The Diamond Sea

This is one of the most beautiful recordings of all time.

I think that the lyrics are about your inner self, conflicts within your mind. It's about discovering what is of actual value and what isn't. As well as accepting the fact that others have the ability to affect you, whether you want them to or not. In the end there is an understanding and acceptance that others can both help and hurt these situations that you've set up in your mind. And then we end up seeing and understanding that there things are not of any great importance, and thus we are able to break from our bonds, whatever they may be, and truly be free.

i agree a lot with gregsher

i think this is about a relationship that began out built out of illusions and created to bolster self-image rather than out of true love.

the song describes a relationship that people use to "make their mirror grow" - ie improve their self-image and external image as well- it may be linked to fame and Kim and Thurston's own relationship.

"you better watch yourself when you jump into it, cuz the mirror's gonna steal your soul"

this reminds me of the myth of Narcissus - that self image that feeds the relationship will eventually eat away at you and eventually the "dreams" (that the kids obliviously like to dress in) will fade and you will only be left with a mirror, feeling empty.

the "diamond ring" represents the illusions that one is allured by when they enter a relationship.

"your mirrors gonna crack when he breaks into it and you'll never, never be the same"

i feel like this means that your Ego, your Self-image will crack when you enter the relationship with him - as so many compromises are made, people force others to grow and change beyond what is comfortable for their self-image

"i wonder how he's gonna make it back when he sees that you just know it's make believe"

the relationship was imbued and created in some sort of illusion- so how is she going to react when the illusion fades and she realizes her real self-image and the true reality of the connection?

"you reflect into his looking glass soul and now the mirror is your only friend"

this describes feeling lost, being alone yet within a relationship. the connection was built on illusions and projected self-image and now that self-image is all you have left

I totally agree with jezzyboy, this is the best sonic youth song out there. I love both the 5 minute and 25 minute version.

I think the song is about a girl that doesnt love the guy she is with.... but decides to marry him anyway. Then after time everything turns to shit and her only friend is herself.

this song is fucking beautiful.

about a girl who marries a guy. She likes him, but doesnt love him, and after a while, she feels so alone, tho he loves her. the 'mirror girl' is who she could have been if she didnt marry him.

i think that this song has the most heartbreakingly beautiful lyrics. "look into his eyes and you can see why all the little kids are dressed in dreams" being the best example i can give its so simple and brilliant and such increadible music

Diamond ring = Diamond RAIN.

Plus Prussiancerulean is correct. On all counts.

wow. it was totally enlightening to read other peoples' takes on this song. i've had these crazy "alice in wonderland" or "poor, sensitive bastard blindly loves shallow, vain (hence the mirror) girl" theories all this time. it's nice to read other opinions.

"the diamond sea" is definitely one of my favorite sonic youth songs (especially when i'm high) and i've been a fan since the eighties. i've always gotten hypnotized by this track. i wouldn't say it's the best sy song though. imho, i think "mote" captures the same kinda melancholy but it rocks way more and don't get me started on "teenage riot"! like i said, that's just my opinion but "diamond sea" is in my top five, without a doubt.

This song is about two people in a relationship and is told from the female's perspective.

"time takes it's crazy toll and how does your mirror grow" How does her self image change over time?

Eventually the girl is drawn into a relationship. Her man asures her that everything will be perfect and hold up to her ideals. She glosses over problems and incompatabilities between the two of them.

Now that she is comitted and has fallen in love with the "diamond ring" (representing plans and relationship ideals") she understands how close she came to reaching a feeling of one-ness with herself (before the relationship).

She can look into his eyes and realize the complexity and depth of the hype she's bought into. How will the guy react if he notices she's no longer into him? There bond has lost its strength or "crystallized to sand" and she is now more alone than before.

"look into his eyes and you will see that men are not alone on the diamond sea "

They both led each other on until things got to this point (drifting in a "diamond sea" of unattainable ideals). She understands why things are no longer the same between them. How will he "make her smile" when neither of them are "feeling it"?

Kind of a downer really :(

i think the diamond sea could be drugs cocaine perhaps (everything has to be drugs hah) and the mirror what they are snorting off as well as the self reflection and the relationship to which some of the other comments were referring to or am i way off? oh and i thought it was the diamond rain not the diamond ring also should we report the thread or what?

while it may be about a girl and a breakup or something like that, i feel that this song itself is about growing old. obviously, the lyric "time takes it's crazy toll" supports that, as well as stuff like "'cause she's gonna take you for a fall"..

but aside from the lyrics, let me explain this from a different perspetive

if you listen to this song at a young age, and enjoy it so much that you happen to listen to it a lot, try thinking about how you would feel listening to it again at a very old age.. like if you were nearing death and you listen to it again, you would feel an unbelievable wave of emotions and memories. the song is nearly 20 minutes, and completely changes pace at different points in the song. it's slow and calm in the beginning, and progresses into uncomfortable chaos. by doing this, i feel that sonic youth is trying to make the song resemble a life, with the length resembling a long lived life and old age, and the chaos as death and regret.

basically, if i was on my deathbed listening to this song, it would first bring back memories from the past, but as it progressed it would turn into a reminder of how those days are over, and become the scary fact that all that's left is death and whatever may be beyond it.