Unearthed Kelly Slater song lyrics spur concern

"I'm not your slave. I'll dance myself. Somewhere on that sunset. But I need some help."

There are not enough internet pages in the entire world, much less on BeachGrit, to catalog the many wonders of Kelly Slater. The 11x professional surfing champion is, of course, best known for his many professional surfing championships. 11, in total, not counting an Eddie win, 3 US Open of Surfing titles and 4 Laureaus World Sports Awards for Action Sportsperson of the Year.

Surf fans also know Kelly Slater as a impossible-to-corner polemicist, inspired designer, property conservationist and musician.

The almost-54-year-old-now Kelly Slater has been filmed and photographed guitar in hand, noodling on stage with Pearl Jam etc.

Only older surf fans, however, recall that Kelly Slater was once a pivotal member of the band The Surfers. Comprised of Peter King, Rob Machado and the aforementioned Kelly Slater, The Surfers formed up in the middle 90s and, according to King, named the group such because, “Even if we called it Tree Head, people would say, ‘Tree Head… you know, it’s those surfers.'”

Wise.

The Surfers released only one album, Songs from the Pipe, in 1998 and that was it. There were no rumors of historic rock n roll infighting nor drug-induced deaths. The band simply vanished also mysteriously disappearing from the internet. A Google search will only reveal the scantest details as if someone, or something, scrubbed it all away.

Well, as luck, or fate, would have it, I happened to be in Florida last month for the critically-acclaimed Florida Surf Film Festival. There, I was able to spend time with a wonderful Florida friend who had come into recent possession of a The Surfers CD complete with liner notes etc.

We poured over the artifact, marveled at the fact that the album was truly named Songs from the Pipe, but then grew concerned over one song titled Not Your Slave.

The lyrics, assumed to have been written and sung by Kelly Slater, read thusly:

I’m not your slave. I’ll dance myself. Somewhere on that sunset. But I need some help. Taste the water. Assault (not a typo) like wine. See the morning shaping. I do it all the time. Back there in that world. I see that little girl go by. Changed my mind. Survived my time. Drank the water. But that’s no crime. Forgive me. Let me go by. Capture the essence. Of my life.

Back there in that world. I see that little girl of mine. Don’t cry don’t say goodbye. I always took my chances. Don’t say I never tried. I nearly found my answers. It’s all right hold my light. Deep outside is shattered. Don’t cry I never died. I merely took my chances.

Not my shade. Shine yourself. Through the maze. Escape the shell. Taste the water. Assault (again, no typo) like wine. See the morning shaping. I do it all the time. Back there in that world. I see that little girl of mine. Don’t cry don’t say goodbye I always took my chances. Don’t say I never tried. I nearly found my answers. It’s all right hold my light. Deep outside is shattered. Don’t cry I never died. I merely took my chances.

What does it all mean?

Was Kelly Slater trafficked? What do you make of this cryptic poem? What meaning in these words including, but not limited to, “assault like wine?”

I included The Surfers Songs from the Pipe on my Christmas gift guide. Listen to the rest of my recommendations here.