Travel Is Dangerous
Mogwai Lyrics
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The notes we left
Our final thoughts
And we knew they'd get ours out
Sink
Sink
Old machine, is cursed
And forgotten
Never surface again
The air runs out
The captain is first
So we take to memories
And layers of clothes
Up there the family waits
And outside we heard hammers
Noises sound like the end
And we will never see them
Sink
Sink
Drowned by her country
Failed machine is cursed
Old and rotten
Never surface again
The lyrics to Mogwai's "Travel Is Dangerous" are enigmatic and open to interpretation, but they seem to be about a catastrophic event on a doomed journey at sea. The first verse seems to suggest that the crew or passengers on this journey left notes or messages behind, which they knew would be discovered after their demise. The second verse implies that the ship has sunk, drowned by "our" or "her" country, and that it was an old or faulty machine that was cursed or doomed from the outset. The reference to the captain being the first to run out of air suggests that the event was a disaster that involved diving or being underwater.
The chorus, consisting of the repeated command to "Sink", reinforces the fatalistic tone of the lyrics, as if the singer or the victims are resigned to their fate. The final verses suggest that the memories of loved ones or family members sustain the survivors or victims, even as they face the cold, unforgiving reality of their surroundings. The reference to the "noises sound[ing] like the end" hints at the horror and chaos of the disaster, which may have been caused by natural or human-made causes.
Overall, "Travel Is Dangerous" combines a mournful and melancholy melody with lyrics that create a sense of mystery, foreboding, and loss. The lyrics evoke the fragility of human life and the power of nature to overwhelm us, as well as the haunting and enduring nature of memories and legacies.
Line by Line Meaning
Who might know of this
Could anyone be aware of what has happened?
The notes we left
The messages we wrote before our demise
Our final thoughts
The last things on our mind
And we knew they'd get ours out
We were aware that they would retrieve our messages
Sink
It's going under
Sink
It's going further down
Drowned by our country
Our nation has led us to our doom
Old machine, is cursed
The machine we relied on is doomed
And forgotten
It has been left behind
Never surface again
We will never come back to the surface
The air runs out
The oxygen is diminishing
The captain is first
The leader is the first to perish
So we take to memories
We retreat to the past
And layers of clothes
We pile on clothes for warmth
Up there the family waits
Our loved ones are waiting for us above
And outside we heard hammers
We hear the sound of disaster outside
Noises sound like the end
The sounds we hear are like the world is ending
And we will never see them
We will not see our loved ones again
Sink
It's going under
Sink
It's going further down
Drowned by her country
The country has drowned us
Failed machine is cursed
The machine that malfunctioned is doomed
Old and rotten
The machine is decrepit
Never surface again
We will never return to the surface
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DOMINIC AITCHISON, JOHN CUMMINGS, MARTIN BULLOCH, STUART BRAITHWAITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Killy
182 likes and 0 dislikes..
wow that's what underrated is,
i'm glad that this band is not overrated ;) i actually happy.
'cause when it gets overrated it's gettin' shittier and more.
better than most of 21st century shitty teenage "rock" bands.
also mogwai don't need a vocalist tho. cause it's melody sings directly to our brain, which is better than other shitty lyric bands.
I REALLY LIKE POST-ROCK MUSIC AND I'M HYPING FOR IT. 21st century's gem you are.
(btw: stuart braithwaite's voice is actually amazing if he could use his vocal i bet that'd be amazing too.)
anyway that's all, thank you for giving me an extraordinary feeling while listening this underrated masterpiece.
Charli Berry
I’ve been listening to this song since 2007. It has made me cry at least once a year since. Sorrow for our fellow humans who died at Kursk and thanks for Mogwai for bringing some exposure to the disaster.
Sean Devlin
And thank you to raise awareness of the reason a truly beautiful song was written.
Shmizzle Shmazzle
The Moskva has entered the chat
kurisu3000
Driving while listening to this at night is just pure euphoria.
Anders Engblom
Yea i know right? That is basically what ive been doing for two-three nights in a row last week. Going exploring along small dirt roads along the coastline, chasing the sunset and taking photos with this song on repeat. Love it. Happy hunting everyone, Godspeed and never cease to dream.
Brian Hicks
Can confirm. I’ve done it too.
Sean Devlin
Mr. Beast was great all the way through. Sad this song is about sailors drowning in a submarine.
Ron Kingston
I've listened to this song for years and loved it and only just realised it's about the kirsk submarine disaster and now I'm crying. Those poor guys were denyed a chance.
Evan Holmes
Mogwai always reminds me how often I am intoxicated. Need to be sober
Killy
reminds me lots of thing, fucking pure perfection