A Sailor's Dream - Awna Texeira
Since my last post I have become aware that Awna Texeira now self-identifies as "nonbinary" so, and this is a first for me, I will henceforth refer to them by the correct personal pronouns.
Since the, possibly temporary, demise of Po' Girl, Texeira has released two excellent solo albums, the second of these being the 2015 "Wild One" from which "A Sailor's Dream" comes. Multi-faceted in more ways than one, Awna is listed in the credits as contributing the following: "Lead Vocals, Harmony Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Banjo, Ukulele, Accordion, Bass, Piano, Organ, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes & Farfisa], Whistle".
"A Sailor's Dream" begins on land, perhaps referencing Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" and the high incidence of retired sailors working at funfairs and circuses. Cue a series of romantic moonlit images of sailing, railways and finally the scrapyard, graveyard of ships, carousels and trains, just as the sailor is retired on land, where his/her lover is.
"It's been too long girl.
The carousal takes another turn
and the music plays so loud.
The mares' ride up and down,
my heart goes spinning round,
you look so good in your summer dress,
you look so good I can't wait to hold you now
in the weight of the bow.
All the sails are out,
the wind carries us all around,
'till night falls ,'till night falls.
All the grain cars are sleeping
and they're quietly dreaming
of all the ties and cold steel rails
of a life without fail.
They fly around the junk yard
in the dead of the night
with my arms open wide,
can see so clearly now,
under the moonlight,
under the moonlight."
The song is beautifully conceived and beautifully executed, down to the poetic but obscure imagery of the lyrics and Texeira's warm, haunting accordion. Are we on a sailing ship or a boat on a carousel? Are we at the Player's Navy Cut end of a sailor's life, and is he/she remembering his/her early great love, or is this the return of the sailor to his/her love on the shore, a snatched leave at a funfair. Or all of this?
I don't know what it means, but I do.