Key West Run
Harvested Dreams: A Sailor's Tale from Cane Fields to Key West
Lyrics
Workin’ the long day I wipe the sweat from my brow
Working hard in the sun, wiping sweat, depicting labor.
Under the Thousand Island sun
Describing the setting as Thousand Island sun, indicating a tropical location.
In those cane fields, lord it beat down
Working in harsh conditions in cane fields, emphasizing the difficulty of the labor.
And a poor boy’s work is never done
Highlighting the perpetual nature of a poor boy's work.
Breakin’ my back at my old man’s house
Working hard at the narrator's father's home.
Takin’ each harvest as it comes
Taking life one harvest at a time, accepting challenges as they come.
Load the schooner and set sail south
Loading a schooner, preparing for a journey to Key West.
With cane spirits for the Key West run
Embarking on the Key West run with cane spirits.
With cane spirits for the Key West run
Reiteration of heading to Key West with cane spirits.
He said Son, in hard work you’ll find God
Father advising finding God in hard work, equating it with grace.
It’s our grace and what makes us men
Emphasizing the value of hard work in defining masculinity.
I don’t know if that’s horse shit or not
Narrator expressing uncertainty about his father's advice.
But I still think about him now and then
Reflecting on father's wisdom despite doubts.
Cause God came ‘round and take all we got
Mentioning loss and hardship caused by God in the Hurricane of 1910.
In the Great Hurricane of 1910
Describing the devastating impact of the Great Hurricane of 1910.
Blew the house down and wipe out the crops
Consequence of the hurricane on the narrator's family and crops.
And a year later the old man was dead
Announcing the death of the narrator's father a year later.
A year later the old man was dead
Reiteration of the father's death.
Well it’s been ten years since I tore my hands
Passage of ten years since the narrator's hands were injured in sugarcane fields.
In the sugarcane fields back home
Describing the narrator's residence on Marco Island and the work with a ship.
And I got a little house down on heaven’s white sand
Connecting the narrator's house to a heavenly place, suggesting tranquility.
Up on Marco where I run my ship from
Operating a ship from Marco Island after abandoning God's plan.
Cause the day the old man died I dropped God’s plan
Rejecting the father's guidance, sailing into an uncertain future.
Sailed that schooner into the setting sun
Arriving in Key West and continuing the journey north.
I hit Key West, and then up north I ran
Carrying a six-shooter and Cuban rum for the journey.
With a six-shooter and a payload of Cuban rum
Reiteration of the weapons and cargo for the journey.
A Colt six-shooter and a payload of Cuban rum
Emphasizing the narrator's non-violent approach and profitable business.
I don’t hurt nobody and the money is good
Expressing the narrator's commitment to non-harmful actions.
And I take each day as it comes
Approaching life with a day-by-day mindset.
And I do my best to live my life the way I should
Striving to live a moral life, questioning if he is still his father's son.
And I wonder if I’m still my father’s son
Reflecting on the conflict between personal values and societal expectations.
But the law and the lord himself can kiss my ass, Dad
Defying both the law and religious expectations, asserting independence.
Or find theirselves on the wrong end of my gun
Issuing a warning to those who oppose the narrator.
Cause that open Gulf breeze is all I’ll ever need
Expressing contentment with the open Gulf breeze and the Key West run.
And a swift schooner for the Key West run
Reiteration of finding fulfillment in the Gulf breeze and the journey.
Oh that open Gulf breeze is all I’ll ever need
Emphasizing the simplicity of needs - open Gulf breeze and a swift schooner.
And a swift schooner for the Key West run
Reiteration of the narrator's satisfaction with the open Gulf breeze and the Key West run.
And a swift schooner for the Key West run
Final reaffirmation of the importance of a swift schooner for the Key West run.
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