The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
She drink coffee (sea lion)
She drink tea (sea lion)
And rooster crows (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
She drink coffee (sea lion)
She drink tea (sea lion)
And rooster crows (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in red (sea lion)
Smile at the man (sea lion)
When you wake up in his bed (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in black (sea lion)
Wink at the man (sea lion)
Then stab him in his back (sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
She drink coffee (sea lion)
She drink tea (sea lion)
And rooster crows (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in white (sea lion)
Marry the man (sea lion)
And you'll spend a long sweet life (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in green (sea lion)
Silver lining (sea lion)
And golden seams (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in blue (sea lion)
Call on the man (sea lion)
And hope he knows what he can do (sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
She drink coffee (sea lion)
She drink tea (sea lion)
And rooster crows (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
She drink coffee (sea lion)
She drink tea (sea lion)
And rooster crows (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in the blue (sea lion)
Call on the man (sea lion)
And hope he knows what he can do (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in red (sea lion)
Smile at the man (sea lion)
When you wake up in his bed (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion woman
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
She drink coffee (sea lion)
She drink tea (sea lion)
And rooster crows (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
She drink coffee (sea lion)
She drink tea (sea lion)
And rooster crows (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in red (sea lion)
Smile at the man (sea lion)
When you wake up in his bed (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in black (sea lion)
Wink at the man (sea lion)
Then stab him in his back (sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
She drink coffee (sea lion)
She drink tea (sea lion)
And rooster crows (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in white (sea lion)
Marry the man (sea lion)
And you'll spend a long sweet life (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in green (sea lion)
Silver lining (sea lion)
And golden seams (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in blue (sea lion)
Call on the man (sea lion)
And hope he knows what he can do (sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
(Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion, sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
She drink coffee (sea lion)
She drink tea (sea lion)
And rooster crows (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
She drink coffee (sea lion)
She drink tea (sea lion)
And rooster crows (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in the blue (sea lion)
Call on the man (sea lion)
And hope he knows what he can do (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Dressed in red (sea lion)
Smile at the man (sea lion)
When you wake up in his bed (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion woman (sea lion)
Sea lion, sea lion, sea lion woman
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Sealion Lyrics as written by Nina Simone Leslie Feist
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I'm not sure this should be described as a cover of George Bass and Nina Simone. Feist's lyrics are more similar to the original folk versions.
Notably absent from Simone's version is the bit about the rooster, which a thread at mudcat.org ( mudcat.org/thread.cfm ) points out is a Biblical reference: Peter would deny Jesus 3 times before the rooster crows twice. And "sea lion" probably meant "she lyin".
Similarly, it might not be a coincidence that the "sea lion woman" that starts each verse sounds a lot like "see that woman".