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.
A one, two, three, four
High tide
Summer in the city
Kids are looking pretty
But isn't it a pity
That the sunshine
Is followed by thunder
The thoughts of going under
And is it any wonder why the sea's
Been calling out to me
I seem to spend my whole life running
From people who would be
The death of you and me
'Cause I can feel the storm clouds sucking up my soul
High tide
Life is getting faster
No one has the answer
I try to face the day down in a new way
The bottom of the bottle
'Cause every man's a puzzle
Let's run away together you and me
Forever we'd be free
Free to spend our whole lives running
From people who would be
The death of you and me
'Cause I can feel the storm clouds sucking up my soul
Let's run away to sea
Forever we'd be free
Free to spend our whole lives running
From people who would be
The death of you and me
'Cause I can feel the storm clouds coming
I'm watching the TV
Or is it watching me?
I see another new day dawning
It's rising over me
With my mortality
And I can feel the storm clouds sucking up my soul
High tide
Summer in the city
Kids are looking pretty
But isn't it a pity
That the sunshine
Is followed by thunder
The thoughts of going under
And is it any wonder why the sea's
Been calling out to me
I seem to spend my whole life running
From people who would be
The death of you and me
'Cause I can feel the storm clouds sucking up my soul
High tide
Life is getting faster
No one has the answer
I try to face the day down in a new way
The bottom of the bottle
'Cause every man's a puzzle
Let's run away together you and me
Forever we'd be free
Free to spend our whole lives running
From people who would be
The death of you and me
'Cause I can feel the storm clouds sucking up my soul
Let's run away to sea
Forever we'd be free
Free to spend our whole lives running
From people who would be
The death of you and me
'Cause I can feel the storm clouds coming
I'm watching the TV
Or is it watching me?
I see another new day dawning
It's rising over me
With my mortality
And I can feel the storm clouds sucking up my soul
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
Love this song! It sounds like he wants to make a break and run from a way of life he's become enmeshed in that's sucking up his soul, and threatens to separate him from someone he truly loves; and would eventually lead to the death of that relationship. He can see the danger of the storm clouds coming more and more frequently, and he knows he cant/won't be strong enough to endure them all without damage, so he feels the only way he can escape this shadow of certain doom is to remain one step ahead with this person every time it (that feeling of losing all control) presents itself. It seems like it's an uphill battle he could end up losing if he's not very careful, and he knows it too well.
The meaning is there: I don’t think the speaker has more problems than we have, he could even have a good life, but he can´t stand knowing that no matter how good is his life is, he will eventually die. I think the song is about a man questioning his life, although everything in it seems to be ok (High tide, Summer in the city, The kids are looking pretty) he feels that something is wrong or living makes no sense anymore (But isn´t it a pity that the sunshine, Is followed by the thunder, And thoughts are going under) and he wants to escape the routine, to live a free live, to make living worthy (And is it any wonder why the sea´s calling out to me) (Let´s run away together you and me, For ever we´d be free). It could also be implied that he is facing his depression drinking (I try to face the day now in a new way, The bottom of the bottle). Another signs of depression: I’m watching my TV, Or is it watching me, I see another new day dawning, It´s rising over me With my mortality, And I can feel the storm clouds sucking Up my soul.