Finisterre
June Tabor & Oysterband Lyrics
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Sleep away the afternoon
Rocking with the tide
Drinking with the moon
I found a ticket in my pocket
All the way from Port of Spain
And the warm wind
Santander, the sky is falling
The tale we told each other has an end
Santander, you hear me calling
You, that never lost a friend
We′d often look for gold
Treasure buried in the sand
We hid it long ago
Before our wars began
When the world was green and early
And time was on our side
Before the storm got up
To blow us far and wide
Santander, the sky is falling
The tale we told each other has an end
Santander, you hear me calling
You, that never lost a friend
Farewell, Finisterre
Sleep away the afternoon
Just rocking with the tide
Drinking with the moon
Last night I turned the glasses over
And I drank the bottle dry
The moon stared out to sea
All night and so did I
Santander, the sky is falling
The tale we told each other has an end
Santander, you hear me calling
You, that never lost a friend, never lost a friend
The song "Finisterre" by June Tabor and Oysterband is a melancholic farewell to a place - Finisterre - where the singer has spent time with friends and has now left behind. The first stanza is about the singer rocking with the tide, possibly on a boat, and drinking under the moon. She then discovers a ticket in her pocket from Port of Spain, and suddenly feels the warm wind from the Indies covering her again. The second stanza talks about Santander, a city in northern Spain, where the singer reflects on the end of a tale that she and her friend had told each other and calls out to the city that never lost a friend.
The third stanza talks about the past, when the world was green and early, and the time was on their side. The singer and her friend used to look for gold and treasure buried in the sand, and they hid it long ago before their wars began. The last stanza is another farewell to Finisterre, where the singer turned the glasses over and drank the bottle dry, just like the moon stared out to sea all night. The song ends with the singer again calling out to Santander, the city that never lost a friend. The song evokes a feeling of nostalgia and the passing of time, with memories of good times lingering on.
Line by Line Meaning
Farewell, Finisterre
Goodbye, the end of land in Galicia, Spain
Sleep away the afternoon
Relax and rest in the afternoon
Rocking with the tide
Moving back and forth with the waves
Drinking with the moon
Drinking while watching the moon
I found a ticket in my pocket
I discovered a ticket in my pocket
All the way from Port of Spain
The ticket was from a faraway place called Port of Spain
And the warm wind
A pleasant breeze
From the Indies covered me again
Reminding the artist of the warmth and comfort of India
Santander, the sky is falling
The artist is addressing Santander, a city in Spain, and indicating that things are falling apart
The tale we told each other has an end
The story that the artist and Santander shared is coming to a close
Santander, you hear me calling
The singer is trying to reach out to Santander
You, that never lost a friend
The artist is acknowledging that Santander has never lost a friend
We'd often look for gold
The singer and others would search for treasure
Treasure buried in the sand
The treasure they sought was hidden in the sand
We hid it long ago
They buried the treasure a while back
Before our wars began
Before they started fighting with one another
When the world was green and early
A time in the past when the world was young and thriving
And time was on our side
Back when they had enough time to spend on treasure hunts
Before the storm got up
Before the situation became chaotic
To blow us far and wide
To scatter them far from each other
Last night I turned the glasses over
The artist flipped their glasses over
And I drank the bottle dry
They finished their drink
The moon stared out to sea
The moon gazed out over the water
All night and so did I
The artist stayed up all night staring at the moon with a drink
You, that never lost a friend, never lost a friend
The singer mentions again that Santander has never lost a friend
Writer(s): Ian Telfer
Contributed by Emily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.