AWOLNATION: Sail Meaning
Song Released: 2011
Sail Lyrics
This is how i show my love
Made it in my mind because
Blame it on my ADD baby
This is how an angel dies
Blame it on my own sick pride
Blame it on my ADD baby
SAIL!
SAIL!
SAIL!
SAIL!
SAIL!
Maybe i should cry for help...
-
saw post of Brit interview he had..HE said it was about Alcohol and Drug Depend....which of course doesn't mean he doesn't have A.D.D
-
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
-
Well having A.D.D as a child and it affecting me now as an adult. 12yrs married and my wife understands but I constantly fail at everything I do. Now with anxiety and A.D.D I had an accident which had made me disabled, homeless and without.. my wife still stands beside me... but I feel sometimes that I fuck everything up to the point I want to sail or end it..... GOOOD SONG
-
This is how you feel when you have add and take adderal at high dose. The ups and downs of it explain his lyrics perfectly.maniac to depression. At two high of a dose it also become ineffective at helping with add but people abuse anyway and makes add much worse.
-
its about the struggle with homework
-
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Common Behaviors and Problems of Adult ADD / ADHD taken from WebMD (dot) com
Anxiety
Chronic boredom
Chronic lateness and forgetfulness
Depression
Difficulty concentrating when reading
Difficulty controlling anger
Employment problems
Impulsiveness
Low frustration tolerance
Low self-esteem
Mood swings
Poor organization skills
Procrastination
Relationship problems
Substance abuse or addiction
For me that’s how an “alien” ( or No ADD familiar) would face an adult with ADD. Just like an “obsessed fellow” with extraterrestrial phobia. It is really weird to live with ADD simply coz you can SAIL all day long in million of thoughts and feelings being unable to function as the rest expect from you. You are just floating in your mind like if you Sail in the open sea… without the sense of time.. without control of your SELF or your emotions, unable to do what you HAVE TO DO.
“Maybe I'm a different breed”… at least that’s how it feels. And it is damn tough when you realize that in a world of John Waynes you are an Indian.
“Maybe I should cry for help - Maybe I should kill myself” that’s how an Adult with ADD problem understands Shakespeare's “to be or not to be”…
Sail with me into the dark… “walk a mile in my shoes” It feels so lonely from where I’m seeing that world. SAIL with me…. -
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Common Behaviors and Problems of Adult ADD / ADHD taken from WebMD (dot) com
Anxiety
Chronic boredom
Chronic lateness and forgetfulness
Depression
Difficulty concentrating when reading
Difficulty controlling anger
Employment problems
Impulsiveness
Low frustration tolerance
Low self-esteem
Mood swings
Poor organization skills
Procrastination
Relationship problems
Substance abuse or addiction
For me that’s how an “alien” ( or No ADD familiar) would face an adult with ADD. Just like an “obsessed fellow” with extraterrestrial phobia. It is really weird to live with ADD simply coz you can SAIL all day long in million of thoughts and feelings being unable to function as the rest expect from you. You are just floating in your mind like if you Sail in the open sea… without the sense of time.. without control of your SELF or your emotions, unable to do what you HAVE TO DO.
“Maybe I'm a different breed”… at least that’s how it feels. And it is damn tough when you realize that in a world of John Waynes you are an Indian.
“Maybe I should cry for help - Maybe I should kill myself” that’s how an Adult with ADD problem understands Shakespeare's “to be or not to be”…
Sail with me into the dark… “walk a mile in my shoes” It feels so lonely from where I’m seeing that world. SAIL with me…. -
These lyrics are wrong!!! Its "blame it on my own SUPPLY" not sick pride..... may change a bit of the interpretations....
-
Just as something to keep in mind, ADD can have different possible meanings, including Alcohol and Drug Dependency (As someone else stated earlier) Knowing this, we can't be sure which form of ADD the singer is talking about, though from seeing interviews in the past, the singer has openly stated that he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, and was even medicated for it as a child, so I'm going to assume that is the sort of ADD he means. Again, everyone has their own feelings about the song, so if you struggle with alcohol and/or drugs, the song might have more meaning to you if that is how you interpret ADD to mean.
In the opening of the song, we hear "This is how I show my love," which is stating that he (the singer) is expressing his love. (Obviously)but what ISN'T obvious is that he clearly needs to let people know that he loves differently than others. Why do I come to this conclusion? Because people don't say things like that without a reason, and a common reason is to defend yourself, whether that's emotional, spiritual, or mental.
The next line of the song is "I made it in my mind because, I blame it on my ADD baby." This has two possible meanings. The first is that through his different way of showing love, he hurt someone (girlfriend, friend, etc.) and is trying to give himself, and his significant other, a reason that he hurt them. Saying "I made it in my mind" shows that he created a problem that didn't exist, and that caused him to hurt his significant other. "I blame it on my ADD baby." shows that without any other explanation for his actions, he turns to his ADD (whichever kind you chose to interpret) and uses that a reason for what he did.
The second option for the meaning of "I made it in my mind because, I blame it on my ADD baby." is similar to the last. In this scenario, the singer is still trying to give a reason for his hurtful actions, but in this case he realizes that blaming it on his ADD IS what creates the problem in his mind (I made it in my mind BECAUSE I blame it on my ADD.)
"This is how an angel dies." Now what could that possibly mean? Again, I see two options.
The "angel" is clearly representing the person that the singer hurt, but saying that this angel has died has a couple possible explanations. 1) the "angel" has "died" in the sense of falling, rather than dying. Think of an angel becoming a demon and you'll get the picture. of course, this wouldn't be literal, but perhaps his "angel" turned on him after he hurt her, thus becoming a "demon"
2)His "angel" didn't truly die, but because of what he did, she has lost her happiness, which can make a person seem hollow, and even dead.
The next line is "I blame it on my own sick pride." this is pretty straightforward. After all that he's done, after everyone he has hurt, deep down, he knows it is his fault for showing such pride.
(We already discussed "Blame it on my ADD" so I won't repeat that."
The next line we see is repeated throughout the entire song, and that is "Sail!"
But why sail?
Sailing can be a word compared to fleeing, running, or escaping, and based on what we've seen so far, this guy has a lot to escape from, right? I mean, he seems to hurt those he loves without even meaning to, and when confronted, he blames it on his ADD, when his pride is what truly is at fault. Honestly, if it were me, I would want to get away too.
But there's more. The next part, "Maybe I should cry for help, maybe I should kill myself!" is showing how truly desperate he is to find refuge from his burdens, his anxiety, and his ADD. Things considered an escape for him are death (Suicide) and the possibility of letting people know how much he is hurting.
And now. "Maybe I'm a different breed. Maybe I'm not listening." This is a bit of a curveball in a way, because in the music video, the singer is shown running from aliens (which can be considered a "different breed") The question is: Are these aliens symbolizing his problems, or symbolizing himself being a different breed?
The answer is both.
Often times with anxiety or depression, your problems are what start off the feeling of having to "sail" but eventually, you yourself are the one who is making the problems worse, whether that is by giving yourself an excuse (blame it on my ADD) or something else. Often times, the things causing anxiety are both yourself and your problems. This explains "maybe I'm a different breed" because the feeling of being so heavily burdened with your own issues often makes a person feel different, if not an outcast, from society.
"Maybe I'm not listening," seems quite simple to me. When depressed or anxious, many people are unwilling to accept (or listen to) the help of others.
The only part of the song left that we haven't covered yet is "sail with me into the dark." The "dark" can be viewed as either the unknown life ahead of you or depression, depending on how you view things. the singer at this point is offering his "angel" from earlier on to run away with him and escape the troubles of life, even if it means finding whole new troubles. This is his offer to her, his last offer. His "run with me now, or don't be with me at all." And does she take it?
I guess that's for your imagination to figure out. ;)
I hope this was helpful! Sorry it was so long! -
Sherlock and Moriarty
-
ok so in the music video he is hiding from aleins the whole time but at one part he starts to drown himself in the bathtub [hence: "maybe i should kill myself"] but he realizes he can SAIL on and know that suicide is not the answer. personaly i think this song was made to tell people to not kill themselves but thats just me. "blame it on my add baby" no, he is not talking about 'attention disflict disorder' but he is talking about 'alcoholic drug dependence' but i think that means he is going to kill his self because of his add but you guys might have different answers
-
To me this song is a man describing why he has the bravery or stupidity to "sail". I think of flying when i hear this song. Hes an adrenaline junky, he didn't care if he died at first, thats why he started the glide suits, but now he loves it, and wants to keep sailing...
-
The singer has openly stated he has A.D.D. in an interview anda was even medicated as a child. Those who are trying to make A.D.D. stand for anything other than attention deficit disorder are trying too hard to be creative. Food for thought. .
-
It's about doing heroin.
-
I just don't know about the meaning of A.D.D. I'm spanish, thanks for the help.
More AWOLNATION songs »
Latest Articles
-
A new era for Millennial favorite, Linkin Park -
Anime to watch for the soundtracks… and other reasons you’re undateable -
.jpg)
Dolly, we need you -
The Stranger Things Effect: How new media is drawing Gen Z and Alpha's attention to aging media -
The most underrated soundtrack of the early 2000s -
Buy the Soundtrack, Skip the Movie: Brainscan (1994)
Trending:
Just Posted
| Amnesia | anonymous |
| Your Smiling Face | anonymous |
| You Should Be Dancing | anonymous |
| Washing Machine Heart | anonymous |
| Souvenirs | anonymous |
| Art Deco | anonymous |
| Let It Go | anonymous |
| The Greatest Show | anonymous |
| Vampire | anonymous |
| Vampire | anonymous |
| Sippy Cup | anonymous |
| A Place For My Head | anonymous |
| I Hope You Dance | anonymous |
| Metaphor | anonymous |
| Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) | anonymous |
