The X-Seaman's Institute was a rollicking quartet devoted to nautical and m… Read Full Bio ↴The X-Seaman's Institute was a rollicking quartet devoted to nautical and maritime music that regularly performed at South Street Seaport Museum in New York City. Led by the late Bernie Klay, the group included Frank Woerner, John Townley, and Dan Aguiar. On July 4th 1976 they were the feature performers for the Bicentennial Tall Ships festival and entertained a crowd estimated at 20,000. Other concerts followed up and down the East coast from Boston's historic Old Ironsides to The New Bedford Seamen's Bethel and Mystic Seaport, to the National Maritime Museum in Norfolk, Va. They currently have five albums available as CDs or individual cuts for downloads at www.folkways.si.edu. Frank Woerner continues to perform in the NYC area. John Townley is currently living on Long Island. Dan Aguiar is a member of the Hudson Valley Folk Guild and continues to perform in the Mid Hudson area.

Sam's Gone Away
The X-Seamen's Institute Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've got a lot I call my own
My house is full of things
But its just an empty home
And all day long I walk around
Seeing reminders and reliving all I've found
She's gone away

She... she's gone away

She's gone away
She left today
Hey hey
She... she's gone away
She's gone away
She wouldn't stay
Hey hey

I took your brother to the zoo
The sky was falling
And he seemed to know it too
He turned to me and said
What a waste
And I said...
Someday you'll know it
If you ever get the taste

She's gone away
Yeah!

She... she's gone away
She's gone away
She left today
Hey hey
She... she's gone away
She's gone away
She wouldn't stay
Hey hey

I took your brother to the zoo...

Overall Meaning

The song "Sam's Gone Away" by The X-Seamen's Institute is a melancholic song about the pain and loneliness of losing someone. The opening lines of the song, "I've got a lot I call my own, my house is full of things, but it's just an empty home" sets the tone of the song. It highlights how even though the singer has possessions, his life is incomplete without the person he has lost. The singer walks around all day, surrounded by reminders of the person and reliving all the memories of their life together. The chorus, "She's gone away, she's gone away, she left today, hey hey" expresses the sadness and the singer's inability to comprehend the separation.

The second verse of the song throws light on the futility of life. The singer took the person's brother to the zoo, and they both realized that life is fleeting and full of uncertainty. The lyrics, "The sky was falling, and he seemed to know it too, he turned to me and said, what a waste" are particularly poignant. The last line of the verse, "Someday you'll know it if you ever get the taste" is an indication of how the circle of life inevitably leads us to experience the pain of loss. The song's repetition of "She's gone away" in the chorus highlights the finality of the separation and how it will always be a part of the singer's life.

Line by Line Meaning

I've got a lot I call my own
I have material possessions that I consider mine

My house is full of things
My home has many items in it

But its just an empty home
Despite the things in my home, it still feels empty

And all day long I walk around
Throughout the day, I wander aimlessly

Seeing reminders and reliving all I've found
I constantly come across things that remind me of my past experiences

She's gone away
The person I care about has left

She... she's gone away
The person I care about has left

She left today
The person I care about left on this day

Hey hey
Expression of grief or sorrow

She...she's gone away
The person I care about has left

She wouldn't stay
The person I care about did not want to remain with me

Hey hey
Expression of grief or sorrow

I took your brother to the zoo
I accompanied your sibling to a place where animals are kept for viewing

The sky was falling
Conditions were unfavorable, and things seemed hopeless

And he seemed to know it too
Your sibling also recognized these unfavorable conditions

He turned to me and said / What a waste
Your sibling expressed disappointment or regret

And I said... / Someday you'll know it / If you ever get the taste
I responded to your sibling, indicating that at some point in their life, they will recognize and understand the struggles I am currently experiencing

She's gone away / Yeah!
The person I care about has left

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS