IDs_Ego January 12th, 2006 03:28PM  

It's said that the Horse Latitudes are relatively close to the Tropic's of Cancer and Capricorn, ie 30 degrees N and S latitude on the map. Here, by natural physics, sailors would be hit with the doldrums. When Spanish sailors were bringing horses to the West Indies, these doldrums meant a life-threatening voyage, as sailors would be running out of fresh water. The horses, drinking four gallons a day, would be thrown overboard, left to drown.

A wonderfully creepy poem/tune, and an example of the genius of good album mix, as it is followed by "Moonlight Drive" to close out Side One (vinyl days) of the classic "Strange Days".

anonymous January 26th, 2006 05:09PM  

I read something in Jim Morrison's autobiography "No One Here Gets Out Alive", and I can't remember it exactly, but it said something about how he actually wrote this as a poem while a high school student, I think, and it was after he read or heard or saw something about the whole "Horse Latitudes" jettisoning the horses thing. So he wrote this poem/song/whatever you wish to call it.

anonymous January 30th, 2007 01:35PM  

this is a poem about sailing in the area where doldrums were common...these became known as the "horse latitudes" because as stated above the horses were thrown overboard at these times. ropes would be tied around the horses so they would tow the ship as far as possible before they became exausted and drowned. "when her sullen and aborted currents breed tiny monsters" refers to how sailors would resort to any measures to continue sailing. "true sailing is dead" because they no longer rely on the wind to carry them along. after the "awkward instant" the first horse would be thrown overboard where it would try to swim with "legs furiously pumping" their "stiff green gallop" refers to how they would stir up seaweed that is often was abundant in areas of calm water. The horse would swim until it could no longer stay afloat and then it would sink "in mute nostril agony".