The Bangles – Dover Beach

"Dover Beach" as written by and Susanna Lee Hoffs Vicki Peterson....
If I had the time
I would run away with you
To a perfect world
We'd suspend all that is duty or required.

Late last night you cried
And I couldn't come to you
But on the other side
You and I, inseparable and walking.

Yeah, oh woe.

If we could steal away
Like jugglers and thieves
But we could come and go
Oh, and talk of Michaelangelo.

Oh woe.

If we had the time (we had the time)
We had the time.

The day you looked at me
And it was on your mind
The world is no one's dream
We will never ever find the time.

Oh woe.

If we had the time
I would run away with you
To a perfect world
(To a perfect world).



Lyrics submitted by Ice

"Dover Beach" as written by Vicki Peterson Susanna Lee Hoffs

Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY

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Dover Beach song meanings
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4 Comments

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  • +1
    Link(s)The third verse is a reference to T.S. Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrrock.

    "LeT us go then, you and I,
    When the evening is spread out against the sky
    Like a patient etherized upon a table;
    Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
    The muttering retreats 5
    Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
    And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
    Streets that follow like a tedious argument
    Of insidious intent
    To lead you to an overwhelming question…. 10
    Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
    Let us go and make our visit.

    In the room the women come and go
    Talking of Michelangelo. "

    Which seems ironic.
    In the potem I thought the discussions of Michaelangelo was about high society chit-chat that avoided any meaningful interactions among people.......

    I love the line " The world is no one's dream..."
    Which sums up why the 2 of them can never be together.

    MamboManon May 30, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General CommentNot sure if it is coincidence but Dover beach is a poem by Matthew Arnold, which is by some considered a precursor to, or early modernist work. I remember studying it at school in the same module as Eliot. Maybe the lyricist made a similar connection.
    jubjubon April 04, 2014   Link
  • 0
    Link(s)The third verse is a reference to T.S. Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrrock.

    "LeT us go then, you and I,
    When the evening is spread out against the sky
    Like a patient etherized upon a table;
    Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
    The muttering retreats 5
    Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
    And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
    Streets that follow like a tedious argument
    Of insidious intent
    To lead you to an overwhelming question…. 10
    Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
    Let us go and make our visit.

    In the room the women come and go
    Talking of Michelangelo. "

    Which seems ironic.
    In the potem I thought the discussions of Michaelangelo was about high society chit-chat that avoided any meaningful interactions among people.......

    I love the line " The world is no one's dream..."
    Which sums up why the 2 of them can never be together.

    MamboManon May 30, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretationjubjub and MamboMan, I think your insights are spot-on. This is one of those bittersweet "star-crossed lovers" odes. The one thing they want most is to be together, and they can't be. The poetry references (title included) seem like shared niche interests or little inside jokes -- the kind of things that can make another person seem like your soulmate.
    SirenAsunderon May 22, 2015   Link

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