steamboat
Dreams Adrift: Mystical Journey on a Steamboat
Lyrics
On a steamboat from New Orleans
Traveling on a steamboat departing from New Orleans
In a dream I had last night
Describing a dream experienced the previous night
Pretty Girl stands by the railing
An attractive girl is seen standing near the ship's railing
Didn't catch her name at the time
The singer didn't learn her name initially
To Saint Louis we are going
Heading towards Saint Louis, following a route on a map traced by the girl's fingers
On a map her fingers trace the line
Her involvement in guiding the route
But she's a real slippery character
She's elusive or hard to pin down
Disappears into the light
She vanishes or blends into the surroundings
It's a long way up
Describing the difficulty or challenge of the journey
Past Vicksburg in the night
Passing by Vicksburg during the nighttime
It's a long way up
Reiteration of the arduous nature of the journey
And you're not in your right mind
Implying a state of confusion or disorientation
Try to find her in the ballroom
Attempting to find the girl amidst a crowd in a ballroom
Crowd of faces pass me by
Various faces passing by without identifying the girl
See the Captain drinking plum wine
The captain is seen consuming plum wine
See the bar-man pour him another
The bartender serves the captain another drink
Grabs my arm and pulls me over
The singer is approached and pulled over by someone, possibly related to the captain
Says, "Hey son, ain't this the life?"
Comment on the enjoyable or desirable aspects of the situation by the person pulling the singer over
It's a long way up
Reiteration of the challenging journey past Vicksburg at night
Past Vicksburg in the night
Re-emphasizing the disoriented state of mind during the journey
It's a long way up
Restating the difficulty of the journey due to mental state
And I'm not in my right mind
Expressing a lack of mental clarity or stability
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