Sea of Love

This song, like so many on the album, is about a casual relationship that evolves into a lopsided one. I love this theme personally, as The National continues to be unafraid to capture actual human experiences, and not trumped-up love fairy tales. In this case, and elsewhere throughout the album, he's describing the painful experience of falling in love with someone who is reluctant to move beyond the previously established casual nature of the relationship. Unlike the rest of the album though, this time the narrator is the one watching the other person fall into some "sea of love", and he's the one who won't be dragged down with her. Funny how it can feel life-shattering when you're the one in too deep ("you said it would be painless, it wasn't that at all" - Pink Rabbits), but when it's the other way around, it becomes "hey, sorry I hurt you... welp, at least love is a virtue! Cheers!"

Interesting to compare this to songs like "Pink Rabbits" "This is the Last Time" or "I Need my Girl", all of which allude to the narrator slipping into the dreaded Sea of Love alone, while the girl he loves stands steadfast on the shore. All beautiful, real, completely relatable songs. I personally have been on both sides of this arrangement and there are some lines (not to mention some swelling brass-filled crescendos) scattered throughout this album that are straight piercing to listen to, but in a wonderfully alive way. Which to me is the point: sure their music can be downright depressing, even death-obsessed at times, but it is more in touch with actual human emotions than anything else out there right now--what better way to feel alive?

(Point of reference: Jenny = he's in love and she won't reciprocate, Jo = vice versa.... as Matt says, Sorry Jo)

Official lyrics from album sleeve:

Oh, you say you love me Joe How am I supposed to know? When you go under the waves, what am I supposed to say?

I see people on the floor They' slide into the sea Can't stay here anymore We're turning into fiends

If I stay here trouble will find me If I stay here I'll never leave If I stay here trouble will find me I believe

Joe, I'll always think of you as the kind of child who knew this was never gonna last Joe, you fell so fast

Hey Joe, sorry I hurt you, but they say love is a virtue don't they? Hey Joe, sorry I hurt you, but they say love is a virtue don't they? Hey Joe, sorry I hurt you, but they say love is a virtue don't they? Hey Joe, sorry I hurt you, but they say love is a virtue don't they?

I see people on the floor They slide into the sea Can't stay here anymore We're turning into fiends

I see you rushing down Tell me how to reach you I see you rushing down What did Harvard teach you?

I see you rushing down Tell me how to reach you I see you rushing down What did Harvard teach you?

I see you rushing down (don't drag me in) Tell me how to reach you I see you rushing down (don't drag me in)

I think this is the story behind it: Jo has been hanging around with bad people. The narrator wants to get to her and help her, but he doesn't know how to do it. Then he realizes that if he stays with her, he might never be able to leave because he'll be caught up in the same mess she is in. So he goes away, but is still holding on to her.

Anyway, this is a great song! I'm really digging this new album.

I have to agree that I think the song is about someone who is simply not committed in their relationship, and doesn't really love the other. The narrator is the person who does not want to take the "next step," to advance their relationship, the one who doesn't want to fall into the "Sea of Love." They really emphasize the "Hey Jo, sorry I hurt you, but they say love is a virtue don't they?" in the bridge, just to point out the difficulty of breaking up with someone, and to find an excuse, in this case, the purposefully very weak "love is virtue" excuse. They repeat it to emphasize how much it hurts the other lover in the relationship, how dismissive it is.

I'm really interested in "What did Harvard teach you?" part. My guess is that it's narrator meeting with the person they dumped after a few years, and they've advanced farther without the narrator, ending with an ultimate feeling of regret, and shame.

Just my two cents.

listen to "heavenfaced" .... he's in a relationship and he wants to quit.....

actually i think this song it's all about love. from the titile of the song to the lyrics it's quite obvious what the song it's all about. i think that Matt it's talking about a stolen love, a love that he stole from his friend "joe". he apologize with his friend as we can read in the line 'ehy joe sorry I hurt you but they say love is a virtue'. it's like he's findind an excuse when he says that love is a virtue, because actually he has stolen joe's love.

Actually The National explained how the song came to be in here: http://songexploder.net/episode-25-the-national/

I think the whole song is from the side how the Girl is thinking of Joe

Oh, you say you love me Joe How am I supposed to know? When you go under the waves, what am I supposed to say?

= Joe is in Love with this Girl, maybe he hide the love for her?

I see people on the floor They' slide into the sea Can't stay here anymore We're turning into fiends

= she saw people in similar Situations and saw how they slide into some things, they don´t really wanted a relationship comes in mind or how she fights with "Joe" and turning into fiends

If I stay here trouble will find me If I stay here I'll never leave If I stay here trouble will find me I believe

= then she tell the hard truth to Joe, she can´t stay with him, there is something but if she stays she will never be able to break Joes Heart but she not really knows, she believe

Joe, I'll always think of you as the kind of child who knew this was never gonna last Joe, you fell so fast

= She really like Joe, she remember Joe as the Kid he was, but Joe changed over the Years, Joe fell too fast for her, to reach him...

Hey Joe, sorry I hurt you, but they say love is a virtue don't they?

= here it seems she don´t overthink this and see what it really is, a virtue but asks again..

I see you rushing down Tell me how to reach you I see you rushing down What did Harvard teach you?

= she see Joe is rushing down, but she can´t help him at all, she like him as a friend not more the havard line maybe will say, look you where at Havard did they don´t teach you how the react in those situations

i could be complete wrong and sorry for my english, im not a native speaker this makes this even more difficult for me i hope you understand what i try to say thanks

Harvard...well, William anfdMary won't do.

Actually The National explained how the song came to be in here: http://songexploder.net/episode-25-the-national/