the long term Not just a long trip here, but a long-term commitment or ride.
Ahoy there, matey! You in for the long haul?Waking Life · 2001 — Chapter 1 of 13 · 2'14" · B2
A Ride Full of Sea Metaphors, Explained: on an even keel
A man with a sailor's patter offers a ride and turns it into a philosophy lecture: 'You want to go with the flow. The sea refuses no river.' The passenger mostly answers with short, uncertain lines.
What happens
A man with a sailor's patter calls out to someone waiting by the road and offers a ride. As they move, he talks about his vessel, calling it 'see-worthy,' then points to something that is 'like my little window to the world.' Asked where to get out, the passenger says anywhere is fine.
Listen for
see-worthyhitch in your get-alongI'll tell you whaton an even keel
00:00 / 02:14Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
on an even keel
steady and balanced
The driver folds the sea metaphors into a summary, searching for words as if afraid the passenger missed the point.
After the argument, we tried to get back on an even keel.
Also in this scene
- see-worthy
worth seeing, punning on seaworthy
- hitch in your get-along
a small problem slowing you down
- I'll tell you what
here's what I think
- window to the world
a way to see the wider world
- box me in
limit me to one role
Everything marked in this scene
31 notes across 35 lines
mate, sailor-style — A playful sailor-style address; avoid it in formal settings.
Ahoy there, matey! You in for the long haul?a small problem slowing you down
Someone greets a person waiting by the road with a string of nautical quips, sounding like an old sailor offering a lift.
You need a little hitch in your get-along, a little lift on down the line?miss an opportunity Literally missing a boat; here it means missing this chance.
if you want to-- All right. Don't miss the boat.Let the t in 'Not a' soften into the next vowel; stress 'prob-'.
- Hey, thanks. - Not a problem.anchors up; let's go — Nautical jargon; fine as a playful way to announce departure.
Anchors aweigh!In fast questions, 'what do you' blurs into one chunk; don't hit every word.
So what do you think of my little vessel?a part of one's identity
I feel like my transport should be an extension of my personality.a way to see the wider world
The driver shows off a view, calling it a little window to the world and a different show every minute.
Voila. And this? This is like my little window to the world, and every minute, it's a different show.move smoothly along Literally glide; here it means going along without fighting.
But I'll tell you what, I accept it and just sort of glide along.The 'of' in 'sort of' nearly disappears; stress 'glide'.
But I'll tell you what, I accept it and just sort of glide along.steady and balanced
The driver folds the sea metaphors into a summary, searching for words as if afraid the passenger missed the point.
You want to keep things on an even keel I guess is what I'm saying.parenthetical: 'I guess' softens the claim, and 'is what I'm saying' turns the line into a summary.
You want to keep things on an even keel I guess is what I'm saying.accept what happens
You want to go with the flow. The sea refuses no river.'with the' runs together weakly; stretch 'flow' instead.
You want to go with the flow. The sea refuses no river.in a state of always leaving
The idea is to remain in a state of constant departure while always arriving.reduced clause: The reduced 'while' clause adds a simultaneous action: always arriving while remaining in departure.
The idea is to remain in a state of constant departure while always arriving.avoid the need for introductions
Saves on introductions and good-byes.need to be explained
The ride does not require an explanation.be born into the world Literally come onto the planet; here it means being born.
It's like you come onto this planet with a crayon box.nominal clause: The 'what' clause after 'in' names the thing that matters: how you use what you were given.
But it's all in what you do with the crayons, the colors that you're given.follow the rules Literally coloring inside the lines; here it means following rules.
Don't worry about drawing within the lines or coloring outside the lines.gerund pair: Two gerund phrases are joined after 'about'; the negative covers both options together.
Don't worry about drawing within the lines or coloring outside the lines.limit me to one role
The driver escalates from 'ignore the lines' to refusing definition itself, sounding like a declaration.
Don't box me in. We're in motion to the ocean.not surrounded by land Here the geography word stands for not being mentally fenced in.
We are not landlocked, I'll tell ya that.want to get out Here it asks where you want to get out of the vehicle.
So where do you want out?let someone out of a vehicle Not abandoning him; it means letting him out at the corner.
go two more blocks, drop this guy off on the next corner.the remaining part of your life
somewhere, and it's gonna determine the course of the rest of your life.decide the direction of something
somewhere, and it's gonna determine the course of the rest of your life.going to — Casual contraction; avoid it in writing and formal speech.
somewhere, and it's gonna determine the course of the rest of your life.beep beep — A playful horn sound; not for formal writing.
Toot toot!A Ride Full of Sea Metaphors, explained
What's really going on
The ride is doing double duty as a metaphor. The driver says his transport should be "an extension of my personality," then describes a life of permanent motion: "The idea is to remain in a state of constant departure while always arriving." Where the passenger gets dropped off matters less than the motion itself — by his account the trip "does not require an explanation. Just occupants." He admits he may not understand the world or agree with it, and that's the posture he recommends. When he says "Don't box me in," the boat stops being a boat and becomes a way of refusing the lines other people draw around you.
Theme
PhilosophyThe ride turns into a spoken creed: go with the flow, stay on an even keel, and treat arriving as a state of mind.
IdentityHis vehicle is "an extension of my personality," and refusing to be boxed in is how he stays himself.
Listen for
- Not a problem — Let the t in 'Not a' soften into the next vowel; stress 'prob-'.
- what do you — In fast questions, 'what do you' blurs into one chunk; don't hit every word.
- sort of glide — The 'of' in 'sort of' nearly disappears; stress 'glide'.
- with the flow — 'with the' runs together weakly; stretch 'flow' instead.
You want to go with the flow. The sea refuses no river.Drift instead of pushing; let things come to you the way rivers come to the sea.
The idea is to remain in a state of constant departure while always arriving.Stay in motion, never fully settled — leaving and arriving at once, so neither has to be announced.
Don't worry about drawing within the lines or coloring outside the lines.Ignore the rule about staying in or out of the lines; the frame itself is the problem.
Don't box me in. We're in motion to the ocean.Don't pin me down or define me; we're heading somewhere bigger and won't be fenced in.
The ride does not require an explanation.The trip needs no justification or meaning — having people in it is enough.
Questions about this scene
Why does the driver call his boat "see-worthy"?
He spells it out himself: "S-E-E. See with your eyes." It's a pun on seaworthy, so the boat is worth looking at, not just fit to sail.
What does he mean by staying in "constant departure while always arriving"?
He answers it in the next line: "Saves on introductions and good-byes." Never fully arriving means never having to formally start or end anything.
Does the passenger actually have a destination in mind?
No. Asked where he wants out, the answer is 'anywhere is fine,' and someone has to ask for 'an address or something.'
What is the crayon box comparison about?
Everyone is handed a box of crayons at birth — "you may get the 8-pack, you may get the 16-pack" — and what counts is what you do with the colors you were given.
Why does the driver insist "we are not landlocked"?
He is answering the idea of being boxed in: a landlocked place has no way out to the sea, and he says his ride is 'in motion to the ocean.'
Waking Life · 13 chapters
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Up next · Chapter 2write ourselves offSpeaker Defends Existentialism
Watching · Chapter 1on an even keelA Ride Full of Sea Metaphors
Chapter 2write ourselves offSpeaker Defends Existentialism
Chapter 3at the whim ofThe Evolution Lecture
Chapter 4collective memoryTwo People Discuss Reincarnation
Chapter 5charadeThe Free Will Lecture
Chapter 6two sides of the same coinMan Rants About Control
Chapter 7in the middle of nowhereGas Station Shooting Story
Chapter 8make the best of itLucid Dreaming Tips and Tricks
Chapter 9come out of the momentTwo People Debate What Film Captures
Chapter 10be an antStrangers Talk About Not Being Ants
Chapter 11beside the pointA Character in a Dream
Chapter 12coauthors ofBridge Monologue on Dreams
Chapter 13false awakeningsDreamer Describes False AwakeningsChapter 1 of 13 · about 37 min to go