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The Tide Lyrics

And there's three, count them, three children
Playing on the beach
They were eager to learn
To be taught, and to teach

There's Veronica
She's biting her lip
As she watches the waves
Turn white at the tip
And there's Vada
Radiating with joy
And luckily she still can't stand
The sight of a boy
And lastly there's Dade
His hair dances in the wind
And he's wondering what love is (love is)
And why it has to end

And he can't understand
How everyone goes on breathing
When true love ends
His mother whispers quietly
"Heaven's not a place that you go when you die
It's that moment in life when you actually feel alive
So live for the moment
And take this advice, live by every word
Love is just a hoax
So forget anything that you have heard
And live for the moment now"

And there's three, count them, three children
Growing on the beach
They were eager to learn
To be taught, and to teach

There's Veronica
She's licking her lips
As she waits for her real
First passionate kiss
And there's Vada
She can't admit her jealousy
Of her sister Veronica
And how she's so pretty (and how she's so pretty)
Lastly, there's Dade
Still sitting on the dock
He ponders his life
And he skips his rocks
And he wonders when his father will return
But he's not coming back

And he can't understand
How everyone goes on breathing
When true love ends
His mother whispers quietly
"Heaven's not a place that you go when you die
It's that moment in life when you actually feel alive
So live for the moment
And take this advice, live by every word
Love is just a hoax
So forget everything that you have heard
(Forget everything)"

And there's three, count them, three children
Missing from the beach
They were eager to learn
To be taught, and to teach

But the sad thing
Is that they never lived
Past the age of fifteen
Due to neglect from their mother
Who was bed-ridden by her ex-lover, their father
And she didn't even notice
Or pay much attention
As the tide came in
And swept her three into the ocean
Now all her advice, it seems useless

No, heaven's not a place that you go when you die
It's that moment in life when you touch her and you feel alive
So live for the moment
And take this advice, live by every word
Love's completely real, so forget anything that you've heard
And live for the moment now
176 Meanings

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Cover art for The Tide lyrics by Spill Canvas, The

This song, along with "Jesus Christ" by Brand New, were played at my best friends funeral in December of 07.

There were over 50 people singing this song at the funeral home during the service.. so touching and emotional.

I love that there are so many songs that remind me of him. This song and Jesus Christ will forever have a place in my heart.

Cover art for The Tide lyrics by Spill Canvas, The

This song makes me want to name my son Dade.

Cover art for The Tide lyrics by Spill Canvas, The

I think that this song represents how kids are growing up so quickly, and are victims of neglect. The parents too late realize that their children are too old to shape anymore, and their advice will be ignored.

Cover art for The Tide lyrics by Spill Canvas, The

this song is amazing. and i don't know how many of you have seen the video, but it was even more amazing. i was in tears.

Cover art for The Tide lyrics by Spill Canvas, The

Ok, to me this song shows the evolution of a broken family. In the beginning they are a somewhat whole family. You can see that they are happy, but there is something missing, love. We can see that they have some kind of happiness from Vada because she has joy. Veronica is older and is simply living life, but is still missing love. That is why Dade is pondering what love really is, because he hasn't seen it in his parents relationship. At the end of each verse, except the third, their mother explains the same thing "Love is just a hoax and heaven's not a place where you go when you die, it's that moment when you actually feel alive." This shows that even though her and her lover are together, there is no love...she herself doesn't understand love. The next section is after their father has left their mother. Veronica is turning to other men in her life to substitute the absence of her father. Vada has never had attention from anyone because of her sister Veronica or maybe just because she hasn't had a father in her life. This causes a confusion of character for Vada. Then there is Dade...pondering the same thing, what is love? But to add onto it...he has lost his father and has no idea what to do. He hears the same thing from his mother "love is not real". The last verse is the most obvious and the saddest. Their mother is so lost in her emotions that first of all, she had not known how to be a mother in the first place, but now she is completely lost. I can imagine her as being one of those people who just shuts down. Well, this woman has 3 lost children who are trying to grow up on their own, but love is just a hoax...So...they all commit suicide. That is why they never lived past the age of 15. So now...everything that she told her Dade..told her Vada and Veronica..she realizes how wrong it was. She realizes that even though she did not have love from her "lover" their father, she had love for her children she had love from them...and she realizes herself that love is real, because you never know how much something means till its gone. This is the evolution of a set of relationships of hopelessness...it can be the average person at any point. When a person feels neglected and loses their touch on life. It's a pretty blatantly obvious song.

My Interpretation
Cover art for The Tide lyrics by Spill Canvas, The

jordanvegas - "I think the feeling it gives you is enough. like watching something unfold in front of your face, but not to ask questions. "

I like that.

For me this hit me deep because my husband died last year and I'm here trying to figure out my grief and not let it damage me for my young son. It hit deep, and hard, not sure if the father left or passed but everyone interprets songs differently. But the lines about Dade and "who was bedridden by her ex lover, their father" And reminds me life is short and to enjoy the little things :)

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@MusicHelpsMyDarkSoul totally sorry for your loss

Thank you. I heard this song a few days ago and it's been stuck in my head. It's just so good!!!!!

Cover art for The Tide lyrics by Spill Canvas, The

what an awesome story

Cover art for The Tide lyrics by Spill Canvas, The

i think this song is metaphorical....as in, the children weren't really washed away by the tide, but their lives were overcome with bad emotions and difficult obstacles because their parents didnt treat them right.

Cover art for The Tide lyrics by Spill Canvas, The

i fucking <3 this song to pieces.

 
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