Strangers

The singer of the song feels that the person she is singing about is like a stranger, or maybe they are both strangers to each other, because they don't communicate their own thoughts well. They just assume the other person understands their thoughts/perspectives "Did you realise, no one can see inside your view, Did you realize the world inside belongs to you" even though they never state them

I think this is a song about a person who is so self-centered, alienated by sticking only to his/hers ponts of view. It's not necessarily a love song.

Ohh........ Can anybody see the light Where the morn meets the dew and the tide rises?

Nobody can see the light where these happens because, both, the forming of the dew and the tide rising are continuous processes, and, so is the point of view. There is no single correct point of view. In the next lines she is asking the person:

Did you realise, no one can see inside your view? Did you realise, the world inside belongs to you?

These questions serve more to point to the person that he/she is alienating itself from her (Beth) and the rest of the world by taking a single point of view (maybe due to insecurity, fear, etc).

Ohh........ Just set aside your fears of life Thru this sole desire

Now, Beth is asking that person to overcome his/hers fears of life and to share her/his points of view with Beth and the world and, at the same time, to consider their points of view. That is to break the alienation.

Done it warning Done it now This ain't real On in this side

I feel as in this part Beth is ordering the person to do it now. First she is saying I warn you and then she is more demanding by saying now. Although, I am not sure why is she using the past tense of do. Maybe she is expressing her desire for this to be already done, already part of the past. Again, as in despair, Beth is saying "this ain't real", i.e. being so self-centered, sticking to one's point of view is not real, is alienating from the rest of the world. And then it looks as she is inviting that person to come and join her and the rest of the world by moving to "this side".

At least, this is my point of view on the song :) I want to share it with you, because by sharing it I overcome my barrier of self-seclusion and we are not longer strangers :)

yeah the way they mix the beats and then the slower parts....fucking awesome song

i love the whole sound of this entire song- the beat, the old fashioned way it sounds in the beginning. I LOVE PORTISHEAD

damn straight! this has to be my favortie song out all their music i love what it says

I don't think she's saying "do you realize forwhy this sight belongs to you"

I think she's saying "do you realize the world inside belongs to you?"

I've listened a lot, and it really even makes a lot more sense...

really good song, probably best Portshead song (as for me). Very beautiful lines ''Did you realise, no one can see inside your view''. And true, u can't see yourself, and noone can see things as u do. :D

I partially agree with AlairaKasimer: the first time I really think she says "Did you realize the world inside belongs to you?". Or at least I can surely tell that she's not saying "forwhy etc...". English is not my first language so my opinion might not count much... Still, that was my 2 cents about the lyrics. Can't really add much about the meaning. Some songs don't have to be explained.

thanks AlairaKasimer and deedee, it does make more sense that way. I'm still puzzled by the lines "done it warning / done it now" etc. If this really is what she says, what does it mean, and what does that have to do with the tone/theme of introspection/knowing yourself/etc?

deedee's words are definitely worth repeating: "Some song's don't have to be explained" but I still can't help but wonder...

To settle the above confusion, the first verse says"did you realize the world inside belongs to you" and the second verse says"Did you realize For why this sight belongs to you.". Absoloutly beautiful, on this side, it means we see things each from our own viewpoint/state of life/position and each side should respect and appreciate this.