The Flood

Beeing the first release with Robbie Williams back and the studio album as well as the boat in the video named "Progress" I believe to see many reflectional elements in this song.

All in all it plays with the idea of Take That being THE boy group back then (when they were cavemen), galvanizing all the attention. Of course, there were Caught in the Act, Boyzone, I believe the Backstreet Boys existed, too, but compared to now, there were just a few (learning to dance the rain) back then.

Being the focus of attention, didn't allow those many other boygroups to flood the market (hence, the name of the song.)

In the video they are portrayed as the elders, compared to a group of younger guys racing them on the river. While the others win the actual race and rejoice, the band rows on, into the Thames and out into the sea. I think those younger guys represent the younger boygroup competition, whose stars burn out soon (There was more of them than us now they'll never dance again). TT on the other hand, may have suffered some bruises but everyone of them stayed in the business (Bleeding, but none of us leaving).

With "Progress" they are starting something new (start of whatever). They distance themselves from other boygroups (The defenders, of the faith we are.)

I think it has more to do with all those casting shows worldwide, that boybands sprout everywhere, than with Take That singlehandedly holding them back and they really did get on my nerves back then, but this song does have a nice tune to it :-)

In their Progress album there were a couple of apocalyptic songs, but I think this one was the a fallen angel's perspective of the Biblical flood of Noah. The angels are standing on the edge of forever. They started a war they could not win. They helped map the universe. These were the sons of God. They carried out the plan of creating their own sons(Gen. 6). 1/3 of the angels fell into rebellion. Some came to cohabit with human women and had offspring which were giants--heroes of old. They thought they could mingle with humans to save themselves because they knew they were condemned for what they did, and since humans are God's favorite creation, they felt their sons could be saved since they were part human. Their sons being part angel (immortal) and part human (mortal) were subject to die in the flood. They tried to fight the flood saying they weren't leaving. They died but became the disembodied spirits of the nephilim. The demon sons of fallen angels never left the earth and are condemned to wander the earth, but their fallen angelic fathers were put into a type of prison but will be released at the end of days to bring judgment on wicked humans. There are 2/3 of the angels that did not rebel. The war will end and the permanent sentence will follow. Their mission failed and their eternal fate is sealed with no hope of escape.

Personally , i think it's about truly going for something , truly believing in it , and continueing regardless of what others think or say , and that the 'progress' you make is more important than 'winning'

'Although no one understood we were holding back the flood, Learning how to dance the rain.

Means to me : trying to learn something , not to be 'winners' , but just by improving yourself.

Also , some lines are going about that you shouldn't care about the perception of others :

'We were holding back the flood they said we'd never dance again.' 'Tiny minds and eager hands will try to strike but now will end today.'

Yes this song is about the beginning of the bible which states that God wiped out the earth and all breathing creatures. He took two by two (cell division) to have the dna to create further beings. Then the flood occurred which wiped out all life apart from the ark and noah. Life was then recreated. This is the missing link in evolution and obviously has been put into a pop song to convey a subliminal message.

I think that this song is actually about Take That before 1995. They were famous ('standing on the edge of forever'), they were singing all those love songs ('shouting love at the world'), but the public didn't actually realize that they were just an object in the hands of manager(s) and that their life was fully controlled. It was uncomfortable for them, but they didn't really have guts to leave the band ('bleeding, but none of us leaving'), or even say something against the way they were treated because the managers made them believe that they would be nothing without him ('watch your mouth son or you'll find yourself floatin' home'). 'The Flood' seems to symbolize the point when all of these emotions would finally come out of them. In other words, they say that although no one from outside (i.e. their fans) knew, they had to stand those terrible conditions ('learning how to dance the rain'), and trey tried to behave the way it was expected from them ('we were holding back the flood').

However, that's only the first (negative) part of the song. Now, Take That are re-united but without those people controlling their lives ('there was more of them than us, now they'll never dance again'). It also seems that the members are finally happy that the band is heading somewhere ('there's progress now where once was none'). They are no more just one of those boy groups which is a hit in the first year and already forgotten in the second one. They are different now, they are aiming somewhere. (The official video to this song might be as well a metaphor to this; no matter if they win or lose in the competition with other pop groups now, they won't stop. Unlike other groups which only want to be the best.)

Just my own opinion of course. I am not a native English speaker, so I might have misunderstood some of the lines.

Can someone be more discriptive? Becausee I really don't get the meaning of this song :)

This song takes on a whole new beauty when you realize that this song is about the Bands journey from their beginning to their breakup and full circle to their new beginning again...When even though there were tensions inside the band...All they had was each other to protect from the flood(label/fans/media) but also trying to hold the flood(band) back from killing them

I think the song might be about the story of TT . In the begining they were amateurs, looking at other stars, emulating them ( New Kids On The Block and other bands, singing covers ) . Their songs mostry talked about Love . Meet you where the Lights are ( Concerts ) .

   I wonder if the part of drowned eyes means the tears of the Fans that cry over them, its not something to die for, but its OK to cry, they cried too . ( One of the grop members talks about thinking of commiting  suicide jumping into the Thames ) ( They row on the Thames on the Video on a boat named progress, but you already know that ) .  Posters will still remain to  be on the wall that night so the members will watch over the Fans while they sleep.

   The verse in my opinion talks about the way they deal with the situation. Problems where there after more than 5 years of working. Dancing the Rain might mean dealing with all the conflicts since rain its often a way of talking about pain or difficulties ( Examples : Here Comes The Rain Again by Lenox or Raining Again by Moby ) . So it would mean that they were overwhelmed by all the people asking stuff from them ( tiny minds and eager hands )

   Bleeding none leaving ( All uncomfortable but not leaving the band ) Whatch your mouth or you ll be dead and floating Home . ( Given the sack and forget it )...  The seing not what we are... Is that they lost sight of what was important... Forgeting the Music and Ideals and becoming a package to be sold.

   Progress now. Means that they are getting reunited in the same boat again . They are starting to get along as adults.

i think this song has many means.

Standing, on the edge of forever, (edge of the stage, the fans went on forever?) At the start of whatever, (when they became famous) Shouting love at the world. (all the love songs they had to sing) Back then, we were like cavemen.( behind the scences they were fighting)

Where the thunder turns around (thrunder can mean anger and turning anger around to make it happiness) they'll run so hard we'll tear the ground away.(blowing fans away with amazing music)

You know no one dies, in these love drowned eyes (referring to robbie going through a very tough time) Through our love drowned eyes, we'll watch you sleep tonight (saying robbie wasnt the only one to get hurt and that from now on they will look after each other)

Although no one understood (they didnt understand each other at the time) we were holding back the flood,(holding back emotions) Learning how to dance the rain.(learning how to deal with problems in the group/learning to manage a band without a manager demanding everything) We were holding back the flood they said we'd never dance again (the media slatting the band)

Bleeding, but none of us leaving (all the hurt but no one leaving the band till robbie) Watch your mouth son or you'll find yourself floating home (this one is tricky. it could be the fact that RW use to turn up to rehersals drunk and say some stupid stuff which caused him to be kicked out the band)

There was more of them than us ( there was more people from the media than there was in take that) now they'll never dance again ( take that proved the media wrong by reforming and releasing a new album)

Now we'll never dance again ( take that is now a man band, they dont dance anymore like they did in the 90's plus GB hates dancing!)

basically i think the song is about their past and how the media lost. when you watch the music video, where they have a boat race, you will see the other team (media) win the race. but team TT just keep on rowing. i think this means the media won the battle (when TT broke up) but Take That won the war (reforming and proving everyone wrong.....

or i could just be completely wrong!

Oh my,

Well this is my meaning about this song

Like maybe its describing the war against the nazies, or something, like:

Standing, on the edge of forever,(the battlefield) At the start of whatever, Shouting love at the world.(idk, defending the motherland?) Back then, we were like cavemen,(brutal war) We'd beam at the moon and the stars, Then we forgave them.(today it's forgiven)

We will meet you where the lights are, The defenders, of the faith we are. Where the thunder turns around they'll run so hard we'll tear the ground away.(when the tide turns, the reinforcments come, bluh, bluh...)

You know no one dies, in these love drowned eyes,(they don't consider themselves killers, only doing the mission) Through our love drowned eyes, we'll watch you sleep tonight.(defend, watch while you sleep)

Although no one understood we were holding back the flood,(well back tehn the nazies where realy like a flood, they meant buissnes) Learning how to dance the rain.(idk, rain of bullets) We were holding back the flood they said we'd never dance again.(many parents thought it's over, their kids are dead... but NO!)

Bleeding, but none of us leaving,(many injured, many dead, but stiil holding the charge) Watch your mouth son or you'll find yourself floating home.(isn't that logical?) Here we come now on a dark star, seeing demons, not what we are.(seeing nazies and their stuff) Tiny minds and eager hands will try to strike but now will end today.(nazies)

There's progress now where there once was none, where there once was not, then everything came along.(logic)

Although no one understood, we were holding back the flood learning how to dance the rain. There was more of them than us now they'll never dance again.(There was more of them, perhaps the fear factor, + the size, but they were beaten.)

Although no one understood there was more of them than us learning how to dance the rain, We were holding back the flood they said we'd never dance again.

We will meet you where the lights are, The defenders, of the faith we are. Where the thunder turns around they'll run so hard we'll tear the ground away.

Although no one understood, there was more of them than us learning how to dance the rain. (learning how to dance the rain) There was more of them than us now they'll never dance again.

Now we'll never dance again.(the war is over.)