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Songfacts:  You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.

There's no small controversy over the meaning of this song. Some think it is set during the Civil War, with the attackers being Union soldiers. Others say that the "White Boat" is actually a Coast Guard Cutter, and the family being attacked are involved in drug running or operating an illegal distillation business. (thanks, David - Lilburn, GA)

Young offered this to Lynyrd Skynyrd, but 3 members of the band died in a plane crash before they could record it.

Young recorded this with Crazy Horse. It was the first time since 1975 that he had recorded with the band.

This starts the electric side of Rust Never Sleeps. The first side of the album (or first 5 songs on the CD), are acoustic.

Powderfinger are an Australian rock band, originally from the city of Brisbane in the state of Queensland. They started out playing music from other bands like The Doors and Led Zeppelin. They also played Neil Young songs, and got their name from this song. Double Allergic (1996) was their breakthrough album in Australia, particularly because of the singles "Pick You Up" and "D.A.F" (which was named because of the first 3 guitar chords of the song).

When they were dating, Australian Mary Donaldson gave Prince Frederick of Denmark some of Powderfinger's music because it was her favourite Australian music, and he hadn't heard it before. Now they are married, and she is Australia's first princess. (thanks, Eliza - Sydney, Australia, for above 2)

Comments:

Oh, lighten up, Eve(n). I actually like the song.
- Mike, Matawan, NJ

Hey Evan!!! I heard this song was only written 85.6235% for Lynard Skynard (not offered to them as a gift in lieu of dental insurance). They asked Neil to write them a song while he was hopped up on airplane glue and this is the crap he turned out!!! Oh, the other 14.3765 was for Devo.
- Mike, Matawan, NJ

Oh my gosh mike, you are just sooo funny! If you dont like the song, then just refrain from commenting on it at all! The rest of us (with real musical taste) enjoy this Neil Young Classic!
- Evan, San Clemente, CA

This song was actually 100% written for Lynard Skynard (not offered to them as a gift). They actually asked Neil to write them a song for their album and this is what they got!
- Evan, San Clemente, CA

This song was actually 100% written for Lynard Skynard (not offered to them as a gift). They actually asked Neil to write them a song for their album and this is what they got!
- Evan, San Clemente, CA

I think Robert from Philly gets it about right. Young left the specific details out for a reason, he did not intend the listener to get hung up about this being period song or a song about a specific event. Over analysis does not add anything to the meaning of the song. It is song of mood and emotion. In a nutshell, the ill-prepared innocent is called to face unstoppable monster (ie the government, corporations, imperialism, “the Man”, the establishment – take your pick) with awful consequences. The specific locale is unimportant. I tend to think Young presents the narrator as so young, or even mentally retarded or undeveloped; he his incapable of dealing rationally with the situation. He responds by shooting at the boat, the only response he can muster. That said, I will speculate “Red means run, son, numbers add up to nothin'” is simply saying trust your instincts over analysis. “Then I saw black, And my face splashed in the sky.” Is his ultimate loss of innocence as he shoots back, and ultimately being gunned down in response.
- Bob, Little Rock, AR

Interesting comments; I am with Robert in Chicago. I always thought it was set in 20th century America and the ill fated young man came from a family of bootleggers.
- Steve, Philadelphia, PA

Not sure where people are getting stuff about Indians or gun safeties or drugs or blood. The meanings are right there in the song: "it's got a big red beacon" / "red means run, son" and "it's got numbers on the side" / "numbers add up to nothing". The boat, whatever it is, is a representative of a government not trusted by the protagonist's family. The setting is pretty clearly somewhere in Appalachia -- the protagonist's brother is "out hunting in the mountains", and they live alongside a river (perhaps prone to flooding.) That only leaves the time period up for debate; best guesses are either the Civil War (when a ship just pulling up and opening fire would make most sense), or Prohibition (when a ship might be more likely to have a "big red beacon".)
- Robert, Chicago, IL

red means run talks about blood no the safetys that old rifles did not even have. numbers add up to nothing means that no matter how many people are on your side people can still be killed so he should run
- apeek19, atlanta, GA

I think red means run refers to taking the rifle off of safety and numbers add up to nothing refers to zeroing the sights.
- John, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Just a quick note - "Raised my rifle to my eye" doesn't mean he shot himself, thats how you sight a target with a rifle.
- Lance, Portland, OR

Great song, Great guitar playing (Neil you are so underrated), great lyrics.
- David, huntington beach, CA

Look. In my eyes this song can have multiple meanings, but in my mind it is one that stands out. If you've ever used needles to administrate drugs you know this "if it's red, danger ahead! if it's black, whack it back!". This is because if you hit a artary the blood that goes into the syringe will be red, if you inject now, you will either die or lose your f***ing limb. If it's black, it means that you got into a vein, this is what you want. Neil sings "red means run, son", and later "then I saw black, and my face smashed in the sky". And this is exactly how it feels when you push the drugs into your vein, its an instant rush. I was amazed that there were no comments about this, but I guess it's not something everyone knows, but now you know.
- Anton, Boras, Sweden

In the version I have, instead of the lines: red means run, son, numbers add up to nothin', Neil is definitely saying: red man run, numbers add up to nothing... It's clear. I have no idea which album this version is from originally. But that says to me this song is about a modern Native American family that somehow got crossed up with the law. One or more members anyway. White boat with numers on the side and a red beacon = probably a Coast Guard boat. Man on the rail...cops are "the man" or were in the era this was written. Coast guard boats sometimes assist law enforcement people by providing transportation and a back up "intimidation factor." Many have guns mounted on the bow. Guns big enough to blow up a dock. I'm convinced this is about a real event, probably on the Missouri River and possibly on one of the reservations. Neil isn't talking about it to protect the privacy of those involved. Listen to a clip at: http://users.wildblue.net/wesjones/misc/powderclip.wav Best, wes
- Wesley, Walton, WV

I agree with the time period being somewhere in the 19th century. But, lets not forget NY is a Canadian. This might have to do with fur traders, Hudson Bay Co., the Imperial navy. It seems that we automatically interpret anyones' lyrics colloquially to our experiences/geography. Glad that there's a bigger world out there.
- DAN, Hot Springs, AR

Don't have a clue as to the meaning behind the song but for all of you that think it's from the 1800's or the civil war, "Big Red Beacon"????????
- Gene, Susquehanna, PA

Love the song. Here's my thoughts: Civil war. These folks live on a big river in the border area between north and south. They are Northerners. (Note: "Red means run son") (Note: Confederate boats were sometimes painted with white hulls) It's the beginning of the war or the end, when things are kind of confused about what's happening. (Again note: "Red means run son, numbers don't add up to nothin.") Here is an important point that I haven't heard mentioned: In the end he raises his rifle to his eye, and then sees black and his face splashes into the sky. I think he pulled the trigger, his weapon backfired (common with old guns), and exploded into his face, killing him. He wants to be "covered" by the bravery that led him to pull the trigger, not the indignity of accidentally killing himself. Shelter me from the finger and the powder. He means his own finger and his own powder exploding in his face.
- Robert, Asheville, NC

I'm sure Neil played both solos in the song on the studio version, because he played the solos in concert when I saw him perform it with Crazy Horse.
- Steve, Fenton, MO

My own opinion is that the song time period is middle to late 1800's and the area is in on the eastern end of the Ohio River Valley. I always thought that the people talking were of Scotch Irish descent whose ancestors came through the Cumberland Gap. What I would like seen done is for an Amercian History professor to look at the song and try to date the time and place the location. "Hunting is the mountains." has to be a big clue. We are not talking about Wisconsin. Also, where was mail delivered by river. The language and imagery has always made me think of eastern Kentucky or Tennessee. A college history class could have fun with this song as a project. I have always been convinced that there is a source for this song. John Naperville Illinois
- Juan Ombez, Naperville, IL

I agree that this is one of Neil's most evocative songs.The fact that it leaves you to decide what the event is that's taking place is part of it's magic.For a real treat fans should check out Margo Timmons version with Cowboy Junkies.Her always haunting voice adds a real beauty to an already beautiful song.
- jim, syracuse, NY

Neil Young usually plays his own guitar, he is ranked as one of the top 100 best guitarists ever on most lists. His uniquely stylized riffs and idiosyncratic soloing in acoustic and electric songs set him apart.
- Jonathon, Clermont, FL

Truly magnificent songwriting, one of Young's greatest and most powerful songs. From the ominous opening line to the enigmatic conclusion, it is a vivid, disturbing first-person picture of a purposefully vague incident. I remember one reviewer at the time calling the song's imagry powerfully "nihlistic". Young never hit the mark like this again.
- Paul, Sacramento, CA

Lyrically, one of the all-time great story songs along with 'Copperhead Road', and 'A Boy Named Sue'. Muscially, it contains one of the all-time great guitar solos (twice) (Rust Never Sleeps studio version). Question: Who actually performed the 2 guitar solos?
- Marc, Prior Lake, MN

I think Powderfinger is an anachronism. It's about a Civil War era guy seeing a modern-day coast guard or police boat heading up the river. The Civil War guy doesn't understand what the boat is about, so he describes it in Civil War era terms (it's got numbers on the side, and a gun, and it's making big waves). The Civil War guy defends his home against the modern-day intrusion, and gets blasted. It's kind of like crossing wires from the modern day and a hundred (plus) years ago. Neil Young does a lot of this kind of thing on this album (for example, Marlon Brando and Pocahontas).
- Carl, Arlington, VA

See, this shows that Young didn't hate skynyrd and vice versa (check Sweet Home Alabama page). This song is great, and I might like it even more if I look at the lyrics :)
- Johnny, Los Angeles, CA

This Song is perfect and i think the best version is on 1991's weld. i think neil and crazy horse are right on through out the whole album. if you havent heard weld you need to. especially powderfinger, love to burn, love and only love, crime in the city and mansion on the hill!
- eric, phoenix, AZ

My favorite Neil Young recording...I can't imagine how anyone else could do it better. Great lyrics and great guitar riff.
- Steve, Fenton, MO

One of my favorite songs of all time ! The guitar lead/hook is priceless Rock-nRoll in it's finest. " Chick-a-flair narn naer nair nair nair nair" I agree with the drug runner story, maybbe set in the 1800's ? Anywho...def a Neil classic that should be played on 'terrestrial radio" That's why Apple invented the glorious iPod. My first post, of many I'm sure.
- Rob McMahon, Woodbury, NJ

The idea that "the singer kills himself" makes absolutely no sense to me. I've always felt that the boy raised the rifle to his eye in a gutsy but futile attempt to protect whatever he and his family were doing there. Unfortunately, "when the first shot hit the dock" he saw it coming... he's a dead man. He falls face first into the water, which is reflecting the sky above - hence, "my face splashed in the sky."
- Tim, Washington, DC

I think the singer kills himself. "Raised my rifle to my eye, never stopped to wonder why, then I saw black and my face splashed in the sky"
- Ron, Bentonville, AR

The following information regarding Robert E. Lee including a letter he wrote mentioning the death of his brother convince me that Neil like many artists read a line of this type of information including "John" "mail-boat" "mother" and that was part of the Powderfinger inspiration. Therefore, I believe the setting for Powderfinger was the Civil War. (Excerpt from sonofthesouth.net as follows) The quiet and rest which he so much desired, and which he was enjoying when he wrote, did not long remain his. He had just gotten my mother comfortably settled at the Baths, when he received the news of the sudden death of his brother Smith. He went at once to Alexandria, hoping to be in time for the burial. From there he writes my mother: "Alexandria, July 25, 1869. "My Dear Mary: I arrived here last evening, too late to attend the burial of my dear brother, an account of which I have clipped from the Alexandria Gazette and inclose to you. I wish you would preserve it. Fitz. and Mary went up to 'Ravensworth' the evening of the funeral services, Friday, 23d, so that I have not seen them, but my nephew Smith is here, and from him I have learned all particulars. The attack of his father was short, and his death apparently unexpected until a short time before it occurred. Mary [General Lee's eldest daughter] was present, and I hope of some comfort to her uncle and assistance to her aunt. Fitz. came here the afternoon of his father's death, Thursday, 22d, made all arrangements for the funeral, went out to 'Ravensworth' to announce the intelligence to our aunt. He carried down, Friday morning, on the steamer, Mrs. Cooper and Jennie, to stay with his mother, and returned that afternoon with his father's remains, which were committed to earth as you will see described. "John returned the next morning, yesterday, in the mail-boat, to his mother, with whom Dan stayed. Robert arrived this morning and has gone to 'Ravensworth' to announce my arrival.
- Bob, Roanoke, VA

This song must be set in the civil war era. When was the last time mail was delivered by boat?
- Mike, Toronto, Canada

"Powderfinger" inches ahead of "Like A Hurricane" and "Four Strong Winds" as Neil Young's most appealing, evocative track. Whatever Neil Young has going for him, and it's been the subject of much debate over the years, it's something that many people love, and which gets into their most visceral senses. Scugie NY NY
- Scugie, New York City (Manhattan), NY

Mr. Young went on record sometime in the early 2000s saying that this was supposed to be about the Civil War.
- Ekristheh, Halath, United States

The white boat is not a war boat, white is not an offensive colour. The kid has no one from whence to seek advice regarding boats with guns, hence he is afraid. Because he's a afraid, he gets the gun, he fixes the gun on the boat. He is protecting his mother. The coastguard (or whomever those defenders of the republic may be) see this as a threat and shoot the boy dead. The message I hear is that imperialism is unnatural.
- Shawn, Toronto, Canada

Has to be about civil war. Powderfinger - H'e firing a muskett.
- Argent, Friant, CA

best cover of this song ever is by the beat farmers on glad n greasy - better than neil imho - 'course i think everyone does his songs better than he does ;^)
- chuck, peoria, IL

Look out mama this one rocks hard. Niel gives it all electric track 9 on live rust and one of my all time favorites.
- joshua, butler, PA

Cowboy Junkies, who have performed several times with Neil Young, played this song at a couple of concerts before the invasion of Iraq. Margo Timmins, lead singer, introduced the song by saying "Neil Young wrote an anti-war song, we'd like to sing it for you tonight."
- Seth, Indianapolis, IN

Cowboy Junkies had a hit in 1990 with a cover of this song.
- Dave, Cardiff, Wales

'Powderfinger' appears as a live recording on both 'Live Rust'(1979) & 'Weld'(1991).
- Paulus, Tasmania, Australia