Story Behind The Song
Written when I was 14, with a copy of the Norton Anthology of English verse in front of me, this song was inspired by Sailing to Byzantium by Yeats, but the lyrics are more related to a mood of escapism that was very much a part of the 1960s and early 1970s where I grew up in a Great Neck, Long Island.
Song Description
This song treats the need to escape and explores the fact that conventional means of transportation won't get the person there. It explores peace as a state of mind rather than a location.
| Song Length |
3:00 |
Genre |
Pop - Rock, Pop - Rock |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Serene, Peaceful |
Subject |
Philosophy, Sailing |
| Similar Artists |
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, James Taylor |
Language |
English |
| Era |
1970 - 1979 |
| |
Lyrics
Byzantine
That is no country for
The oldest man I know
The trip is far and you, can't get off
Well horses have a tried
To cross that ocean wide
The spaces keep them from the other side
When you get there, you will surely know
There are flowers and a long rainbow
You may not, have something to show, but go
To Byzantine
Leave your bags behind
And let your life unwind
The streets are paved with wine
Anytime
Don't ask where it may be
A compass and the sea
Crusoe did it with, you and me
When you get there you will surely know
There are flowers and a long rainbow
You may not have something to show, but go
To Byzantine
[Guitar solo over 2 verses[
When you get there you will surely know
There are flowers and a long rainbow
You may not have something to show, but go
To Byzantine