Mysterons

It's named after the protagonists in Captain Scarlet. It's pretty dark - created by Gerry Anderson after Thunderbirds. There's also a new version in CGI, which is just as dark.

The whole premise of the program has an underlying problem of "Are the Mysterons really the bad guys"? The first episode has Captain Scarlets mate blowing up the Mysterons and starting a war. I believe, the moral ambiguity of this, caused it not to sit very well with a lot of people.

Maybe that's what the song is playing - the moral ambiguity of blame at the end of a relationship.

I love that the line "This ocean will not be grasped" also sounds like, "This ocean will not be grass." Both ways, you know that the "ocean" is something intangible, something that cannot be held or traversed, perhaps because it is so huge, perhaps because of the form it takes, the molecules that form it--maybe a little bit of all that.

I like xdvr's explanation.

trip hop really does rule..i thnk some1 mightv bin cheated on or used and this is the product..

First of all, It was most likely bases on the 60's series of captain Scarlett, where the mysterions (title) are the bad guys

So this serie starts out (year 2068) with earthlings discovering a city on Mars and after being shot on by the city, they destroy the city. The Mysterions after this get real mad and wanna kill the earthlings. So they keep planning terrorist attacks on them. That's what the whole serie is about.

So I think it goes as follows:

-Inside your pretending- So insider your "reality" or fiction or whatever And with your, they are refering to the earthlings

-Crimes have been swept aside- the destroying of that city by the earthlings

-Somewhere where they can forget- That's where they have swept it to

-Divine upper reaches- The elite of the earthlings or defenders, which are the good guys in the series (and by the way, with divine i think they are relating tot the fact that the main character is immortal, but could also just be the elite)

-Still holding on- Holding on to the lie

-This ocean will not be grasped- This enormous mistake or "ocean" Will not be grasped

Now its about the Mysterions:

-All for nothing- It wasn't THAT big a deal (the city destroying thing)

Did you really want Did you really want Did you really want -Did you really want- Was it worth it?

-Refuse to surrender- They refuse to forgive

-Strung out until ripped apart- They string them out until they break

-Who dares, who dares to condemn- Who dares to condemn them, after the earthlings have destroyed there city

All for nothing Did you really want Did you really want Did you really want Did you really want

So I think the moral of the story is that Both nations are driven by emotions. The one of fear to face the reality of what they did (earthlings). The other, the Madness of destroying another nation completely without remorse. I don't think the song chooses a side, I think the song had sympathy for both.

“Refuse to surrender, strung out until ripped apart, who DARES, who dares to condemn”

He committed the crime, but that same theme of ego, he dares to not only recognize the truth (surrender) but rips her to shreds, blaming her for bringing it up..

On the Roseland performance, this verse leads to a heavy, haunting chorus of sadness, rage and frustration… being denied her peace of mind…

The final mind f… the audacity when you try to reach resolve and were hurt in the first place…and then not only do they deny it ever happened, but somehow find a way to blame the victim.

“Inside you”re pretending… crimes have been swept apart… somewhere, where they can forget.” He deceived her and doesn’t want to own up to it… but she is not letting it happen to her… she’s calling him out. Narcissists hate to be called out on their personal self serving crimes. Such a profound open

“All for nothing, did you really want?”
She invested so much.. believing his lies that he cared and wanted something with her…. Questioning all the lies she has been fed, he is no longer around.

“Divine upper reaches….” She is coming from a place of divinity… to talk the truth and process it… but this whole verse is recognizing that he will never understand or accept the vastness of truth that she is telling him… denying her… gaslighting and projection - this ocean will not be grasped.

I looked up what Water Head means, it seems it was a term used to represent someone who had mental health issues. I wonder who is the water head… I think it’s the narcissist, because it’s so painful to confront them after they hurt you… she probably knows already he is not available for her. Thus it plays at the beginning… and after all she tried, the song ends with one last reminder of what she was dealing with. Water. Head.

I read somewhere that this song title comes from a premise of an old '60s sci-fi television show that was cancelled because of the content, or something to that effect.

This was the first portishead song i heard in my life... It was love at first sight...

nhmmm...a friend introduced me to this song, and i have to say...not bad! not bad at all!

there's something very 60's science fiction about portishead, Beth's voice is haunting. I love this song i love all their songs iv never heard anything like them