They were named after a bay in Alaska featuring a now-abandoned cannery on Kodiak Island where founder member Van Pierszalowski's parents met. They started out as a folk music duo of Cambria Goodwin and Van Pierszalowski while Cambria was living in Cambria, California and Van was living in Oakland. After Cambria moved closer to Oakland they added a rhythm section composed of Caleb Nichols and Joshua Barnhart.
The band toured nationally with artists such as Nada Surf, Bright Eyes and The Cave Singers and toured Europe with Modest Mouse, as well as receiving favourable reviews from Pitchfork Media, Allmusic, and The Times. M. Ward named Port O'Brien his "favorite new band".
The band released three albums; a compilation of self-recorded and early tracks called The Wind and the Swell on American Dust Records and a studio-recorded album All We Could Do Was Sing on City Slang Records, and their latest studio album Threadbare on TBD Records.
I Woke Up Today from the album All We Could Do Was Sing was recently used as the backing music for several Dulux Paints television advertisement in Australia. The band toured Australia in February 2009 as part of the St Jerome's Laneway Festival.
In May 2011 Port O'Brien announced they'd split.
Stuck On A Boat
Port O'Brien Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It goes on and on my dear
And the fish aren’t coming still
They wait and wait until
We put our anchor down
We steal a few hours in town
My feet weren’t made for the sea
They were made for running free
Free
Free
It don’t make much sense to me
It don’t make much sense to me
To be stuck on a boat at sea
It’s harder to have you here
In the cannery so near
Baking bread and drinking wine
All just to pass the time
And I see the ships heading there
Where my love lets down her hair
But my dad works this all day
And so it’s here, right here we’ll stay
Stay
Stay
Stay
Never going to Larsen Bay
Never going to Larsen Bay
Never going to Larsen Bay
The Port O'Brien song "Stuck On A Boat" seems to be about the frustrations of being stuck on a boat and away from the land. The opening lines express the singer's weariness with the unchanging weather, which they describe as going on and on. The fish aren't coming, so they must wait with anchor down. Despite this, they steal a few hours in town, feeling a sense of relief on land. The singer reflects on their feet not being made for the sea, but for running free on land. There is a recurring refrain of "It don't make much sense to me, to be stuck on a boat at sea." This expresses a sense of being stuck and trapped, with no end in sight.
The second verse adds further detail, describing the cannery where the singer is located, nearby to their love. They are baking bread and drinking wine to pass the time, but they see ships heading to where their love lets down her hair. The singer's dad works here all day, meaning they are unable to leave. The final refrain repeats the phrase "Never going to Larsen Bay," which serves as a final acceptance of their current situation, unable to leave and reach the island they desire.
The song captures a sense of frustration and yearning, with a restless energy that reflects the life of seafarers. The repeated refrain of "It don't make much sense to me, to be stuck on a boat at sea" serves as a powerful statement of longing for something more, while the final refrain accepts their limitations. The simplicity of the lyrics and the straightforward melody create a folksy, grounded feel, emphasizing the singer's connection to the land and their sense of being trapped.
Line by Line Meaning
I’m sick of the weather up here
I am tired of the constant bad weather in this region
It goes on and on my dear
The poor weather conditions seem never-ending
And the fish aren’t coming still
The fish are not arriving in the waters
They wait and wait until
The fish seem to be waiting for something
We put our anchor down
We dock our boat for a while
We steal a few hours in town
We take advantage of the time to visit the nearby town
My feet weren’t made for the sea
I am not suited for life at sea
They were made for running free
I wish I could be on land and run without limitations
It don’t make much sense to me
It is incomprehensible
It don’t make much sense to me
It is incomprehensible
To be stuck on a boat at sea
Being stuck on a boat in the middle of the sea is an unpleasant experience
It’s harder to have you here
It is more difficult to bear being in the cannery knowing you are nearby
In the cannery so near
You being nearby in the cannery is distressing
Baking bread and drinking wine
We try to pass the time doing things like baking bread and drinking wine
All just to pass the time
These activities are done purely to make time pass more easily
And I see the ships heading there
I notice ships going to another location
Where my love lets down her hair
There is a place where my beloved can enjoy herself
But my dad works this all day
My father works here all day long
And so it’s here, right here we’ll stay
Therefore, we are staying right here where we are
Stay
We are determined to stay in this place
Stay
We are determined to stay in this place
Stay
We are determined to stay in this place
Never going to Larsen Bay
We have no intention of going to Larsen Bay
Never going to Larsen Bay
We have no intention of going to Larsen Bay
Never going to Larsen Bay
We have no intention of going to Larsen Bay
Contributed by Annabelle P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
A Spath
This is one of my favorite songs by you guys. I absolutely LOVE this video too, it's so great. I haven't seen Nitwit Ridge in years either. What a treat. I am kind of homesick right now too, so seeing this video has a certain relief to it.
cyndihafley
So beautiful...I love you guys and I love this song and I love this video...
Stephany Bezdek
Epic, can't get enough of you guys!
Shauna Keddy
very nicely done video! great song as well
N3vermind
great god you guys are awesome! loved the atmosphere in the video and of course the song :)
Eric Jasper
Just flat out awesome...
Post Song
The only song who makes me feel indifferent, more than iReally am. <3
empty
Anyone who's done commercial salmon fishing can really relate. I see you Kodiak boy lol
hushthesky
Amazingggg
Lands Life
when 1970s and 2000s have a child named 2008.