll know that I am staying
And my yacht belongs to you
Now captain listen to my instructions
Return to this spot on Christmas day
Look toward the shore for my signal
And then you'll know if in Rael I'll stay
He's crazy if he thinks we're coming back again
He's crazy if he thinks we're coming back again
He's crazy if he thinks we're coming back again
He's crazy anyway
If a yellow flag is fluttering
Sickly held against the morn
Then you'll know my courage is ended
And you'll send your boat ashore
The Who's song "Rael 1" tells the story of a man named Rael who is rooted in his homeland, which is threatened by the overspilling of millions of "Red Chins". The imagery of the goldfish being swallowed by a whale highlights the overwhelming nature of the threat against his heritage. Rael sees his religion, and thus his purpose, centered in his homeland, which he refers to as the center of the earth. The second half of the song sees Rael requesting his captain to return to a specific spot on Christmas Day to signal if he will stay in Rael or not. If a yellow flag indicating cowardice flies, his courage is ended and he will return home. However, if a red flag flies, he will stay and the yacht belongs to his captain.
The song alludes to the struggle for identity in the face of a globalized world. Rael fears losing his roots and identity if his homeland falls to the threat of the Red Chins. The determination to remain in his homeland represents the struggle to preserve one's culture and religion in the face of assimilation or forced migration. Pete Townshend, the composer of the song, wrote it as part of a concept album "The Who Sell Out," which is a parody of radio shows from that era. In the context of the album, it satirizes the commercialization and marketing of different products and ideologies.
Line by Line Meaning
The Red Chins in their millions will overspill their borders
There will be a mass migration of Chinese people and it will lead to chaos and conflict in Rael.
And chaos then will reign in our Rael
The influx of Chinese people will create chaos and turmoil in Rael.
The country of my fathers is a proud land overloaded
My homeland, which has been passed down through generations, is a proud and significant land that is being overburdened.
Like a goldfish being swallowed by a whale
My homeland is being consumed and overwhelmed by outside forces, like a small fish being swallowed by a larger one.
Rael, the home of my religion, to me, the center of the earth
Rael is not only my ancestral homeland, but also the center of my religious beliefs and the most important place on earth to me.
My heritage is threatened, my roots are torn and cornered
My cultural heritage is in danger, and my ancestral roots are being forcibly uprooted and confined in a small place.
And so to do my best I'll homeward sail
I will return home and do my best to protect my heritage and cultural roots.
Now captain, listen to my instructions, return to this spot on Christmas day, look toward the shore for my signal, and then you'll know if in Rael I'll stay
I am instructing the captain of my yacht to wait for me on Christmas day and watch for my signal, which will indicate whether or not I will stay in Rael.
If a yellow flag is fluttering, simply held against the morn, then you'll know my courage is ended, and you'll send your boat ashore
If you see a yellow flag waving limply in the morning breeze, it means I have lost my courage and you should come get me.
But if a red flag is flying, brazen, bold against the blue, then you'll know that I am staying, and my yacht belongs to you
If you see a red flag flying boldly against the blue sky, it means I am staying in Rael, and you can have my yacht as a gift.
He's crazy if he thinks we're coming back again
The singer believes that whoever they are referring to as 'he' is insane for thinking that they will return to Rael.
He's crazy anyway
The artist continues to assert that 'he' is insane, regardless of anything else.
Lyrics © Abkco Music, Inc.,
Written by: PETE TOWNSHEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Sessoms
Having bought both albums new when they first came out, that's what I thought when I first heard the Overture to Tommy (still do think that). But they didn't toss him off the yacht. He went ashore voluntarily. For whatever reason the yacht never came back to look for his flag.
Obviously the yacht and crew were lost after he gave the yacht captain his instructions. Whether or not the crew mutinied after leaving him on the shore at Rael is undetermined. All we know from Tommy is that both Captain Walker and his crew failed to return.
But because Captain Walker did eventually return (only to be murdered in front of his young son) we know the loss of the yacht was a separate event from Captain Walker's stranding. I guess you could consider it an audio Easter Egg on the "Sell Out" album.
Hadn't really thought of it in years. For my taste "Sell Out" has stood up to the test of time better than "Tommy".
You can also hear the influence of "I Can See For Miles" in the Tommy Overture and later in Pinball Wizard.
Ernesto Claudo Dip
For those who say that Keith Moon was not an extraordinary drummer , listen to this.......
So creative , beautiful to listen to , and always IN TIME.
Mick Nick
Some of this song reappears on Tommy and live at leeds
Tim B
Maybe I'm crazy, but I have always thought Keith was the greatest drummer in any 60's band.
Andrew Anders
This track is completely AWESOME here !! The who albums always rule !
ballhawk387
Right on. his musicality is very underrated. Unmatched dynamics and feel.
ballhawk387
This was the first album that really took me into another dimension of sound well beyond what I heard on the radio. For that I'm grateful to The Who eternally.
Andrew Anders
the who always go to that next level !
Diego Michalski
Extremely underrated song!! it's just amazing
Joe Postove
Pete could write about anything, love, war, child abuse, pinball...God, he is the rael master!
Andrew Anders
the drumming here is insane and that organ is sick