I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: no one writes a simple, straight-up ballad like Nick Cave does. In my mind, his music, and this song in particular, has become entangled with an inordinate number of my most complex and significant relationships, particularly in the past — DWR once called Cave one of his ‘jinx’ artists, and I feel much the same way about his music. No surprise that “The Ship Song” in particular should stand out — it has just the right tinges of romance and sorrow and night, not to mention the prettiest vibraphone outro you could ever hope to hear.
