Songfacts®:

• This James Taylor composition was inspired by an article that appeared in National Geographic magazine. The body of this unfortunate man was found a hundred years after he was lost on an expedition from the Atlantic to the Pacific across the North Canadian coast. Taylor put his own spin on the story, about the victim coming back to life and realizing that his family was gone. In a concert screened by BBC Television in March 2009, he said he didn't know much about the story, having simply looked at the pictures, but the more he thought about it the more he realized his composition was just another song about his own father, who had spent two years at the South Pole with the Navy. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Alexander Baron - London, England
• Livingston Taylor, one of James' musical siblings, considers this one of his best-written songs, achieving a balance not heard on his earlier work.