The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Rachel, please, don't go to the beach
Don't go
Rachel, please, please stay here with me
Sighing
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oooh
(Oooh) suddenly
I land by the sea
Dead leaves
Rinsing fish, we cry in our sleep
Lightly
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oh-oh-oooh oh oh oh-oh-oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oh-oh-oooh oh oh oh-oh-oooh
Oooh, oooh
Don't go
Rachel, please, please stay here with me
Sighing
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oooh
(Oooh) suddenly
I land by the sea
Dead leaves
Rinsing fish, we cry in our sleep
Lightly
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oh-oh-oooh oh oh oh-oh-oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oh-oh-oooh oh oh oh-oh-oooh
Oooh, oooh
Lyrics submitted by colormylife
Rachel Lyrics as written by Sydney Alexis Krauss Derek Edward Miller
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Ed Sheeran
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LYRICS FROM THE NEW VINYL INSERT | Band Official:
rachel please don't go to the beach don't go rachel please please stay here with me sadly
ohhhhh
suddenly alone by the sea deadly
drench in bleach we cry in our sleep softly
ooohhhhhh
Shark!
DAT
Well, she doesn't want Rachel to go to the beach, but rather to stay with her.
But suddenly... she sees herself at the beach anyway, and other weird shit
obviously the song is a reference to a very intense DXM trip. the beginning is the anxious come-up and not wanting to be abandoned. she feels her sense of self slipping away and tries to hold onto her friend for support. her finding herself on the beach is her hypnagogic closed-eye hallucinations, which are prominent at high dose trips of DXM. duh.
Ehh... I guess it could be a DXM trip, but even so, I feel like there are always hidden meaning in our dreams. I'll give it a swing.
It's some sort of plea to this girl named Rachel. My thing is, what does the beach symbolize? I think of summer and careless youth. A very typical sight of happy youth. Flaunting themselves in swimsuits.
Ultimately, the beach is like indulgence in your youth/carefree(like the fifties stereotype of teenagers).
The narrator is more uncertain. Maybe self-conscience. Maybe afraid of the ocean. Sunburn. More critical, but since she sighs, she's either tired of that scene or actually wants to go but just can't bring themselves to go because of all their negativity.
Time goes by, things change. The "oohs" kind of go into an ominous tone.
The narrator gives in and decides to join her to "the beach", but summer is over(dead leaves, autumn.). Things have changed. Everything isn't like before and is now dull or withered.
Rinsing fish. Maybe since the seasons changed they couldn't swim, but try to make the best of their time at "the beach" by doing something more practical but less cheery and glamourous(fishing). They make do, but are unsatisfied and regret not having taken advantage of the summer. They'll live with their decisions, and every night dream of what could've been.
Yeah, my interpretation is out there, but I definitely tried.