In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Chorus:
We were standing
Standing by peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
SPOKEN: Many years ago along the Illinois-Wisconsin Border
There was this Indian tribe
They found two babies in the woods
White babies
One of them was named Elizabeth
She was the fairer of the two
While the smaller and more fragile one was named Marie
Having never seen white girls before
And living on the two lakes known as the Twin Lakes
They named the larger and more beautiful Lake, Lake Elizabeth
And thus the smaller lake that was hidden from the highway
Became known forever as Lake Marie
Repeat Chorus:
SPOKEN: Many years later I found myself talking to this girl
Who was standing there with her back turned to Lake Marie
The wind was blowing especially through her hair
There was four italian sausages cooking on the outdoor grill
And Man, they was ssssssssizzlin\'
Many years later we found ourselves in Canada
Trying to save our marriage and perhaps catch a few fish
Whatever seemed easier
That night she fell asleep in my arms
Humming the tune to \"Louie Louie\'
Aah baby, We gotta go now.
Repeat Chorus:
SPOKEN: The dogs were barking as the cars were parking
The loan sharks were sharking the narcs were narcing
Practically everyone was there
In the parking lot by the forest preserve
The police had found two bodies
Nay, naked bodies
Their faces had been horribly disfigured by some sharp object
Saw it on the news On the TV news in a black and white video
You know what blood looks like in a black and white video?
Shadows, Shadows that\'s exactly what it looks like
All the love we shared between her and me was slammed
Slammed up against the banks of Old Lake Marie, Marie
We were standing
Standing by peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
Standing by peaceful waters
Peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Peaceful waters
Aah baby, we gotta go now
We were standing
Standing by peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
SPOKEN: Many years ago along the Illinois-Wisconsin Border
There was this Indian tribe
They found two babies in the woods
White babies
One of them was named Elizabeth
She was the fairer of the two
While the smaller and more fragile one was named Marie
Having never seen white girls before
And living on the two lakes known as the Twin Lakes
They named the larger and more beautiful Lake, Lake Elizabeth
And thus the smaller lake that was hidden from the highway
Became known forever as Lake Marie
Repeat Chorus:
SPOKEN: Many years later I found myself talking to this girl
Who was standing there with her back turned to Lake Marie
The wind was blowing especially through her hair
There was four italian sausages cooking on the outdoor grill
And Man, they was ssssssssizzlin\'
Many years later we found ourselves in Canada
Trying to save our marriage and perhaps catch a few fish
Whatever seemed easier
That night she fell asleep in my arms
Humming the tune to \"Louie Louie\'
Aah baby, We gotta go now.
Repeat Chorus:
SPOKEN: The dogs were barking as the cars were parking
The loan sharks were sharking the narcs were narcing
Practically everyone was there
In the parking lot by the forest preserve
The police had found two bodies
Nay, naked bodies
Their faces had been horribly disfigured by some sharp object
Saw it on the news On the TV news in a black and white video
You know what blood looks like in a black and white video?
Shadows, Shadows that\'s exactly what it looks like
All the love we shared between her and me was slammed
Slammed up against the banks of Old Lake Marie, Marie
We were standing
Standing by peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
Whoa Wah Oh Wha Oh
Standing by peaceful waters
Peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Peaceful waters
Aah baby, we gotta go now
Lyrics submitted by Bobo192
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To me, this song is about having one of life's precious memories permanently tainted. Legends such as lakes being named after lost babies are interesting to most people, thus enhancing the location's charm. It's not a lake named for some unknown politician of yore, it's named for a lost baby. That makes it cool. You want to tell your cousin visiting from out of state how the lakes got their names.
So, when you want to save your marriage, you go to a lake with character. You go to Lake Marie. Was the marriage saved? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it was a good time. So good, you can almost feel the wind blowing and hear those sausages sizzle on the grill many years later. Every time you think of Louie, Louie, you remember her falling asleep in your arms. It's a good memory- most of us have a few of them.
Well, John's got a cynical sense of humor, so why not completely destroy that special memory? Create lots of images for the brain- horrible crime, black and white video, naked bodies, disfigurement, lots of commotion...
There's no way to escape, however your brain takes you back there- the song, the girl, the name Marie, fishing, Indians... whatever might have triggered that warm memory is now going to cause you pain or disgust or disillusion. What was once something good is now something bad. Peaceful waters? Yeah, right. John often tell us it can be a cruel world. Not even your own memory is safe.
Tremendous song.
@joe1129754 What a great Interpretation, thanks.
@joe1129754 I think you nailed it. This is exactly how I interpreted the song, and when I looked up other interpretations just now, I found them unconvincing. I don't think it's a metaphor for how the modern world is corrupted or anything like that. The focus is clearly on the narrator and his wife, and your interpretation (mine too!) is the one that explains the song's climax, at the end of the last verse: That the love they shared was slammed up against the banks of Lake Marie. The question of whether their love survived is left up in the air, but it was definitely threatened, and probably permanently damaged, by this horrible event that intruded on their idyllic memory.