This is probably my favorite song by PWD...ever. Period. This song has everything. The ONLY song that MIGHT top it is Horizons, for me personally anyway. I identify with this song pretty heavily.
I take it to have a bit of a double meaning, and those two meanings work together. The first is obvious, he's lonely. He feels isolated and like he has a huge void (like the sea and the sky, just seemingly endless voids). This one is pretty deep and heavy, and I feel like all humans have at least one moment in life where this describes their feelings about life in general.
The second of the two meanings that I take is that it is metaphorical for he and a past lover. The sea is him looking into himself. Speaking to himself. He identifies with the sea. Also, the sea could mean his close friends and family. That is possibly important as I continue this.
The sky is his past love, or perhaps just love in general. That feeling. Just by looking at the first half of the song, this can be seen.
The line "distance was born when the sea and the sky grew apart. loneliness was born the day i let you go" seems to go along with this metaphorical interpretation. The two things (sea and sky) are both deep, empty, and dark, yet they are distant, even though they are mirror images of each other.
He accepts that he can't have his love (whether he means a specific person or just the abstract idea of love) and lets it go. He begs to not have pity (as he does in every chorus, "dear sky, don't cry for me. be the hope i could never reach"). He wants the "sky" to go on and find love and be happy. The sea, which again, can mean himself or his friends/family, is all he has. The second half of the choruses is either him telling him not to let himself drown in his sadness or he's reaching out to those friends/family members for their support. Either way, it works.
Regardless of the interpretations, on a purely musical and poetic level, this song is nothing short of beautiful.
I follow your interpretation. But I wanna add some things.
I follow your interpretation. But I wanna add some things.
>
He's feeling lonely, isolated.
He identifies/compares himself with the sea
The sky is a past love
He's not only talking to himself and his past love, I think he's also just talking to the elements, the sky and the sea.
"Dear sky,
Dear sky don't cry for me
be the hope I could never reach
Cold sea, please don't let me sink
Wrap your arms around me and carry me home"
>
He's feeling lonely, isolated.
He identifies/compares himself with the sea
The sky is a past love
He's not only talking to himself and his past love, I think he's also just talking to the elements, the sky and the sea.
"Dear sky,
Dear sky don't cry for me
be the hope I could never reach
Cold sea, please don't let me sink
Wrap your arms around me and carry me home"
[Talking to the element] Oh innocent sky, you have nothing to do with this, don't shed...
[Talking to the element] Oh innocent sky, you have nothing to do with this, don't shed your tears for me. Stop the rain if it's for me, I'm in no need for your pity.
[Talking to his past love] Don't let life stand still like mine. Go on, and have another chance on love.
[Talking to himself] Please don't let me lose myself in this empty void. Let me find myself again, so I can feel comfortable again, safe again. (referring to a safe haven, your home)
"I stood at the shore and spoke to the ocean
I stood in the water and let my guts spill
I said "You and me, we're not so different,
I see my reflection in all that you do"
I think now he's talking to the sea as element and comparing himself with it. He stands at the shore, and lets everything out what he's feeling, telling everything what's on his mind. I picture myself this as a man screaming to the ocean, standing all by himself, where no one can hear him.
"We both keep our secrets
We're both, oh so blue
My heart is full of darkness
I know that yours is too"
Again comparing himself to the element, the sea. Both blue, both mysterious, and dark in its depths.
"I sat on the rooftop and screamed at the sky
I sat on the edge until I knew deep inside
Like the sky, I will always be empty
The horizon, my love, forever just out of reach"
[Talking to his past love] Screaming at the thought of you, out of regret? Out of anger?
[Talking to the element] Like the sky is empty, so is he, without this love he has known.
This horizon he sings about, that was the first thing I initially didn't really know how to interpret. But after a little thinking... the horizon is where the sky and the ocean meet each other. But the horizon will forever be out of reach no matter how hard you try to get to it.
"Distance was born when the sea and the sky grew apart
Loneliness was born the day I let you go
I let you go"
He's saying the same thing but in other words. As he identifies himself with the sea, and his past love with the sky. The distance represents the loneliness when they grew apart from each other.
Like I said, this song is Pure Gold! It's a poetic piece of art!
This is probably my favorite song by PWD...ever. Period. This song has everything. The ONLY song that MIGHT top it is Horizons, for me personally anyway. I identify with this song pretty heavily.
I take it to have a bit of a double meaning, and those two meanings work together. The first is obvious, he's lonely. He feels isolated and like he has a huge void (like the sea and the sky, just seemingly endless voids). This one is pretty deep and heavy, and I feel like all humans have at least one moment in life where this describes their feelings about life in general.
The second of the two meanings that I take is that it is metaphorical for he and a past lover. The sea is him looking into himself. Speaking to himself. He identifies with the sea. Also, the sea could mean his close friends and family. That is possibly important as I continue this.
The sky is his past love, or perhaps just love in general. That feeling. Just by looking at the first half of the song, this can be seen.
The line "distance was born when the sea and the sky grew apart. loneliness was born the day i let you go" seems to go along with this metaphorical interpretation. The two things (sea and sky) are both deep, empty, and dark, yet they are distant, even though they are mirror images of each other.
He accepts that he can't have his love (whether he means a specific person or just the abstract idea of love) and lets it go. He begs to not have pity (as he does in every chorus, "dear sky, don't cry for me. be the hope i could never reach"). He wants the "sky" to go on and find love and be happy. The sea, which again, can mean himself or his friends/family, is all he has. The second half of the choruses is either him telling him not to let himself drown in his sadness or he's reaching out to those friends/family members for their support. Either way, it works.
Regardless of the interpretations, on a purely musical and poetic level, this song is nothing short of beautiful.
This song is pure Gold! Nice thinking on the lyrics!
This song is pure Gold! Nice thinking on the lyrics!
I follow your interpretation. But I wanna add some things.
I follow your interpretation. But I wanna add some things.
>
"Dear sky, Dear sky don't cry for me be the hope I could never reach Cold sea, please don't let me sink Wrap your arms around me and carry me home"
>
"Dear sky, Dear sky don't cry for me be the hope I could never reach Cold sea, please don't let me sink Wrap your arms around me and carry me home"
[Talking to the element] Oh innocent sky, you have nothing to do with this, don't shed...
[Talking to the element] Oh innocent sky, you have nothing to do with this, don't shed your tears for me. Stop the rain if it's for me, I'm in no need for your pity. [Talking to his past love] Don't let life stand still like mine. Go on, and have another chance on love. [Talking to himself] Please don't let me lose myself in this empty void. Let me find myself again, so I can feel comfortable again, safe again. (referring to a safe haven, your home)
"I stood at the shore and spoke to the ocean I stood in the water and let my guts spill I said "You and me, we're not so different, I see my reflection in all that you do" I think now he's talking to the sea as element and comparing himself with it. He stands at the shore, and lets everything out what he's feeling, telling everything what's on his mind. I picture myself this as a man screaming to the ocean, standing all by himself, where no one can hear him.
"We both keep our secrets We're both, oh so blue My heart is full of darkness I know that yours is too" Again comparing himself to the element, the sea. Both blue, both mysterious, and dark in its depths.
"I sat on the rooftop and screamed at the sky I sat on the edge until I knew deep inside Like the sky, I will always be empty The horizon, my love, forever just out of reach" [Talking to his past love] Screaming at the thought of you, out of regret? Out of anger? [Talking to the element] Like the sky is empty, so is he, without this love he has known. This horizon he sings about, that was the first thing I initially didn't really know how to interpret. But after a little thinking... the horizon is where the sky and the ocean meet each other. But the horizon will forever be out of reach no matter how hard you try to get to it.
"Distance was born when the sea and the sky grew apart Loneliness was born the day I let you go I let you go" He's saying the same thing but in other words. As he identifies himself with the sea, and his past love with the sky. The distance represents the loneliness when they grew apart from each other.
Like I said, this song is Pure Gold! It's a poetic piece of art!