Posted by Southern Cross is a song released by Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1982. It became popular again after David Crosby died on January 18, 2023, as one of the most beautiful tracks ever made by the American singer/songwriter, although he wasn’t actively involved in the writing process of this specific song. Still, as one of the most recognizable tunes of his career, fans are re-discovering it again in his memory. Let’s discover the story, the lyrics, and the song’s meaning: you’ll also find the complete lyrics at the end of the article.
You can watch David Crosby singing Southern Cross live, together with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, in the video below. Here you can find the original music video.
Southern Cross: the story, lyrics, and meaning
Southern Cross is a song about leaving everything behind, jumping on a boat, and escaping on an exotic island. In the lyrics, the band reflects on a love relationship that has ended and realizes how small our worries and our troubles are in front of the magnificence of the universe: the Southern Cross is one of the most recognizable constellations of the Southern sky, and the singers watch it while thinking about what really matters in life.
The song’s beginning describes the escape: the protagonist jumps on a boat from the coast of California and heads towards the Southern islands, referring to Tahiti, the island in French Polynesia in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The lines mention the trade winds that run west at that latitude, Papeete (the capital of French Polynesia), and Marquesas (a small, dreamy island in the same archipelago). The itinerary is completed with the mention of Avalon, a small town on Santa Catalina Island, the first island you find if you sail from Los Angeles: the protagonist tries a phone call to the girl he loves, getting no answer, and he realizes he needs to escape.
Got out of town on a boat, going to Southern islands
Sailing a reach before a following sea
She was making for the trades on the outside
And the downhill run to Papeete
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
While riding the ocean waves, the singer reflects on his pursuit of everlasting love: looking for a girl, or a woman, who can share with him the ambition of making love last forever. He thought this girl was the one, but after realizing all the things that went wrong and the opportunities they failed, he admits to himself that this love was an anchor that prevented him from moving toward happiness.
I have been around the world (Looking)
Looking for that woman-girl
(And I know she knows)
Who knows love can endure
The awareness comes the moment he sees the Southern Cross. In front of the majesty of the universe, the singer realizes that the problems of his past relationship are a small thing in front of all the opportunities we have in life to be happy.
When you see the Southern Cross for the first time
You understand now why you came this way
‘Cause the truth you might be running 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-dying
And my love is an anchor tied to you
Tied with a silver chain
The song ends wishing somebody else will come, introducing a new truth in his life and making him forget this girl.
Somebody fine
Will come along, make me forget about loving you
In the Southern Cross
This is the real meaning of the lyrics inside Southern Cross: I loved you, and I wished our love would last forever, but now I have to be aware that it’s impossible; I’m leaving, jumping on a boat directed to the islands in the middle of the ocean, and through this trip, I realize how immense the universe is, full of possibilities to be happy.
Southern Cross is based on Seven League Boots, a song written by the Curtis Brothers. Stephen Stills reworked it, introducing new lyrics and giving birth to a new track. The song was recorded by Stephen Stills and Graham Nash as part of the album Daylight Again, in a moment when David Crosby wasn’t part of the band: Crosby rejoined Stills and Nash after the song was recorded, and he performed it live many times even though he didn’t contribute in the writing process.
Read other popular song lyrics and their meaning on Auralcrave
The complete lyrics
Below you can find the complete lyrics of Southern Cross, the song by David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
Got out of town on a boat, going to Southern islands
Sailing a reach before a following sea
She was making for the trades on the outside
And the downhill run to Papeete
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
(I think about)
Think about how many times I have fallen
Spirits are using me, larger voices calling
What heaven brought you and me
Cannot be forgotten (I’ve been around the world)
I have been around the world (Looking)
Looking for that woman-girl
(And I know she knows)
Who knows love can endure
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 running 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-dying
And my love is an anchor tied to you
Tied with a silver chain
I have my ship
And all her flags are a-flying
She is all that I have left
And music is her name
(I think about)
Think about how many times I have fallen
Spirits are using me, larger voices calling
What heaven brought you and me
Cannot be forgotten (I’ve been around the world)
I have been around the world (Looking)
Looking for that woman-girl
Who knows love can endure
And you know it will
And you know it will
(Yes)
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
Somebody fine
Will come along, make me forget about loving you
In the Southern Cross
