Sling me under the sea.
Pack me down in the salt and wet.
No farmer’s plow shall touch my bones.
No Hamlet hold my jaws and speak
How jokes are gone and empty is my mouth.
Long, green-eyed scavengers shall pick my eyes,
Purple fish play hide-and-seek,
And I shall be song of thunder, crash of sea,
Down on the floors of salt and wet.
Sling me . . . under the sea.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Carl Sandburg's poem Bones

7 Comments

  1. Min J Park says:

    The poem is simple yet to the point. It shows the desire of the narrator to be isolated from the society. Also, it consists of many imagery as well

  2. joesteryuh says:

    there is some passion in this poem sayin how he wants to go.

  3. andre says:

    The speaker wants to live in peace under the sea when he dies.

  4. Izell Allen says:

    He tells how he wants to die. He doesn’t want no disturbing people or things. Just wants to rest in piece.

  5. tammie says:

    this is a great poem that tells that when he dies that he doesnt want to be disterbed but rest in peace

  6. allison says:

    the poem speaks of a seaman who wants his body to be thrown into the ocean after he dies.

  7. caroline says:

    there is no ryhm i dont understand the poem its sayin throw me in the water let me drownd?

Leave a Reply to tammie Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding the meaning or the theme of this poem by Carl Sandburg better? If accepted, your analysis will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.