Stewart, John - (Odin) Spirit Of The Water Lyrics






Oh there's a story, told on the coastline
About a star-eyed girl and her man of the sea
He was a whaler, assassin of the sea wind
And she told him, "Oh, let the whale go free"

And for the glory, they sailed with the sunrise
He was the devil on the wind out of Monterey
She pleaded, "Keeper of my heartline"
She pleaded, "Oh, let the whale go free"

And she's waiting, and she's praying
And she's waiting, and she's praying
Odin, spirit of the water
Odin, god of the sea
Odin, spirit of the water
Odin, oh, let the whale go free

And then one dark day in February, say
On the twenty-eighth, maybe the ninth
You know, the ship sailed in with nary a man
On the deck there to hold the line
And then, lashed to the mast like a ghost from the past
Was the man who had christened the crime
He said, "The battle is done and the whale has won
It's the last time I'm taking the line"

And she's waiting, and she's praying
And she's waiting, and she's praying
Odin, spirit of the water
Odin, god of the sea
Odin, spirit of the water
Odin, oh, let the whale go free

Odin, spirit of the water
Odin, god of the sea
Odin, spirit of the water
Odin, oh, let the whale go free





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Stewart, John (Odin) Spirit Of The Water Comments
  1. R.... S....

    Paints a neat picture

  2. D.... L....

    Brilliant musician not to be forgotten by this musician ever.

  3. J.... A....

    i have the album if anyone needs a copy...

  4. J.... A....

    This is a great song. Too bad is wasn't written about a starlet instead of a whale, then it would have been a hit! Great music either way...

  5. M.... S....

    One of my favorite songs of an all-time favorite artist!

  6. B.... B....

    an often forgotten album dream babies go Hollywood has some of his best songs ever! they continue the haunting melodies of his bombs away dream babies album! they really are companion pieces these two albums!

  7. P.... P....

    Came here trying to figure out where I could get a CD with this song. Apparently, there was never a CD release. What a crime!

    P.... P....

    It is on CD in the format of Dream Babies Go Hollywood; it's also available as "The Best of John Stewart"  The back-up crew was fantastic; Wendy Waldman's arrangements and her singing makes this complete for me

    P.... P....

    Hmmm... as far as I could tell, there was never a CD release of Dream Babies Go Hollywood. At least, there is not one I could find on Amazon or on Discogs. There was a 1995 greatest hits CD called "Turning Music Into Gold" which had the contents of the two Dream Babies albums. This song is listed, but that CD is out of print and the cheapest copy I could find was $80.

  8. J.... S....

    One of the BEST unknown songs EVER!! Stewart was genius... RIP bro...

    J.... S....

    It's so good that I can't even really get mad at the lyrics. His talent was incredible.

  9. d.... ....

    One of my favorites.  Thanks for posting.

  10. p.... ....

    Ummm, you clearly don't know much about mythology, do you, Angriella? I expected that folks responding to my comment might perform a cursory internet search at least before running at the mouth with no backup. I'd fancied the idea that if I put forward some honest insights, they might be met with comparable elucidation. Silly me, here in the youtube trenches, trying to dredge up thoughtful commentary. I shoulda remembered where I was.

    p.... ....

    Perhaps you should have reconsidered jumping way down my throat after my first comment you dumb coconut! But no, you think you know it all! Fuck you and the shitty horse you rode in on. I know a damn sight more about mythology than you do, and unlike you I know that not everything I read on the internet is true Try reading a book or two, it'll do you good and maybe cure you of your rampant egotism.Then you can fuck off and die and stop ruining a nice song!

  11. a.... ....

    Even so, wish he'd pull finger and stop those bastard Japanese whalers!

  12. a.... ....

    Wrong! Odin is so the god of the sea in Norse myth!

    a.... ....

    Odin was the farther of 12 other gods who was hung on the yggdrssll tree (by the trickster, his son, Loki) in an attempt to kill him, but he survived and after three days came down and though one eye was torn out, he had more strength and vision than before.
    Good name was changed to Woden and the day of the week was named after him when the Christians stole the ancient ways from the north people.

  13. p.... ....

    This song would have worked so much better if they just would have used Poseidon like they obviously wanted to instead of Odin, which is totally inappropriate. Odin, especially as the All Father, lords over many things, but water is not really one of them. The inaccurate namesake detracts from the song- which calls up multiple watery archetypes- Moby Dick, Odysseus, Sirens, the Ancient Mariner... But the inconsistent "Odin" ruins the otherwise effective symbolism.

    p.... ....

    pelehonuamea Yes, I get it. Sure, it’s my favorite John Stewart song (well, next to Daydream Believer, and Gold is half a nose behind), but that always tugs at mythology buffs, eh?

    p.... ....

    My guess is they wanted a mainstream, commercially viable song. "Odin" is firmly entrenched in American popular culture as being the Norse god most closely associated with the sea, especially among those of us who remember "The Vikings" when it first came out in the summer of 1958. John Stewart and Stevie Nicks were born the same year I was, 1948, and they would remember this film. The scene where Eric (Tony Curtis,) secret half brother of Einar (Kirk Douglas,) invokes Odin to save him from drowning, was iconic: "Odin! Send the wind and turn the tide!"

  14. 6.... ....

    it is similar to keep on rockin in free world

  15. D.... K....

    It's an honor to have you post!! Thanks!

  16. u.... ....

    I have the album and its Linda Ronstadt on background vocal.

    u.... ....

    Wendy Waldman arranged the background vocals and sang them with Linda Ronstadt and the late Nicolette Larson.  Wendy Waldman mad this record so great.

  17. A.... G....

    Everyone can hear Buckinghams voice in backround of the refrain

    A.... G....

    He's not listed on the LP or on the CD.

    A.... G....

    Anders Gustafson It’s Linda Ronstadt and the late Nicolette Larson.

  18. D.... W....

    Even w/ the Buckingham/Nicks connection, this collaboration runs much more different & in my opinion, more interesting than BOMBS AWAY DREAM BABIES, which sometimes, to me, too commercial & too predictable!

    DREAM BABIES GO HOLLYWOOD is where John finally comes into his own, making a much more deeper & haunting sound & darker grooves w/o being too over-indulgent... Everything he was after in terms of "perfect production" he accomplished here!

  19. D.... K....

    You're right, my bad.

  20. D.... K....

    @ ZAC23YT, I just listened to Odin and it played all the way through for me, Try it again.

  21. Z.... ....

    Is it my computer or does this stop at 2:29 - even though it is meant to last 4:51 ?

  22. c.... h....

    I have been looking for this song for YEARS AND YEARS THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR POSTING!!!!!

  23. s.... r....

    I never thought I would ever hear this song again...30 years! Similar sound to Midnight Wind; that is however, Linda Ronstandt doing her best Stevie Nicks impersonation - just great, thanks.

    s.... r....

    That's Wendy Waldman shaking up the background vocals with Linda and the late Nicolette Larson.  WW's arrangements on the record really made it work well.

    s.... r....

    I agree! I was about to make the same observation about "Midnight Wind." The song definitely misses Stevie Nicks's haunting harmonies.

  24. k.... ....

    Wow, I have not heard this song in nearly 20 years!