Sail by AWOLNATION

While listening to my wife get ready for work this morning she had her HD Radio on and this song came on.  I rarely stop and listen to lyrics but this day was different and now have a new found appreciation for the song.  While looking up the lyrics online I ran across discussions about the meaning of the song and could not find one I agreed with.  So here is my shot at it.

Sail by AWOLNATION is about the ADHD experience, one in particular.  Each case is different but there are commonalities.  If you don't have it you can't fully comprehend it.  Watch the video on youtube (link below).  A person with it will most likely become emotional as they immediately relate to the visual evidence and the state of being acted out. I did.

Lyric
This is how I show my love
I made it in my mind because
Blame it on my A-D-D baby

How it relates to ADD/ADHD:
The ADHD mind races well ahead of reality.  We think things that we want to do or say but often never get it out.  It is one reason why we are so rushed.  So, in respects to love sometimes we think we have shown it by a deed or comment that we meant to say but never did.

Lyric
This is how an angel dies
Blame it on my own sick pride
Blame it on my A-D-D baby

How it relates to ADD/ADHD:
An angel is a beautiful thing.  The beautiful things in our lives often die or are killed by our lack of follow through and the messes of things that makes.  It seems we purposely blow things off, like it is less than worthy of our time.  That can appear to be proud.

Lyric
Sail, sail, sail, sail, sail

How it relates to ADD/ADHD:
I will get to this at the end.

Lyric
Maybe I should cry for help
Maybe I should kill myself (myself)
Blame it on my A-D-D baby

How it relates to ADD/ADHD:
After enough time has passed and the messes have piled up despite starting attempts to fix things and dropping them again the cycle becomes clear.  Despair can set in and you ponder getting help.  Sadly, you know that you will most likely drop that too.  That often leads to thoughts of suicide.  Fortunately we drop that too...(in the video he does not)

Lyric
Maybe I'm a different breed
Maybe I'm not listening
So blame it on my A-D-D baby

How it relates to ADD/ADHD:
At some point it dawns on us that not everyone else is this way.  We are often told that we are not listening.

Lyric
Sail, sail, sail, sail, sail

La la la la la la, la la la la la la, la la la la la la, la la la la la la

Sail, sail, sail, sail, sail, sail, sail, sail, sail


"Sail" is a nice way to put being blown by the wind.  We go where the wind goes whether we like it or not.  But I do not think that is what this reference is pointing out.  I believe it is used to convey the peace one hopes for when the race ends.

Video LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH2efAcmBQM

Comments on the video
1. He is running at the start, continually looking over his shoulder.  This represents our racing mind and the past with all the snowballing messes we have made as they follow you around.

2. When he opens the drawer you see all the stacks of paper and the piles of open books.  He next opens a brief case in a similar condition.   This represents all the open ended projects and intentions that are not done. and the attempts at organizing.

3. Next up he finds his obviously misplaced voice recorder under the bed.  This is highlighting both a disorganized nature and the attempt at organizing our racing thoughts.

4. As he sings into the recorder he strolls to a wall of images that are linked together.  This is showing the way the ADD/ADHD mind sees the relationships of topics and tries to find correlations in everything.  Often a related topic will be "popped" by something we see, hear, say, feel, etc.  It can be very remotely related but it does not stop it jumping into our current thoughts and shoving the other topic aside.  When talking to us and we change the topic suddenly this is what happened.  It is not intentional.  We are constantly trying to bat these interruptions down in our mind but some slip out.

5. Next he is being blown by the wind with papers flying around and the ground shaking.  This represents his loosing connection with the world and his place in it.

6. Singing into the mirror is an easy one.  As the evidence mounts and we become more aware of our different experience we look more and more into why, how, what can be done about it.

7. The bath tub being filled with water is also not a huge leap.  It is his means of ending the restless cycle and to find peace or in another word, sail.

8. The green laser scan chasing him is the snowball of messes catching up.

9. The grabbing of the door jamb and trying to not go to the light is a change of heart that is too late to be successful.

10. The playing of the piano with the background shifting, his eyes dilating and then floating away from the earth is his final passing.  He is sailing to whatever is next, if there is a next.

Summary
AWOLNATION did a huge service to the advancement of understanding this condition.  I thank them for being able to bring it to a larger stage.  With more understanding we can do more to minimize the downside and maximize the upside.  Yes, there are good things too.  More on that later.