Dream of the Return
Pat Metheny Lyrics


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Al mar eche un poema
Que llevo con el mis preguntas y mi voz
Como un lento barco se perdio en la espuma
Le pedi que no diera la vuelta
Sin haber visto el altamar
Y en suenos hablar conmigo de lo que vio
Aun si no volviera
Yo sabria si llego
Viajar la vida entera
Por la calma azul en tormentas zozobrar
Poco importa el modo si algun puerto espera
Aguarde tanto tiempo el mensaje
Que olvide volver al mar
Y asi yo perdi aquel poema
Grite a los cielos todo mi rencor
Lo halle por fin pero escrito en la arena
Como un oracion




El mar golpeo in mis venas
Y libro mi corazon.

Overall Meaning

"Al mar eche un poema" is a song performed by Pat Metheny that has English translation as "I Cast A Poem to the Sea" in which the lyrics express a sense of peace, letting go, and reverence for the ocean. The singer cast a poem to the sea, a representation of vastness and the unknown, carrying with them all their thoughts and questions. The poem gets lost in the waves like a slow-moving ship until the singer asks it not to come back without seeing the high sea. They then ask the poem to share what it has seen in their dream conversations, even if it doesn't return.


The singer of the song conveys that there is no need to worry about what mode and route you take in life, rather the peaceful blue that might come with it despite the storms that might occur. Even if there's a chance for landing ashore, it shouldn't bother or halt you from looking out into the calm mystery of the deep blue. The singer waited for so long, and they forgot to return the poem to the sea. It is a lost moment that cannot be relived, and it ultimately leads the singer to scream out their anger and frustration to the sky. Even though the poem is lost, the singer eventually finds it written in the sand, like a prayer, which stirs up deep emotions within them. The crashing of the waves liberates the singer's heart and rejuvenates their soul.


Line by Line Meaning

Al mar eche un poema
I cast a poem into the sea


Que llevo con el mis preguntas y mi voz
Carrying my questions and my voice


Como un lento barco se perdio en la espuma
Like a slow ship lost in the foam


Le pedi que no diera la vuelta
I asked it not to turn back


Sin haber visto el altamar
Without having seen the deep sea


Y en suenos hablar conmigo de lo que vio
And in dreams to talk to me about what it saw


Aun si no volviera
Even if it didn't come back


Yo sabria si llego
I would know if it arrived


Viajar la vida entera
To travel my whole life


Por la calma azul en tormentas zozobrar
To rock in storms by the calm blue


Poco importa el modo si algun puerto espera
The mode doesn't matter if some port awaits


Aguarde tanto tiempo el mensaje
I waited so long for the message


Que olvide volver al mar
That I forgot to go back to the sea


Y asi yo perdi aquel poema
And so I lost that poem


Grite a los cielos todo mi rencor
I screamed all my resentment to the skies


Lo halle por fin pero escrito en la arena
I finally found it but written in the sand


Como un oracion
Like a prayer


El mar golpeo in mis venas
The sea hit my veins


Y libro mi corazon
And freed my heart




Contributed by Alyssa H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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