Standing on the Shore Lyrics

Lyric discussion by Guitarearl 

Cover art for Standing on the Shore lyrics by Empire of the Sun

I would characterize this song as a song for the discoverer, the inventor, the explorer.

It's a song considering the future, and considering all the unseen forces that have brought the author's eternity to this point in time (i.e. cosmic forces impacting the tides). That then morphs into the idea of people who impart their opinions and perspectives on his future, and thus he believes that ignoring the talk and noise are crucial to him making his way forward.