Song To The Siren

The real magic of the song is in those last two lines. Singing to the siren who enticed him and broke him, the sailor becomes a siren himself, enticing her to swim out and return to him. Breathtakingly perfect.

The song appears to be using the common image of a siren enticing a sailor over to her, just for him to be destroyed in the rocks, so the meaning of the individual lines is affected (at least for me) by this image. Here is how I interpret the song meaning (from the "sailor's" voice):

Long afloat on shipless oceans I did all my best to smile

--> I was lonely but I tried to get by

'Til your singing eyes and fingers Drew me loving to your isle

--> Then I saw you and was drawn in by you

And you sang Sail to me Sail to me Let me enfold you Here I am Here I am Waiting to hold you

--> you encouraged me over, offering me comfort and love (an escape from loneliness)

Did I dream you dreamed about me?

--> Did I imagine you wanted me too? Perhaps this is one-sided love.

Were you hare when I was fox?

--> Am I pursuing you only, like a fox pursues a hare?

Now my foolish boat is leaning Broken lovelorn on your rocks

--> Coming over to you has destroyed me. Love has destroyed me. You drew me into your trap.

For you sing, "Touch me not, touch me not, come back tomorrow: O my heart, O my heart shies from the sorrow"

--> You didn't let me in or give love back, perhaps because you were scared.

I am puzzled as the newborn child

--> So now I'm confused based on the signals you gave me.

I am troubled at the tide

--> (I thought this was "riddled as the tide" which would imply the same as the previous line since riddled also means puzzled and the tide goes up and down.) Troubled at the tide implies that the the singer doesn't know what to do.

Should I stand amid the breakers? Should I lie with Death my bride?

--> Should I continue waiting or should I give up?

Hear me sing, "Swim to me, Swim to me, Let me enfold you: Here I am, Here I am, Waiting to hold you"

--> I'm right here, I love you

This last line is the same message as the "siren" originally gave the "sailor", but there is no more left to the song, which implies that the offer is not responded to.

This song narrates the story of a person who found themselves lost in the vast ocean and struggling to stay afloat. Eventually, they were drawn towards an island by the alluring voice and gentle touch of someone they fell in love with. This person invites the protagonist to come to them and be held, while the protagonist grapples with uncertainty about whether their feelings are mutual.

As the story progresses, the protagonist's boat is broken and lovelorn on the person's rocks, which causes them to be puzzled and troubled, questioning whether they should continue to stand in the face of adversity or succumb to death, their bride.

The person continues to sing to the protagonist, asking them to swim towards them and saying that they are waiting to hold them. However, the protagonist is still unsure about their feelings and is left questioning what their next move should be.

The theme is about the complexity of love and relationships and the uncertainties that come with them. It can also be interpreted as a metaphor for life's journey, with the protagonist lost at sea and struggling to find their way until they are led to someone who gives them hope and a reason to keep going.

Best ballad ever written. Tim's really emotional singing of it makes it one of my favourite songs of all time.

First discovered it after downloading This Mortal Coil's cover of it from the Lost Highway soundtrack. Good cover but nothing compares to Tim's voice.

touching track, the actual symbolism and lyrical content is derived directly from Homer's book the Odessey. But it's really a matter of unresponded love. It is also one of the most covered/remade/remixed songs ever.

Oh and also: "Were you hare when I was fox" not "Were you here when I was full sail?"

the This Mortal Coil version was used in a commercial! Thank God I forget the product (and PLEASE no one repost and remind me!). I was so sad. such a beautiful song commercialized! Such is the world. Um, dare I say the TMC version is better than Tim's, at great as his is? Yeah, I dare say it :)

Great song and agree with most of what's been said previous. Will say the lyrics 'Were you here when I was full sail?' should be 'Were you hare when I was fox?' Stu.

This song is pure beauty, I can honestly listen to it many times , several times in a row. I like that the lyrics are quite universal, the melody and emotion is not hard to understand, wonderful imagery also. It's stripped pretty bare but still retains some mystery, very deep, very honest.

This song is used to great effect in the David Lynch film "Lost Highway".