Horse Latitudes by The Doors

Album: Strange Days (1967)

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Songfacts®:

Horse latitudes are ocean regions between 30° and 35° North latitude that tend to contain calm waters and light winds. The phrase came about because ships loaded with horses bound for America and the West Indies could get delayed so long that horses would die.
18th Century sailors would throw horses overboard when they sailed into these "horse latitudes" in order to lighten the load and conserve food and water.
Jim Morrison wrote the poem that became the lyrics when he was in high school and saw a paperback cover of horses being thrown off a boat.
Some of the odd sound effects were created by dropping a coke bottle in a garbage can, beating coconut shells on a tile floor, and having people scream in a studio.

Comments: 10

Diegas from BrasilI never heard about the meaning of the title, and made an interpretation that the poem was about a birth labor.
Now now reading it with this context, it fits more, but still does the birth labor also fit.
Armin from Dallas/fort WorthI first made the connection between the poem's title and Jim Morrison's lyrics when I learned about a phenomenon known as the doldrums in a solar astronomy class. This phenomenon, in which the earth's air currents void at subtropical lattitudes, seemed to be described in Morrison's poem to a "T." I just now learned the origin of the term used for the poems title, where sailors would throw dying horses overboard because of the delayed journey and drought---a very sad affair indeed. Nonetheless, the poem is an excellent example of Morrison's talent and imagination as a poet.
Nady from Adelaide, Australiaits such an intence piece of poetry. i.ve got it on dvd live at the hollywood bowl in 1968, its extraordinary
Michael from Jacksonvillw, FlBest poem Jim ever wrote.
Madison from Norway, MeThis is the saddest song I have ever heard. The visuals this song conjures up are distubing to say the least. I can't even listen to it anymore.
Andrew from Adelaide, AustraliaThis one of the first poems that Morrison ever wrote. It instills a deep fear of drowning and a love of nature.
Christina from Baltimore, MdJim was a very profound writer and til' now, I had NO IDEA this was taken from a "Nostradamus prophecy"...that makes it even COOLER! Some complex writing there...LONG LIVE MORRISON!
Ashley from Moncton, CanadaThis has some amazing poetry in it. A lot of what Jim Morrison wrote inspires my writing, actually.
Elanor from Zagreb, MoOne of the first Jim's poems ever written.
Loretta from Liverpool, Englandthe first part is from a nostradamus prophecy

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