Al Stewart - Sampan Lyrics






The sun is high, looking out I see
The emptiness beyond the jetty
Seagulls raining like confetti
On the Water
Sea and sky come together in
A hazy kiss out on the ocean
Europe seems a foreign notion
Hardly thought of

And would you leave your modern world behind?
I know who I am
Riding in my sampan

In the shade stands the foreman in
A floppy hat and linen suit
Beneath his ancient leather boot
The ground is straining
Far away, figures bend to tap the
Endless seas of rubber trees
To coat the wheels of Paris taxis
Where it's raining

And would you leave your melting world behind?
I know who I am
Riding in my sampan





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Al Stewart Sampan Comments
  1. T.... ....

    This beautiful song is waaaaay too short...

  2. M.... ....

    Al Stewart and his "look what I've reading about" style of music may not have broad appeal, but his fireside tales and historical journeys are so well crafted. He never forgets too that a catchy melody and flavorful hook makes a great song. So Al Stewart binds this all together in these wonderfully inspired poetic musical essays which fans can't get enough of.

  3. i.... ....

    What a beautiful, haunting song, with such poetic lyrics.

    i.... ....

    Thank you x

  4. K.... W....

    Such images so historically important

  5. G.... M....

    Love love this song and the imagery that it evokes.

  6. R.... S....

    One of my favorites by Al.

  7. y.... ....

    I also like how he has to sneak at least one song about sailing per album ;)

  8. y.... ....

    Well, a Sampan is a small Chinese boat, I recall seeing some of those in various Hollywood movies. There seems to be more of a historical background to this little piece than I suspected. A lot is explained on his web site. I've put the link under the description, you might like to check it out - it may interest (or bore the hell out of) you :) I guess the narrator is one of those French immigrants in Laos mentioned there. Still, the melody and the poetic imagery remain captivating.

  9. R.... M....

    I know.
    I know.
    I know who I am
    Riding on your sampan.

  10. R.... M....

    I wonder what the subject of this song is this time.

    R.... M....

    Gees You are that dense?? It refers to French Indochina before WWII. The Locals there didn't care about the World situation. or who ruled them. Listen to the words. It didn't matter who ruled them as long as daily life wasn't disturbed.