The sixth track off the 1971 album, this is the last masterpiece by lyricist and co-founder Peter Sinfield, who left the band after its release.
The song is the album’s namesake, acting as a conclusion to the Sailor’s tale and the Song of the gulls.

The album artwork however, could just be a futuristic way of looking at ship sailing, showing us celestial objects, where the stars resemble islands in a certain manner.

The studio version of the record contains a segment at the end of the song where King Crimson members talk and interact with each other, getting ready to rehearse the song again, which I do not think matters or in any way accompanies the meaning of the song.