You ain't gonna get me honey no way
Tearing down the highway in the pouring rain
Escaping from my wedding day
I heard the bells ringing in the local church
The ceremony's nearly under way
Telegrams came and the cheap champagne
Was driving everybody out of their brains
But I convinced my best friends I lost my nerve
And I pleaded I was being framed

"Sailor show me which way to go"
I screamed out loud
"Sailor show me which way to go"

Such a deadly silence
Due to my defiance
The wedding ground to a halt
Said I changed my mind
Ain't no use in your trying
So her brother punched me in the throat
Her mother got hysterical
The bitch was cynical
Father's in the corner drunk
Picking myself off the floor
I ran to the door
Damned if I was skippin' on my way

"Sailor show me which way to go"
You should have heard the noise
Said "Sailor show me which way to go"

So keep clean girlie
Find a man that's truly
Gonna love you from dusk till dawn
Keep your front door key
Don't give him up for me
'Cause tomorrow I may be gone
You see, your wouldbe keepers
All night creepin'
Nobody gonna change in there
Who thinks a marriage life should be like a dog's life
So let's renew it when the year runs out

Sailor show me which way to go
Sailor show me which way to go

She had a belly full of lust but she had no bust

Overall Meaning

The Brian Jonestown Massacre's song "Sailor" tells the story of a man trying to escape from his wedding day. The song starts with the man proclaiming that he will not be caught and taken back to his wedding. He is driving in the pouring rain while his friends distract his bride and guests. The lyrics suggest that he is not actually running away from his bride but from the institution of marriage itself. He screams out for the "sailor" to guide his way, a metaphorical figure of freedom.

As he arrives at the church, he sees the ceremony is nearly underway. Telegrams are coming in, and everyone is getting drunk on cheap champagne. He convinces his best friends that he lost his nerve and is being framed. He tells the sailor to show him the way, and the wedding comes to a halt. The man takes this opportunity to leave but is attacked by his bride's brother. The bride's mother is hysterical, and her father is drunk in the corner. The man runs off and asks the sailor to show him the way once more.

The last part of the song is addressed to the bride. The man advises her to find a man who truly loves her because he is not capable of giving that love. He tells her to keep her front door key and not give up anything for him because he might be gone the next day. The song concludes with the man repeating his plea for the sailor to show him the way.

Overall, "Sailor" is a commentary on marriage and the expectations that come with it. The song argues that people should not be forced to follow the traditional path of getting married just because society expects them to. The sailor represents freedom from these expectations.

Line by Line Meaning

You ain't gonna get me honey no way
I'm not going to be trapped by you, no matter what.

Tearing down the highway in the pouring rain
I'm running away from this situation as fast as I can.

Escaping from my wedding day
I'm getting out of my own wedding because I don't want to be there.

I heard the bells ringing in the local church
I was at the wedding, but I didn't want to be there.

The ceremony's nearly under way
The wedding is about to start.

Telegrams came and the cheap champagne
There were a lot of telegrams and people were drinking cheap champagne.

Was driving everybody out of their brains
The champagne was making everyone crazy.

But I convinced my best friends I lost my nerve
I managed to convince my friends that I wasn't going through with the wedding.

And I pleaded I was being framed
I made up a story about being framed to get out of the wedding.

"Sailor show me which way to go"
I am lost and I need guidance.

I screamed out loud
I was really upset and needed help.

"Such a deadly silence"
It was very quiet, but not in a good way.

Due to my defiance
Because I wasn't doing what everyone else wanted me to.

The wedding ground to a halt
The wedding stopped because of what I did.

Said I changed my mind
I told everyone I didn't want to get married after all.

Ain't no use in your trying
There's no point in anyone trying to talk me out of it.

So her brother punched me in the throat
The bride's brother was angry with me and hit me in the throat.

Her mother got hysterical
The bride's mother became very upset.

The bitch was cynical
The bride was being very negative and critical.

Father's in the corner drunk
The bride's father was sitting in the corner and drunk.

Picking myself off the floor
I had fallen down and had to get back up again.

I ran to the door
I left the wedding as fast as I could.

Damned if I was skippin' on my way
I wasn't going to let anyone stop me from leaving.

"Sailor show me which way to go"
I still need help finding my way.

You should have heard the noise
It was very loud and chaotic when I left.

Said "Sailor show me which way to go"
I'm still asking for help.

So keep clean girlie
Stay pure and true to yourself.

Find a man that's truly
Find someone who truly loves and cares for you.

Gonna love you from dusk till dawn
Someone who will love you all the time, not just when it's convenient.

Keep your front door key
Don't give up your independence and freedom.

Don't give him up for me
Don't leave someone who loves you for me.

'Cause tomorrow I may be gone
I may not be here tomorrow, so don't make any big decisions based on me.

You see, your wouldbe keepers
People who think they can keep you.

All night creepin'
Staying up all night trying to control you.

Nobody gonna change in there
No one in that group is going to change.

Who thinks a marriage life should be like a dog's life
People who think being married means being owned.

So let's renew it when the year runs out
Let's wait a while and then see if we still want to be together.

"Sailor show me which way to go"
I'm still looking for guidance.

Sailor show me which way to go
I still need to find my way.

She had a belly full of lust but she had no bust
She was very passionate but didn't have a very curvy body.

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