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,
Driving home now
We got away
Here's to our future at least
That's what they say
Pouring rain
All through my head
Makes me wonder if I'd
Be better off dead
I'm through with feeling deeply
Let's dive into the shallow end
In control now
Of my defeat
We've made mistakes that we're bound
To repeat
I'm through with feeling deeply
Let's dive into the shallow end
I'm through with feeling deeply
Let's dive into the shallow end
You know it's time to see things clearly
Let's dive into the shallow end
I'd love to drive ferrari's
I'd love to have it all
I'd love to walk the tightrope
You'd love to see me fall
We got away
Here's to our future at least
That's what they say
Pouring rain
All through my head
Makes me wonder if I'd
Be better off dead
I'm through with feeling deeply
Let's dive into the shallow end
In control now
Of my defeat
We've made mistakes that we're bound
To repeat
I'm through with feeling deeply
Let's dive into the shallow end
I'm through with feeling deeply
Let's dive into the shallow end
You know it's time to see things clearly
Let's dive into the shallow end
I'd love to drive ferrari's
I'd love to have it all
I'd love to walk the tightrope
You'd love to see me fall
Lyrics submitted by Ice
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Speaking on lounge tunes, I heard this song in the background to a movie, surprisingly. Its called "Along Came Polly", and it has Jennifer Andestin and Ben Steller in it. I hated the movie, but i was surprised that such an awsome and unpopular song. It was at an artsy lounge party, which is just the place I'd expect to hear this song. Anyways, I thought it was cool, but I just wanted to say that I love Morcheeba because they show the soulfull side of trip-hop, if you know what I mean, whereas Portishead shows the jazzy side, Sneaker Pimps show the pop side, Tricky shows the dark side, Lamb shows the techno side, and Massive Attack, well, they're just an example of true trip hop. If you don't know what trip hop is, you probably don't know what I'm talking about at all. It's the best genre of music ever, and you should check it out!
lol i love the beginning to this song. It reminds me of those lounge tunes that I LOVE, and have quite a collection of :)
Morcheeba are timeless... that girly feminine voice is just addictive !
Anything I say here is my interpretation and relation to this song. I really like listening to this song when I've just been trying too hard, at work, at school, whatever, and I just want things to be simple, not so complicated and painful...
I will be Explaining this song chronologically as well as metaphorically. Skye is singing about driving home from some sort of social occasion , maybe a party, where people are happy and toasting to the future, "or at least, that's what they say". Skye though feels badly about the whole thing,and she doesn't enjoy whatever the occasion was about like other people. That's why she says "we got away" when mentioning driving away. Her inability to feel happy makes her feel like an outsider from these happy people, thus the verse "pouring rain, runs through my head, makes me wonder if I'd be better off dead". This is basically the whole theme of the song, and the album, just fuck whatever is going on and try to accept things and be happy. But continuing on here... I'm not sure exactly what the line "in control now,of my defeat" is, but I've thought about it. I know that whenever I feel badly about some social interaction or thing I am supposed to be happy about but I'm not, when I get to be alone I don't feel like I have to act anymore. So maybe this is about just being with yourself and your own beliefs and life rather than what is expected. I think the line about driving Ferraris and such is a way of saying that material things make her happy. Etx. I know that there are some good metaphors in this song, and it's like really speaking about depression, doom, gloom, the bullshit that people are and do, the fakeness of people. Skye wants to be happy and stupid like the people in the beginning of the song, but she is too deep to feel happy about the same things as them. Or maybe shes just manically depressed. Or maybe I am. And thats, ok.
And just thinking about it, "Diving into the Shallow End" of lets say, a pool, would be injurious, you would probablly break your neck. So when Skye musingly sings "Let's Dive into the Shallow End" she is saying lets do something that will make us happy but be very dangerous, maybe she means drugs, maybe sex. Or possibly the idea of diving into the shallow end applies to the others that she cant feel the same as, maybe she is implying that they are in the shallow end and she wants to be with them in false happiness.
WoW. That's A LOT of writing. To me the song is just about a guy who broke up with his girlfriend and feels a sense of relief that it's over. He's had it with love and the heartache it brings. He wants nothing more to do with it. He just wants to have fun. The last stanza shows how he resents her and perhaps felt as though he couldn't live up to her expectations (or whatever). He believes she relishes in his shortcomings. Man, I used the word "he" often enough. Sorry for the redundancy...
I do believe you've nailed it. When one knowingly dives into the shallow end he is craving adventure. He likes the dangerous thrill. I dove in once during a drunken college party and hit the bottom with my face. It was a very painful (although exciting:) experience.
I'm glad you also listen to morcheeba. LOL I was at a pool hall and played the song "Almost Done", by Morcheeba, on the jukebox and some people there literally started screaming "What is this shit?! Turn it off!!.." like their heads were going to explode. I was like fuck my life. I love trip hop but the masses don't seem to enjoy it (in my experience). I guess we are a rare breed in some respects.