cnboothstand

Capturing the perfect rendition in one go is practically

cnboothstand | 15 April, 2019 03:23

At this point, Syd and Malcolm called a tea break. (Us Brits do have to have them!) It had been a very productive couple of hours and they were both in high spirits.Brews supped, they returned to record some more. TerrapinAnother love song, but slightly deeper in psychedelic meaning this time.Terrapin was recorded in one take, thus proving the wonderful powers of a nice cup of tea. Capturing the perfect rendition in one go is practically unheard of in a music studio, but it happened.Malcolm immediately suggested that Syd do the double vocal, to dub onto it afterwards, seeing as he was on form. Syd agreed, sang it perfectly, and that was that.Now for the meaning behind it.

Terrapin is an aquatic turtle, which can live both in and out of the water. This can be linked with the evolutionary origins of human beings too. Syd's talking about a love which is very primal. Not in the brutal, wild sense, but as something stripped of worldly concerns.It's worth noting, as Julian Palacios did in Lost in the Woods, that Syd's sister Rosemary lived on Terrapin Street, in Cambridge. He also pointed out that there's a lot of Edward Lear style wordplay in this song.Any threatened turtle can withdraw into their shell, and terrapins are no different.

Syd and his love have been hiding away from the world, just being in love somewhere. He's suggesting that they really should go out more (the sunlight is good for us).In any altered state, be it sleep deprivation or, say, LSD, it's easy to see an aura around people. This is generally a vibrant, electric blue with a layer above that's a rich orange color. It looks like the life force of that individual. And if you don't think Syd saw that, then you haven't looked too closely at his floorboards.It's referenced here twice in the luminous fins and the crystal, blue star.