The video opens with Andy Samberg — who is sitting at the kitchen table with bandmates Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone — pouring cereal into a bowl. To his delight, a coupon for a free boat ride for three falls out of the box. After pondering who will go with him, Samberg picks Schaffer but skips over Taccone in favor of the previously unseen singer T-Pain.
The three men are next seen atop the yacht Never Say Never in Biscayne Bay, Florida dressed in tuxedos as Samberg announces that they are about to set sail on a boat. The video frequently shows flashes of the left-out Taccone at comparatively mundane places, like "at Kinko's straight flippin' copies" or lifting a parking ticket from his car. The rap portion of the video places the three throughout the boat and in varying attire, including full tuxedos, a flight suit, traditional sailor costumes, white naval uniforms and typical casual and formal resort wear. The song features an aggressive delivery of the lyrics which are peppered with strong profanity throughout while making simple proclamations, ranging from the ridiculous ("I'm riding on a dolphin, doing flips") to the mundane ("I've got a nautical-themed pashmina afghan") to the inane ("This boat engine make noise"). The video concludes with a wide shot of the entire boat.
The song and video parody the opulence and profanity typically flaunted in popular rap videos. Billboard said the song "takes hip-hop boasting to its most absurd extreme," while the New York Times called it a "sendup of triumphant materialism." The parody is extended in the inclusion of T-Pain, known to sing the hook line in many rap songs, with his trademark use of Auto-Tune. Additionally, the video's intro resembles that of Akon's "I'm So Paid" video, especially the scene in which Akon is standing on the front of the boat.
The song makes allusions to various events, people and other elements from pop culture. The song quotes Kevin Garnett as saying "Anything is possible!" — an exclamation he made after the 2008 NBA Finals. Samberg visually and lyrically references Leonardo DiCaprio's scene in the 1997 film Titanic, where on the bow of the ship, DiCaprio's character shouts, "I'm the king of the world." In the video, Samberg holds a press conference with a blue "I'm on a Boat" banner in the background while wearing a flight suit, a sight gag reminiscent of President George W. Bush's 2003 "Mission Accomplished" press conference. Rapper E-40 (who appears elsewhere on the album) often mentions liquors in his rap, which corresponds to the mention of Santana champagne (the actual topic of E-40's featured appearance).
As of November 18th, 2009, the video has been viewed more than 37 million times and was featured by Entertainment Weekly, Stereogum, and G4's Attack of the Show.
Giving the song four stars, Rolling Stone said it is "one of the strongest Saturday Night Live hip-hop hits since Eddie Murphy was funny." Stereogum called the tune "a 2:42 masterclass in stunting." The A.V. Club said the song "holds up well on physical media."
I'm on a Boat
The Lonely Island Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody in the place hit the fucking deck (shorty, yeah)
But stay on your motherfucking toes
We running this, let's go
I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat) I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat)
Everybody look at me
'Cause I'm sailing on a boat (sailing on a boat)
Take a good hard look at the motherfucking boat (boat, yeah)
I'm on a boat motherfucker take a look at me
Straight floatin' on a boat on the deep blue sea
Busting five knots, wind whipping out my coat
You can't stop me motherfucker cause I'm on a boat
Take a picture, trick (trick) I'm on a boat, bitch (bitch)
We drinking Santana champ, 'cause it's so crisp (crisp)
I got my swim trunks and my flippie-floppies
I'm flipping burgers, you at Kinko's, straight flipping copies
I'm riding on a dolphin, doing flips and shit
The dolphin's splashing, getting everybody all wet
But this ain't Sea World, this is real as it gets
I'm on a boat, motherfucker, don't you ever forget
I'm on a boat and, it's going fast and
I got a nautical themed Pashmina Afghan
I'm the king of the world on a boat like Leo
If you're on the shore, then you're sure not me-oh
Get the fuck up, this boat is real!
Fuck land, I'm on a boat, motherfucker (motherfucker)
Fuck trees, I climb buoys, motherfucker (motherfucker)
I'm on the deck with my boys, motherfucker (yeah)
This boat engine make noise, motherfucker
Hey ma, if you could see me now (see me now)
Arms spread wide on the starboard bow (starboard bow)
Gonna fly this boat to the moon somehow (moon somehow)
Like Kevin Garnett, anything is possible
Yeah, never thought I'd be on a boat (let's go)
It's a big blue watery road (yeah)
Poseidon look at me, oh (all hands on deck)
Never thought I'd see the day
When a big boat coming my way
Believe me when I say, I fucked a mermaid
I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat
Everybody look at me 'cause I'm sailing on a boat (whoa)
I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat
Take a good hard look at the motherfuckin' boat (shorty, shorty, yeah)
The lyrics of the Lonely Island's song "I'm On a Boat" are about the excitement of being on a boat and how it makes the person feel powerful and invincible. The song talks about being on a boat on the deep blue sea with the wind whipping out their coat, and they are going so fast that nobody can stop them. The song is essentially a parody of hip-hop music videos that glorify material objects and excess.
The lyrics speak about how being on a boat makes them feel like they own the world, with lines like "I'm the king of the world on a boat like Leo" referencing Leonardo DiCaprio's character in Titanic. Additionally, the song includes humorous lines like "I'm riding on a dolphin, doing flips and sh*t," which adds to the overall absurdity of the song.
Overall, "I'm On a Boat" is a humorous song that pokes fun at hip hop culture while also celebrating the feeling of being on a boat.
Line by Line Meaning
Aw shit, get your towels ready it's about to go down (shorty, yeah)
Get ready because we're about to have a wild time.
Everybody in the place hit the fucking deck (shorty, yeah)
Everyone get on the floor and be ready for anything.
But stay on your motherfucking toes
We running this, let's go
Be alert and ready to keep up, because we're in charge and moving forward.
I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat) I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat)
Everybody look at me
'Cause I'm sailing on a boat (sailing on a boat)
I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat) I'm on a boat
Take a good hard look at the motherfucking boat (boat, yeah)
I'm on a boat and I'm proud of it, so look at me and my sweet ride.
I'm on a boat motherfucker take a look at me
Straight floatin' on a boat on the deep blue sea
Busting five knots, wind whipping out my coat
You can't stop me motherfucker cause I'm on a boat
I'm sailing on the open sea, moving fast with the wind at my back, and nothing can slow me down or stop me.
Take a picture, trick (trick) I'm on a boat, bitch (bitch)
We drinking Santana champ, 'cause it's so crisp (crisp)
I got my swim trunks and my flippie-floppies
I'm flipping burgers, you at Kinko's, straight flipping copies
We're having a great time on the boat, drinking fancy champagne and having fun, while you're stuck working at your boring job.
I'm riding on a dolphin, doing flips and shit
The dolphin's splashing, getting everybody all wet
But this ain't Sea World, this is real as it gets
I'm on a boat, motherfucker, don't you ever forget
I'm actually riding on a wild dolphin in the open sea, and it's a real adventure that you'll never forget.
I'm on a boat and, it's going fast and
I got a nautical themed Pashmina Afghan
I'm the king of the world on a boat like Leo
If you're on the shore, then you're sure not me-oh
I'm cruising through the water quickly, and I'm feeling like a king wearing my fancy boat-themed scarf. If you're not on the boat with me, then you're missing out.
Get the fuck up, this boat is real!
Don't just sit there, get up and join the party, because this boat and this adventure is totally real!
Fuck land, I'm on a boat, motherfucker (motherfucker)
Fuck trees, I climb buoys, motherfucker (motherfucker)
I'm on the deck with my boys, motherfucker (yeah)
This boat engine make noise, motherfucker
I don't care about anything on land, I'm on a boat and it's awesome. I'm with my friends having fun, and the boat's engine is loud and cool.
Hey ma, if you could see me now (see me now)
Arms spread wide on the starboard bow (starboard bow)
Gonna fly this boat to the moon somehow (moon somehow)
Like Kevin Garnett, anything is possible
Mom, look how cool I am with my arms spread wide on the boat. I feel like I could do anything, even fly this boat to the moon, like Kevin Garnett's awesome basketball skills.
Yeah, never thought I'd be on a boat (let's go)
It's a big blue watery road (yeah)
Poseidon look at me, oh (all hands on deck)
I never thought I'd have such an amazing adventure sailing on the ocean, but now I am, and it's exhilarating. Even Poseidon, the god of the sea, should acknowledge my coolness.
Never thought I'd see the day
When a big boat coming my way
Believe me when I say, I fucked a mermaid
I never thought I'd encounter a big boat on my journey, but I didn't just see that - I also had sex with a mermaid, which is pretty wild.
I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat
Everybody look at me 'cause I'm sailing on a boat (whoa)
I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat
Take a good hard look at the motherfuckin' boat (shorty, shorty, yeah)
Once again, look at me and check out my amazing boat and adventure on the sea - I'm having such an amazing time.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ADAM BLAKE CHERRINGTON, FAHEEM NAJM, ANDREW D. SAMBERG, AKIVA SCHAFFER, JORMA TACCONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wheelbarrow2803
Anyone still here in 2024?
@jonah6496
lol yes
@fergusonmobile1812
Of course
@dustinhanna6432
3/5/24 still on a boat 😂😂😂
@cowpokeyankee5420
Going on a cruise on 3/10/24. Gonna have to play this while I'm on a Boat!
@MarvyG_23
🖐🏽🖐🏽
@mnorth1351
Can we all just appreciate the fact that they rhymed "motherf*cker" with "motherf*cker" 4 times?
That's some real poetry, man.
@ninja_tony
To be fair, they lifted that directly from Jon Lajoie lol. But I’m sure Lonely Island are fans, he’s the OG.
@ryszardsikora6894
„It’s like poetry it rhymes”
@chinmaysambrekar9825
He also rhymed "boat" with "boat"