This song is subtle meditation on the ugliness and impermanence of our daily lives versus the search for Eternity, Heaven and a higher meaning. This is within the framework of a reminiscence about a vacation at the ocean.
we spotted the ocean at the head of the trail
where are we going, so far away
and somebody told me that this is the place
where everything's better, everything's safe
Is the Ocean Heaven? Is it Nirvana? "Where are we going, so far away?" And is our destination what we've been taught it will be? "Everything's better, everything's safe" would be a tall order for a real seashore excursion. This is the first indication that they're slyly talking about something more.
walk on the ocean
step on the stones
flesh becomes water
wood becomes bone
The refrain speaks of the cycle of physical decay and renewal; all of our atoms become the sea, the air and the earth, and then those atoms will eventually become living things again in another form.
and half an hour later we packed up our things
we said we'd send letters and all those little things
and they knew we were lying but they smiled just the same
it seemed they'd already forgotten we'd came
There are various ways to achieve an enlightened state, to achieve the barest glimpse of the Eternal, but sadly, we cannot maintain that state.
now we're back at the homestead
where the air makes you choke
and people don't know you
and trust is a joke
we don't even have pictures
just memories to hold
that grow sweeter each season
as we slowly grow old
In the final stanza we are back at our daily grind, where it is nearly impossible to see or think of "The Ocean." But the memory of that state becomes more important as we grow older, and as we grow towards a final state of grace. The older we get, the closer to the ocean of Eternity we travel.
This song is subtle meditation on the ugliness and impermanence of our daily lives versus the search for Eternity, Heaven and a higher meaning. This is within the framework of a reminiscence about a vacation at the ocean.
we spotted the ocean at the head of the trail where are we going, so far away and somebody told me that this is the place where everything's better, everything's safe
Is the Ocean Heaven? Is it Nirvana? "Where are we going, so far away?" And is our destination what we've been taught it will be? "Everything's better, everything's safe" would be a tall order for a real seashore excursion. This is the first indication that they're slyly talking about something more.
walk on the ocean step on the stones flesh becomes water wood becomes bone
The refrain speaks of the cycle of physical decay and renewal; all of our atoms become the sea, the air and the earth, and then those atoms will eventually become living things again in another form.
and half an hour later we packed up our things we said we'd send letters and all those little things and they knew we were lying but they smiled just the same it seemed they'd already forgotten we'd came
There are various ways to achieve an enlightened state, to achieve the barest glimpse of the Eternal, but sadly, we cannot maintain that state.
now we're back at the homestead where the air makes you choke and people don't know you and trust is a joke we don't even have pictures just memories to hold that grow sweeter each season as we slowly grow old
In the final stanza we are back at our daily grind, where it is nearly impossible to see or think of "The Ocean." But the memory of that state becomes more important as we grow older, and as we grow towards a final state of grace. The older we get, the closer to the ocean of Eternity we travel.