Keeps coming up threes

[kajadog]

This is probably a dumb question but what doed "coming up threes, keeps coming up threes" mean in Fall from Grace?

[Zuzana]

The Poguetry website offers this explanation: "According to sailing legend, a man overboard would come to the surface three times before succumbing and drowning."

[Elliot]

When you roll a 3 in craps (the others being a 2 or a 12 which can only happen one way) you 'crap out', or lose.

Hence, he 'keeps coming up threes', which makes more sense since of course you only do this once when you drown.

[Kilmichael]

Surely in the context of the song, e.g. "Bury me at sea.. if I rock upon the waves..." the reference to coming up three times before drowning makes more sense? It could, of course, have both meanings...