Sail On
Commodores Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And-a don't really wanna know-a where you're goin'
Maybe once or twice, you see, time after time
I tried-a to, to hold on to what we got, but-a now you're goin'
And I don't mind about the things you're gonna say, Lord
I gave all my money, and my time
I know it's a shame, but I'm givin' you back your name, yeah, yeah
Yes I'll be on my way, I won't be back to stay
Sail on down the line, ain't it funny how the time can go on-a
Friends say they told me so, but it doesn't matter
It was plain to see that a small town boy like me
Just-a wasn't your cup of tea
It was wishful thinkin'
I gave you my heart and I tried to make you happy
And you gave me nothin' in return
You know, it ain't so hard to say, "Would you please just go away," yeah, yeah
I've thrown away the blues, I'm tired of bein' used
I want everyone to know I'm lookin' for a good time, good time
Sail on honey
Good times never felt so good
Sail on honey
Good times never felt so good
Sail on sugar
Good times never felt so good
The lyrics to the Commodores' song "Sail On" describe a breakup between two people who were once in love. The singer is telling his former lover to sail on down the line and move on from their relationship, even though he doesn't know where she's going. He acknowledges that he's tried to hold on to what they had, but she's leaving and he's not going to stand in her way. He doesn't care about the things she might say about him after they part ways, and he's giving her back her name. He's on his way, looking for a good time.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "sail on" and adds "good times never felt so good." This seems to imply that the singer is not too broken up about the breakup, and he's ready to move on with his life. He acknowledges that it's funny how time can fly by, and his friends told him it wasn't going to work out, but he held out hope. He gave the relationship everything he had, but she didn't give him anything in return. He's finally had enough and is ready to throw away the blues and be done with being used.
Overall, the song is about letting go of something that's not working out, even if it's painful. The singer is moving on with his life and looking for something better, and he's not going to let the breakup hold him back.
Line by Line Meaning
Sail on down the line 'bout-a half-a mile or so
Continue moving forward about half a mile or so
And-a don't really wanna know-a where you're goin'
I don't really want to know where you are going
Maybe once or twice, you see, time after time
Perhaps once or twice, repeatedly over a period of time
I tried-a to, to hold on to what we got, but-a now you're goin'
I attempted to hold on to what we had, but you are now leaving
And I don't mind about the things you're gonna say, Lord
I don't care about the things you're going to say
I gave all my money, and my time
I gave you all my money and devoted my time
I know it's a shame, but I'm givin' you back your name, yeah, yeah
I know it's unfortunate, but I'm giving you back your identity
Yes I'll be on my way, I won't be back to stay
I'm leaving, and I won't return to stay
I guess I'll move along, I'm lookin' for a good time
I suppose I'll continue on, searching for a good time
Sail on down the line, ain't it funny how the time can go on-a
Keep moving forward down the line, isn't it strange how time passes
Friends say they told me so, but it doesn't matter
My friends warned me, but it's irrelevant now
It was plain to see that a small town boy like me
It was evident that someone from a small town like me
Just-a wasn't your cup of tea
Wasn't the sort of person you were interested in
It was wishful thinkin'
It was a wishful thought
I gave you my heart and I tried to make you happy
I gave you my heart and attempted to make you happy
And you gave me nothin' in return
You didn't return anything to me
You know, it ain't so hard to say, "Would you please just go away," yeah, yeah
You know, it's not that difficult to ask, "Could you please leave," yes, yes
I've thrown away the blues, I'm tired of bein' used
I've gotten rid of the blues, and I'm sick of being taken advantage of
I want everyone to know I'm lookin' for a good time, good time
I want everyone to be aware that I'm searching for a good time
Sail on honey
Continue sailing, sweetie
Good times never felt so good
Happy times never felt so wonderful
Sail on sugar
Continue sailing, darling
Good times never felt so good
Happy times never felt so wonderful
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Lionel Richie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind