Song for Friday: CS&N – Southern Cross

Southern Cross by Crosby Stills  & Nash was a post-Neil-Young hit and came out on the 1982 CSN album, Daylight again, written by Steven Stills.

Trivia #1 David Crosby was a big sailor. He tried to run from the law during a drug binge, attempting to sail to Mexico in his sadly dilapidated sailboat. He never left the dock.

Trivia #2: Art Garfunkel was on backing vocals on the original recording

Trivia Question: What bands were the members of CSN&Y in before they started playing together?

Lyrics:

Got out of town on a boat goin’ to southern islands,
Sailing a reach before a followin’ sea.
She was makin’ for the trades on the outside,
And the downhill run to Papeete Bay.
Off the wind on this heading lie the Marquesas.
We got eighty feet of the waterline
Nicely making way.
In a noisy bar in Avalon I tried to call you,
But on a midnight watch I realized why twice you ran away.

Think about how many times I have fallen.
Spirits are using me, larger voices callin’.
What Heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten.

I have been around the world,
Lookin’ for that woman, girl,
Who knows love can endure,
And you know it will (and you know it will).

When you see the Southern Cross for the first time,
You understand now why you came this way,
‘Cause the truth you might be runnin’ from is so small,
But it’s as big as the promise, the promise of a coming day.

So I’m sailing for tomorrow, my dreams are a-dyin’,
And my love is an anchor tied to you, tied with a silver chain.
I have my ship and all her flags are a-flyin’.
She is all that I have left and music is her name.

Think about how many times I have fallen.
Spirits are using me, larger voices callin’.
What Heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten.

I have been around the world,
Lookin’ for that woman, girl,
Who knows love can endure,
And you know it will (and you know it will).

So we cheated and we lied and we tested,
And we never failed to fail, it was the easiest thing to do.
You will survive being bested,
But somebody fine will come along make me forget about loving you
At the Southern Cross.