Rose of Washington Square

Posted by Smokey Stover on July 06, 2006

In Reply to: Rose of Washington Square posted by Bob on July 05, 2006

: : In the song "Rose of Washington Square," the phrase appears, "I've got those Broadway vampires last to the mast." What does "last to the mast" mean?

: It's "lashed to the mast," able to hear but powerless to act. It's a reference to Odysseus, who was able to hear the Sirens' song and not be lured to his death.

...because he was lashed to the mast, by his own order. His men were able to keep rowing because they had their ears stopped up with beeswax. They had orders to make his bonds tighter if he begged to be released.
SS