Sail On Sailor

Original Album

Holland

Single

Sail on, Sailor / Only With You

Written By

Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks/Tandyn Almer/Ray Kennedy/Jack Rieley

Produced By

Carl Wilson

Lead Vocals

Blondie Chaplin

Recorded On

Early 1973

Length

3:15

Notes

Centrepice of a long and convoluted story regarding the recording of the HOLLAND album. The Beach Boys relocated to the Netherlands in 1972 to record this album away from the pressures of L.A. They spend exhorbitant amounts of money building a studio on a farm in Baambrugge, Holland recording much of the album. The story goes that when the band turned the album into Warner Brothers, they rejected the album because there was no potetntial single. Brian's freinds were then alerted to convince him to write a surefire hit. Luckily, Van Dyke Parks had a cassette of a song that he and Brian started, that being "Sail On Sailor". The song was then polished, recorded (without Brian's participation) and tacked onto the album replacing a Ricky Fataar/Blondie Chaplin song called "We Got Love".
Arguably the best Beach Boys song of the last 20 some odd years.
Features a soulful lead vocal from guitarist, Blondie Chaplin.

Lyrics: I sailed an ocean, unsettled ocean
Through restful waters and deep commotion
Often frightened, unenlightened
Sail on, sail on sailor

I wrest the waters, fight Neptune's waters
Sail through the sorrows of life's marauders
Unrepenting, often empty
Sail on, sail on sailor

Caught like a sewer rat alone but I sail
Bought like a crust of bread, but oh do I wail

Seldom stumble, never crumble
Try to tumble, life's a rumble
Feel the stinging I've been given
Never ending, unrelenting
Heartbreak searing, always fearing
Never caring, persevering
Sail on, sail on, sailor

I work the seaways, the gale-swept seaways
Past shipwrecked daughters of wicked waters
Uninspired, drenched and tired
Wail on, wail on, sailor

Always needing, even bleeding
Never feeding all my feelings
Damn the thunder, must I blunder
There's no wonder all I'm under
Stop the crying and the lying
And the sighing and my dying

Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor

Chords: G...................C/G..G.............C/G
I sailed an ocean, unsettled ocean
G.............................C/G..G...................C/G
Through restful waters and deep commotion
Ebmaj9..Am7/D..Ebmaj9..Am7/D...Eb..........F...........G.........C/G
Often frightened, unenlightened, sail on, sail on sailor

G.......................C/G..G.....................C/G
I wrest the waters, fight Neptune's waters
G...............................C/G..G.................C/G
Sail through the sorrows of life's marauders
Ebmaj9..Am7/D..Ebmaj9..Am7/D..Eb..F.........G
Unrepenting, often empty, sail on, sail on sailor

D.............................D#dim..Em
Caught like a sewer rat alone but I sail
D.......................................D#dim..Em
Bought like a crust of bread, oh do I wail
..............Am7..Em..........Am7..Em.........Am7..Em..........Am7..Em
Seldom stumble, never crumble, try to tumble, life's a rumble
.................G..Am7...............G..Am7........G...Am7........G...C
Feel the stinging I've been given, never ending, unrelenting
...................Am7..Em..........Am7..Em........Am7..Em.....Am7..Em
Heartbreak searing, always fearing, never caring, persevering
Eb...........F............G.......C/G
Sail on, sail on, sailor

G.......................C/G..G........................C/G
I work the seaways, the gale-swept seaways
G....................................C/G..G................C/G
Past shipwrecked daughters of wicked waters
Ebmaj9..Am7/D..Ebmaj9..Am7/D..Eb..........F............G
Uninspired, drenched and tired, sail on, wail on, sailor

.............Am7..Em........Am7..Em...........Am7..Em.........Am7..Em
Always needing, even bleeding, never feeding all my feelings
..................G..Am7.............G..Am7..................G..Am7............G...C
Damn the thunder, must I blunder, there's no wonder all I'm under
..............Am7..Em.........Am7..Em........Am7..Em..........Am7..Em
Stop the crying and the lying, and the sighing and my dying
Eb...........F.........G
Sail on, sail on sailor
Eb............F.........G
Sail on, sail on sailor

Chart prepared by Francis Greene

Holland album page

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