"These poems are stories from my life, journals; and I think that it is a miracle that folk actually listen to them. I pray that hope would resonate from those words. I very much appreciate those of you that have stopped by, and I hope that you are having beautiful days out there in that crazy world."
"Levi is just one of those special people with a unique gift for stirring things up. I know he stirred me up the first time I witnessed him on a stage. What got to me most was his genuine passion and gleaming transparency. Love me some Levi the Poet!"
- Chad Johnson - Come&Live! founder/X-Tooth and Nail A&R
"This recording of street-level poetry is loud and furiously mixed with emotion and the occasional sound effect, but it's the subject matter that slaps you in the face. When he delivers his post-suicide goodbye in 'When I Go To Meet God,' it's easy to feel the pain his loved ones would've felt if he had done it, just like his doubtful lines ring of authenticity."
- Doug Van Pelt - HM Magazine (2010)
"Out of control! Spoken word with an experimental approach and very powerfully written. Chaotic, raw, controversial, and energetic - Levi the Poet is a fresh taste of creativity and you would be doing yourself more than just one favor by checking him out."
- Laurel Erickson - HM Magazine (2008)
"Extremely passionate about writing since the 5th grade, Macallister's brand of poetry is the definition of wearing your heart on your sleeve. His stage is his confessional and while sometimes he is inclined towards inducing an uncomfortably honest experience, it's impossible not to love this guy."
- Jameson Ketchum - Hopecore Magazine
screaming
yelling
whispering
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/levithepoet#ixzz0yUdENiy1
Herman Melville
Levi the Poet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh captain, my captain!
I've not read the last page of whatever novel you've been writing down below but the bow is bending beneath the weather and your men hopelessly row against a current that I hope you can control..."
So?"
So are the chapters erasable?"
Beneath waves of pipe tobacco and ashen ink that clings to the end of his quill, words spill across the oak tree trunk fashioned into a table, set before the author as he composes his fables… calmly, "sailor, I've enabled you to sail where I'd not and you've got a colorful tongue, boy, a rudder that rots at the root of the tree as the ship that you've built falls apart at its seams and you steer us deeper out into the seas."
The whole company's drowning.
Thinks, god, that's so unfair to me. "
Well then, father, you'd better feed your children, and stop blaming me for the immovable grasp that you have on the wheel!
It's not like you didn't ask to hang your own sails, to raise your flag on the mast, to set course for a trail that followed gold to unknown waters in the mouth of a whale, so when the mast breaks in half, don't you say that I've failed."
And slowly, the sailer bows out the door, feigning humility, as the floor creaks, crushing worms that crawled out of his boots beneath the weight of such a scolding.
That wormwood killed the crew, embittered them against the ship captain's last discipline out of love for you.
My crewmen and my brothers and my friends and my son, all sank beneath the current pulled by the gravity of what I'd done, and these seas and the moon reflect the image of the one that left me without excuse once the end had come." Oh captain, my maker, I've got nothing left to say, would that I have praised, with nature, your invisible name but I bit off my fingers and left myself maimed, with a hook that's replaced years of pointed blame, It's too late!
Is it too late to calm the waves?
And would you turn your face away to drive me to grace?
I am drowning!
Awake!
Walk the plank in my place.
Walk the plank!
Walk the plank!
With my last words I say:
Praise be the maker of my fate for the suffering he ordains."
The lyrics of Levi The Poet's song Herman Melville depict a conversation between a ship captain and his first mate. The first mate informs the captain that the ship is struggling against the weather and the current, and asks if the chapters of the captain's novel are erasable, hinting at the possibility of changing course. The captain responds sarcastically, commenting on the colorful tongue of the first mate, but also blaming him for steering the ship into deeper waters. He tells the first mate that he had the autonomy to sail the ship where he wanted to and cannot blame the captain for the consequences.
As the conversation ends, the first mate leaves the cabin and the captain reflects on the bitterness of the situation. He mourns the loss of his crew, who sank beneath the current, and blames himself for their fate. He realizes that he cannot escape his responsibility for what has happened and asks the maker of his fate for forgiveness. The song is a metaphor for the struggles individuals face in their lives, and the consequences that come with their choices.
Line by Line Meaning
Said the first mate to the ship captain, "
Oh captain, my captain!
The first mate approached the captain and called out to him using an address of honor.
I've not read the last page of whatever novel you've been writing down below but the bow is bending beneath the weather and your men hopelessly row against a current that I hope you can control..."
I have not read the complete work the captain is writing, but our ship is in trouble due to harsh weather and strong current, and I hope the captain can steer us through.
So?"
What do you want to say?
So are the chapters erasable?"
Is it possible to change our course of action or make changes like erasing chapters in a book?
Beneath waves of pipe tobacco and ashen ink that clings to the end of his quill, words spill across the oak tree trunk fashioned into a table, set before the author as he composes his fables… calmly, "sailor, I've enabled you to sail where I'd not and you've got a colorful tongue, boy, a rudder that rots at the root of the tree as the ship that you've built falls apart at its seams and you steer us deeper out into the seas."
The captain is calmly smoking his pipe and writing on an oak table. He tells the sailor that he has given him the opportunity to sail where he has not before. The sailor has a way with words, but his leadership is ineffective and causing the ship to fall apart.
The whole company's drowning.
Thinks, god, that's so unfair to me. "
The ship is sinking, and the sailor thinks it is unfair that he has to suffer along with everyone else.
But I've got a family!"
The sailor pleads for mercy, stating that he has a family.
Well then, father, you'd better feed your children, and stop blaming me for the immovable grasp that you have on the wheel!"
The captain responds by advising the sailor to feed his children and take responsibility for his actions instead of blaming him. The captain cannot control the situation caused by the sailor's decisions.
It's not like you didn't ask to hang your own sails, to raise your flag on the mast, to set course for a trail that followed gold to unknown waters in the mouth of a whale, so when the mast breaks in half, don't you say that I've failed."
The captain reminds the sailor that he had asked to do things his way, and so when things go wrong, the sailor should not blame the captain.
And slowly, the sailer bows out the door, feigning humility, as the floor creaks, crushing worms that crawled out of his boots beneath the weight of such a scolding.
That wormwood killed the crew, embittered them against the ship captain's last discipline out of love for you.
The sailor leaves while acting humble, but his anger causes harm to the crew, who are angry at the captain's last attempt to discipline the sailor because of love for him.
My crewmen and my brothers and my friends and my son, all sank beneath the current pulled by the gravity of what I'd done, and these seas and the moon reflect the image of the one that left me without excuse once the end had come."
The sailor regrets his actions that caused his crew members, brothers, friends, and son to drown. He feels that the sea and moon remind him of his own actions and the consequences.
Oh captain, my maker, I've got nothing left to say, would that I have praised, with nature, your invisible name but I bit off my fingers and left myself maimed, with a hook that's replaced years of pointed blame, It's too late!
The sailor calls out to the captain as the maker of his fate, expressing his regret for his actions and how he should have praised the captain's name. However, it's too late, and the sailor is now maimed with a hook as a result of his own mistakes.
Is it too late to calm the waves?
And would you turn your face away to drive me to grace?
I am drowning!
Awake!
Walk the plank in my place.
Walk the plank!
Walk the plank!
With my last words I say:
Praise be the maker of my fate for the suffering he ordains.
The sailor questions if it's too late to stop the worsening situation, and pleads for mercy to be shown to him so he can be forgiven. He asks for the captain to punish him instead of others by walking the plank in his place. His final words express gratitude for the maker of his fate, even with the suffering that has been ordained for him.
Contributed by Caroline G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.