Contributors:

The TMBG FAQ

Jonathan Chaffer

Jay Crockett

Ben Hauck

Matt Keeley

Gerson Koenig

Sarah Kunz

Christine M.

Katherine Olson

Matt Powers

Matthew L. Schwartz

First, a small issue that should be cleared up is the origin of the sound sample at the beginning of the song. It says "daddy'll sing bass," and it is from the Johnny Cash song "Daddy Sang Bass." This has little or no relevance to the actual meaning of the song, most likely.

One possible meaning of "a boat of car" is just a really big car. "Boat" is a common term for such vehicles, such as big Ford station wagons with wood paneling on the sides.

Another is that either a car is functioning as a boat or a boat as a car. That is, a car goes in the water or a boat drives on land. There is just such a "boat of car" illustrated on the Toddler Hiway on the cover of the Pink Album.

Finally, "taking a boat for a car" could mean thinking that the boat is a car, just as one would say "I took you for someone else."

One possible reading of this song is that someone is driving a car when he/she loses control and plunges into a river. In this reading, the "traces of fingernails" could be someone trying to claw his/her way out of the vehicle as it sinks. Some have hypothesized that this is specifically referring to Ted Kennedy and the Chappaquiddick incident.

To finish this off, here is an interp that is pretty off-the-wall, but too intriguing to even paraphrase.

john steinbeck's the grapes of wrath, though written and published in the 1930's, still has an impact on life today, even in the realm of music. the song "boat of car," popular among true they might be giants fans, has been interpreted many ways. i believe that, lyrically and musically, it is a symbolic representation of the joad family's struggles during the time of the depression. the first line, simply "i took my boat for a car," is a biblical reference relating the joad family to noah. just as noah is said to have done, the joads are taking all that they know is pure and escaping from what has become a corrupt place. the ark is assuming the form of their car, thus they "take (their) boat for a car." the obvious reference for the next line, "i took that car for a ride," is that they are journeying to california in that very car. "i was trying to get somewhere" details the joads' attempt to make a successful living farming in oklahoma. it also presents tom's point of view. having just been released from prison, he is trying to start over and "get somewhere" with his life. it is made evident by the proceeding verse, however, that these dreams have been obstructed. the words "i'm following the traces of your fingernails" show that the joads can no longer act upon their aspirations, but are instead forced to move on the orders of the bank and the landowners. the "traces of. . .fingernails" are the marks left in the ground as the tractors clawed through their land. the statement that they "run along the windshield" reflects the unfortunate truth that struggle will always be ahead of them, right in front of their eyes. on a positive note, however, it also shows that they will be able to look past them, through "the windshield," to see a better life down the road. the final mention of the "boat of car" once again relates back to noah and the ark. their automobile is a boat on a turbulent sea of troubles, taking them from an unwanted situation to greater opportunities. as the music changes from a mysterious, almost sorrowful tone to a more lively, joyous air, the listener realizes that the joads feel there is hope for their future, and the deparity turns to optimism. the harmony in the final line expresses that, along with the joads, everybody is in this struggle together.