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.
Rachel, please, don't go to the beach
Don't go
Rachel, please, please stay here with me
Sighing
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oooh
(Oooh) suddenly
I land by the sea
Dead leaves
Rinsing fish, we cry in our sleep
Lightly
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oh-oh-oooh oh oh oh-oh-oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oh-oh-oooh oh oh oh-oh-oooh
Oooh, oooh
Don't go
Rachel, please, please stay here with me
Sighing
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oooh
(Oooh) suddenly
I land by the sea
Dead leaves
Rinsing fish, we cry in our sleep
Lightly
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oh-oh-oooh oh oh oh-oh-oooh
Oooh, oooh
Oh-oh-oooh oh oh oh-oh-oooh
Oooh, oooh
Lyrics submitted by colormylife
Rachel Lyrics as written by Sydney Alexis Krauss Derek Edward Miller
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
LYRICS FROM THE NEW VINYL INSERT | Band Official:
rachel please don't go to the beach don't go rachel please please stay here with me sadly
ohhhhh
suddenly alone by the sea deadly
drench in bleach we cry in our sleep softly
ooohhhhhh
Shark!
DAT
Well, she doesn't want Rachel to go to the beach, but rather to stay with her.
But suddenly... she sees herself at the beach anyway, and other weird shit
obviously the song is a reference to a very intense DXM trip. the beginning is the anxious come-up and not wanting to be abandoned. she feels her sense of self slipping away and tries to hold onto her friend for support. her finding herself on the beach is her hypnagogic closed-eye hallucinations, which are prominent at high dose trips of DXM. duh.
Ehh... I guess it could be a DXM trip, but even so, I feel like there are always hidden meaning in our dreams. I'll give it a swing.
It's some sort of plea to this girl named Rachel. My thing is, what does the beach symbolize? I think of summer and careless youth. A very typical sight of happy youth. Flaunting themselves in swimsuits.
Ultimately, the beach is like indulgence in your youth/carefree(like the fifties stereotype of teenagers).
The narrator is more uncertain. Maybe self-conscience. Maybe afraid of the ocean. Sunburn. More critical, but since she sighs, she's either tired of that scene or actually wants to go but just can't bring themselves to go because of all their negativity.
Time goes by, things change. The "oohs" kind of go into an ominous tone.
The narrator gives in and decides to join her to "the beach", but summer is over(dead leaves, autumn.). Things have changed. Everything isn't like before and is now dull or withered.
Rinsing fish. Maybe since the seasons changed they couldn't swim, but try to make the best of their time at "the beach" by doing something more practical but less cheery and glamourous(fishing). They make do, but are unsatisfied and regret not having taken advantage of the summer. They'll live with their decisions, and every night dream of what could've been.
Yeah, my interpretation is out there, but I definitely tried.