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Chasing After Deer Lyrics

Yes I'm sorry that I missed you
I'm sorry that I missed you
When there's no-one there to greet you
I'm sorry that I missed you

You're always chasing after deer
Oh my dear, oh my dear
And through the meadow I can hear
My fears, oh my fears

For myself I must remind
That the woods are usually kind
And the sea is not mine
And when you're all alone
And chasing after deer
Don't be upset if it's scared
And you can't reach it

I know that you are fast
But it's much faster
And after a while you can't keep up
So you start to lag behind

But it doesn't know
That you've resigned
So off a cliff
It falls to the sea
And you are sad
But the sea is not mine

The sea is not mine, the sea is not mine
The sea is not mine, the sea is not mine
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Submitted by
stonechip On Jun 30, 2006
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Cover art for Chasing After Deer lyrics by Midlake

I think this song has a much simpler meaning.. The lyrics on this album in general lend themselves to Tim Smith's knowledge and deep interest in history. Less complex characters than you would associate with modern people. Metaphors aside, as it's possible to find numerous. This song is simply about hunter-gatherer's ("the woods are usually kind")before humans were complex enough creatures to develop tools/weapons and how difficult survival must have been. With that in mind no tools/weapons or methods for fishing either as this came later to early humans("The sea is not mine").

After reading these comments, I began to think that maybe when the narrator says "the sea is not mine," he is meaning that he should not be blamed, because he did not cause the deer, or the love she chased, to demolish itself. To me, this song sort of sounds like a a tragic story about a woman who chases after unattainable loves, when in fact, someone who loves her very much is always there for her, but she doesn't see it.

Not Valid
Cover art for Chasing After Deer lyrics by Midlake

The whole part about "but the sea is not mine" means to me in interpretation that the love he cannot have is something he has to deal with. He's basically accepting the fact that the sea(his love for whoever) is not his, but someone elses.

i agree.

very well put :)

Not Valid
Cover art for Chasing After Deer lyrics by Midlake

"And you are sad But the sea is not mine"

The 'deer' that we chase falls in to the sea, and then there is never going to be a chance to have it again. To me, it feels like all of the natural imagery implies that sometimes, this is just the way that things happen. These possibilities we see in other 'deer' get swollowed up by the 'sea', which to me is one of the most powerful examples of such vast, raw nature. When the narrator says he must remind himself that "the sea is not mine", to me it is a reassurance he tells himself or to others, to let them know that though they may be sad, it was not their fault, because things just happen that way sometimes.

Cover art for Chasing After Deer lyrics by Midlake

Wow.. the guitar tone in this song blows me away. And the lyrics, geez. It seems to me like it'd be about not getting upset about chasing after a love you can't have. Kinda a creepy analogy. You want to get closer to someone and they go into panic mode and even when you give up they don't know it, and the detatch themselves with anything that has to do with you. Falling off a cliff into the sea. Who knows?

Cover art for Chasing After Deer lyrics by Midlake

what do you think the line "but the sea is not mine" means? i feel like that line is important to the idea of the whole song.

I appologize, st pager, I wasn't trying to reply only to you. I meant to just leave a general comment, but clicked "post reply" instead. :)

Cover art for Chasing After Deer lyrics by Midlake

I think it's about somebody who left chasing their dream "deer"

In the first and second verses the author says that he missed this person when she/he came to visit and now that person is once again gone chasing after "deer" and he (the author) fears for this person.

In the third and forth verses he describes these fears a bit saying how hard it is to chase your dreams and more often than not you find yourself lagging behind.

When he says "the sea isn't mine" he means he cannot help or advise this person across the sea, for he does not know how things are there, compared to things in his own woods; the sea represents distance.

The fifth verse can be interpreted as following a dream so far that it twists into something that you never wanted in the first place or lagging so far behind that your dream is lost.

Cover art for Chasing After Deer lyrics by Midlake

Very simple lyrics with a beautiful double layered meaning to it. The simplified image of someone chasing after a deer which leads to its death project the uncontrolable. This can either be love (which 90% of the people always interpret) or as Cyberghost pointed out so well a dream, no matter what kind. The deer is your goal, this could either be a person you love or a goal that you try to accomplish, while the sea and the woods are the setting, which ultimately cannot be controlled. This setting can be positive (For myself I must remind, That the woods are usually kind) or negative (but the sea is not mine). And in case of this song it ends in a tragic. Very simplistic song both instrumental as lyrical but very beautiful once you take your time for it.

Cover art for Chasing After Deer lyrics by Midlake

When trying to accomplish a goal, it’s important to remember that while you're competent, there are also things you can’t control. The woods are usually kind, but the sea is not yours. If you try too hard to make something work, you damage its chances of success. So when you’re all alone and chasing after deer, remember that while you’re fast, it’s often much faster, and if you continue to chase it, you will only drive it off a cliff to the sea you can’t control. The sea is not yours…