Clothes of Sand
Nick
Drake
This song was
found
buried in the Island archives in 1985, eleven years after Nick Drake
had
died. It was never released in his lifetime. No-one could remember it.
A
left-over? A throw-away? No. One of the greatest of all of Nick Drake's
songs,
and the pivotal one in his life.
Who has dressed you in strange clothes of sand? Who has taken you, far from my land? Who has said that my sayings were wrong? And who will say that I stayed much too long?
Clothes of sand have covered your face Given you meaning, taken my place So make your way on, down to the sea Something has taken you, so far from me.
Does it now seem worth all the colour of skies? To see the earth, through painted eyes? To look through panes of shaded glass? See the stains of winter's grass.
Can you now return to from where you came? Try to burn, your changing name? Or with silver spoons and coloured light Will you worship moons, in winter's night.
Clothes of sand have covered your face Given you meaning taken my place So make your way on, down to the sea Something has taken you, so far from me.
THE BACKGROUND:
Nick visited Morocco in March 1967 after visiting Aix-en-Provence.
"Clothes of Sand" was recorded in November 1968 so chronologically fits
with the Morocco visit being its inspiration. "Strange Meeting II"
(written in 1967 or 1968) with its "princess of the sand" character may
well have been inspired by the trip too.
According to accounts from his co-travellers, it was a drug-filled,
memorable trip including crashing a car, being mistaken for being The
Rolling Stones (they were in Morocco at the time too and were
photographed by Cecil Beaton) and playing guitar to Mick Jagger and two
of his friends in a restaurant.
I think the song is evidence of his absorption of the Moroccan
culture and his inspiration to incorporate it into his work: the title,
lyrics
and theme of this song have very strong Middle Eastern overtones. I
also
think the song signifies the pivotal point in his life where he decides
to follow a career in music (and all that comes with it) rather than
the
career path laid out for him by his parents.
THE TITLE:
To me, "Clothes of Sand" is inspired by the ubiquitous sand of
Morocco and is a metaphorical way of conveying Nick's vulnerability in
the way
that clothes of sand would offer no protection to its wearer - clothes
(protection) that is insubstantial, penetrable and would just fall away
from the wearer.
THE PERSPECTIVE:
I believe the song is sung from the perspective of Nick's parents,
expressing their apprehension at the crossroads Nick finds himself at
in his life
and the choice he makes.
THE LYRICS:
Who has dressed you in strange clothes of
sand
The clothes of the Middle East (yashmaks and thobes) are certainly
totally different from Western clothing and a striking feature of
Middle Eastern life on first encounter. Nick's excellence in using
metaphors ("Man in
a Shed", "Fruit Tree", "Black-Eyed Dog") is manifested here again in
using
clothes of sand as a metaphor for psychological vulnerability.
Who has taken, you far from my land
Far from Nick's home of England.
Who has said that my sayings were wrong?
Who has persuaded Nick that the advice his parents have given him on
his future is not for him.
Clothes of sand have covered your face
Middle Eastern women are expected/required to cover all of their
body
including their face with their black yashmaks.
Given you meaning, taken my place
He has found new meaning and purpose in his life that has taken the
place of his parents'.
So make your way on, down to the sea Something has taken you, so far from me.
Nick has become detached and distant from his parents' values and
plans.
Does it now seem worth all the colour of
skies?
A metaphor for him now opening his eyes to what else is in the
world.
To see the earth, through painted eyes
Virtually all Middle Eastern women wear thick kohl eye-liner. They
expose only their eyes in public (for obvious practical considerations)
so they embellish them with make-up as the only opportunity they have
to "dress
up". It could also be a coupled reference to an acid-trip.
To look through panes of shaded glass?
Another reference to haze-inducing drugs.
See the stains of winter's grass
This could also be a reference to drugs.
Can you now return to from where you came
Can he go back home to England after this freak-out trip and resume
the life mapped out for him by his parents. Nick's grandfather had
attended Marlborough School, as did his father, as did he. He was
currently attending Cambridge University and a predictable and
conventional future lay ahead. This is the pivotal point for Nick: to
decide whether he returns to this safe, mapped-out future or whether he
takes his own path. He said of his father's comment that a Cambridge
degree would at least be a safety net if his music career went awry:
"the last thing I want is a safety net".
Try to burn, your changing name
Can he change from the Nick of the past to the Nick of the future.
Or with silver spoons and coloured light
Co-travellers report extensive drug indulgence on the Aix and
Morocco
trip by them and Nick, hence the reference to "silver spoons", a
well-known
drug metaphor. The "coloured light" may refer to incense, typical of
smoking
binges that I've seen across the Middle East and, perhaps,
hallucinatory
effects of certain drugs.
Will you worship moons, in winter's night.
Worship of moons sums up Middle Eastern life. The year is based on
lunar cycles; the sighting of the moon determines Ramadan's and Eids'
start
and finish dates; the Quran places great emphasis on the significance
of the moon to Islam; the minarets of mosques are usually topped with
moon
crescents. March 1967 would have been the end of winter in Morocco.
The most striking features of the Middle East to new visitors (from
my own experience and others') are: the intense heat; the mass of sand;
the clothes of the indigenous population; the smoking binges (tobacco
and illicit substances); the domination of Islam; religious holidays
all synchronised with the sighting of the moon; the oppression of
women; very beautiful women with heavily made up eyes with the rest of
their bodies totally covered in black.
Nick's included several of these factors in Clothes of Sand which
leads me to believe its main inspiration was his Morocco visit. It is
also the song where the boy decides what kind of man he wants to be.
