What you at my gentle spoken friend
I lack a frame to put you in
When you're an ocean and a rock away

I feel you in the pocket of my overcoat
My fingers wrap around your words
And take the shape of games we play

I feed your words through my buttonholes
I bring them to my fingerless gloves
Green and prone to fraying

Thoughts of you warm my bones
I'm on the way, I'm on the phone
Let's get lost, me and you
An ocean and a rock is nothing to me

I am far away from where you lay
Awake the day while you fall to sleep
An ocean and a rock away

I keep you in the pockets of my dresses
And the bristles of my brushes
Spin you into my curls today

I spoon you into my coffee cup
Spin you through a delicate wash
I wear you all day
I wear you all day

Thoughts of you warm my bones
I'm on the way, I'm on the phone
Let's get lost, me and you
And ocean and rock is nothing to me

Thoughts of you warm my bones
I'm on the way, I'm nearly home
Let's get lost, me and you
An ocean and a rock is nothing to me


Lyrics submitted by Shaftell

Ocean and a Rock Lyrics as written by Lisa Margaret Hannigan

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

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Ocean and a Rock song meanings
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6 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    Love this song, like it more and more every time I listen.. From looking at the lyrics I guess it has a fairly clear meaning. She sings about someone she's fallen in love with. And even when he isn't there (an ocean and a rock away) she feels him in everything she does... well that's how I'd like to think of it :) A very sweet song.

    SukkaFish92on December 01, 2009   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    I believe the song meaning is about Lisa falling in love with someone who lives in Ireland. However, Lisa is on the road a lot in other countries. Perhaps she is in the United States in this song. She can't stop thinking about him, even though he is literally an "ocean and a rock" away, which is a very poetic way of referring to the other side of the world. The end of the song shows the hope in her returning to Ireland.

    Aenonon December 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i loooooove this songgg i cant believe no one has commented on it! it is so adorable and lisa hannigan has an amazing voice

    PlayCrackth3Skyon January 08, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    A more Irish, more artsy version of Selena's song "Dreaming About You And Me," was my first impression of this song. That was the first song I fell in love with as a kid, and this is the first song I fell in love with as an adult (since I heard it shortly after turning 18). Her voice is refreshing, it's like water. She was great with Damien Rice, but I'm glad to see that she has made music of her own, and incredibly poetic music, too. I got iPod money for Christmas and this was the #1 thing on my list to buy. Venn Diagram and Teeth are also incredible. I'd like to see more people comment on her, but she's still relatively obscure, I guess. Doesn't deserve to be, tho. She's amazing!!!

    TheThornBirdson February 04, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    my fingers wrap around your words they take the shape of games we play...

    she sums it up so effortlessly. I just can't get enough.

    hannahleeon December 28, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    Her phone. It's about her cell phone.

    gephgoon August 02, 2013   Link

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