cat
Hero
Posts: 314
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Post by cat on May 25, 2004 17:20:49 GMT -5
Just heard GAWI on the radio after having not heard it for a while and it reminded me of a question I always had about the interpretation of the song's lyrics. I never was too sure what to make of the line "Deep inside his temple/He knows how to surf her." Surf her? Not sure what that means. My guess was that it meant something along the lines of "he knows how to handle her" but I've never been confident of that interpretation. What does that line mean to others?
The other thing I 'm not sure about is how much of the song is meant to be taken metaphorically and how much literally, specifically the lines "Daniel's saving grace/She's out in deep water/Hope he's a good swimmer." The second verse that begins with that line ("Daniel's saving grace/He was all but drowning/now they live like dolphins") is obviously metaphorical, but do you interpret the other verse as Daniel saving Grace from drowning, literally? I always thought it was metaphorical, until I saw an early interview with Tim. The interviewer asked him what was the song about, and he said "there's a woman, Grace, who is in the water drowning, and a man called Daniel saves her" which is a pretty literal interpretation. Other opinions?
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Post by Poster Saint on Jun 5, 2004 16:14:38 GMT -5
Just heard GAWI on the radio after having not heard it for a while and it reminded me of a question I always had about the interpretation of the song's lyrics. I never was too sure what to make of the line "Deep inside his temple/He knows how to surf her." Surf her? Not sure what that means. My guess was that it meant something along the lines of "he knows how to handle her" but I've never been confident of that interpretation. What does that line mean to others? The other thing I 'm not sure about is how much of the song is meant to be taken metaphorically and how much literally, specifically the lines "Daniel's saving grace/She's out in deep water/Hope he's a good swimmer." The second verse that begins with that line ("Daniel's saving grace/He was all but drowning/now they live like dolphins") is obviously metaphorical, but do you interpret the other verse as Daniel saving Grace from drowning, literally? I always thought it was metaphorical, until I saw an early interview with Tim. The interviewer asked him what was the song about, and he said "there's a woman, Grace, who is in the water drowning, and a man called Daniel saves her" which is a pretty literal interpretation. Other opinions? Okay, about the water metaphor, it has a double meaning the reappears several times in the song. Daniel's saving grace / She's out in deep water / Hope he's a good swimmer / Daniel plays his ace / Deep inside his temple / He knows how to surf her First of all, this was my theme song in 2003, so let the following apply to me and anyone who chooses to adopt this meaning. Naturally, art is subjective, so I'm not claiming that my interpretation is the end all of this song. Here goes. Let me get one thing out of the way for the record. The song is about either drug or alcohol use as a means of escape. The alternative meaning, which could still apply to the first, is that the protagonist is surviving the situation despite the fact that it is messed up, but several lines suggest he consumes or abuses some kind of substance in order to do so. When I was living in the city I had these neighbours, two wonderful people, but it seemed like the fulcrum of their relationship was their co-dependency of substance, not one another, i.e. they shared their vices and that kept their relationship alive. Getting back to the substance interpretation, the character and his partner are both wasted and that is how they tolerate their situation. There is little thought given to whether it could be improved if the sauce were removed from the equation, but that, for them, this is how it works. On the other hand, if they were stoned sober, and the situation is just plain rotten, then the protagonist is the rock, a heroic figure who keeps his partner grounded. The water is a metaphor for the source of the problem and how deep it has gotten, and Daniel rescues her from an apathetic state of mind. Either way, surfing is handing, as you mentioned. He's either keeping up with her tendencies, handling her tendencies by having his own set of vices, or saving them both from getting swamped by the situation. Daniel drinks his weight / Drinks like Richard Burton / Dances like John Travolta / Now This is where I think it is a song about drowning one's woes. And finally: Daniel's saving grace / He was all but drowning / Now they live like dolphins To me these final lines have the same double meaning as above. Tim is such a good lyricist that I really do believe the song is related to the consumption of something, because of the Travolta lines driving home that point. But basically what these mean to me is, that something is unsettled, and instead of mending the situation, the couple prefer to drown their woes in alcohol. It is entirely about escapism though. Picture them as waking up, somewhat sober, conscious again of the fact that they loathe their situation [all but drowning]. So they start drinking. Once they've achieved a certain stupor, they're living in their booze-drenched state of mind and are more able to ignore the realities surrounding them [now they live like dolphins]. Again, and the keynote of what I think the song means, the water is a metaphor for the alcohol and the bad situation. If you're optimistic, it's easy to skew the song's meaning towards Daniel as being a hero who rescues his partner from her own sorry state of mind, which means that he was never on the down side of things. I really don't think I've properly articulated what it is I mean, but I do hope this helps. Discussing this really makes me wish James would get off their arses though. |
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cat
Hero
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Post by cat on Jun 9, 2004 11:40:09 GMT -5
Thanks for your reply, Poster Saint. I've always interpreted the song metaphorically as referring to 2 people who are in trouble, in something over their heads ("all but drowning"). Probably substance abuse, though it could have a broader meaning to encompass any kind of situation in which you're having a difficult time. I think drug or alcohol abuse is the most likely, though.
Maybe Tim was being flippant with his very literal answer, I'm not sure. I wish I had that interview on tape or on my hard drive, but I don't. I never interpreted it as them literally drowning in water. Perhaps he just didn't feel like explaining all that or didn't want to impose his meaning on the song, wanted people to decide for themselves.
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brd
Yul Brynner
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Post by brd on Jun 9, 2004 12:07:04 GMT -5
I think poster saint's interpretation works to a degree but is too linear.
As far as I can understand, in Tim's eyes, water replenishes the soul. This is similar to the beliefs of some groups of North American aborigines.
In the end of GAWI, Daniel has saved Grace (from physical or spiritual addiction or whatever) and they are swimming away together like dolphins, re-energised and their faith restored, leaving behind the restrictions of addiction etc.
Watch Tim's video of Down To The Sea a few times: in the end, Tim and the crying woman, her tears wiped away, swim away like dolphins ....
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Post by Poster Saint on Jun 9, 2004 20:07:03 GMT -5
Maybe Tim was being flippant with his very literal answer, I'm not sure. I wish I had that interview on tape or on my hard drive, but I don't. I never interpreted it as them literally drowning in water. Perhaps he just didn't feel like explaining all that or didn't want to impose his meaning on the song, wanted people to decide for themselves. Thinking back to the Dom Joly interview, Tim really does have a history of having fun with journalists. I'm sure he was either in a mood that day, or just being a showman. |
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Post by Poster Saint on Jun 9, 2004 20:15:05 GMT -5
I think poster saint's interpretation works to a degree but is too linear. As far as I can understand, in Tim's eyes, water replenishes the soul. This is similar to the beliefs of some groups of North American aborigines. In the end of GAWI, Daniel has saved Grace (from physical or spiritual addiction or whatever) and they are swimming away together like dolphins, re-energised and their faith restored, leaving behind the restrictions of addiction etc. I disagree. The keynote of the song is survival at any cost. I think it describes possibly a low income family in a rundown neighbourhood. My interpretation is linear because Tim has written one complete idea in this song; also, where mine is linear I think yours is a little more litteral than Tim intended. The dolphins line is slightly sarcastic and I think the music reflects this; notice how it gets chaotic after he sings that line, as opposed to the end of "Vervaceous" which sounds like a free spirit traveling through time. It may just be me, but I find the music tracks alone in GAWI sound very sour and intoxicated. I'm sure that Tim does believe that water cleanses, but he uses it in a negative context with every mention (deep water, drowning, etc.). Tim is a very spiritual person, but it doesn't do justice to the song if you confuse the singer with it. Agreed, but that's not what we're discussing. Either way, there is no wrong answer when it comes to song interpretation and I appreciate the discussion. I wish we did this more often. |
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cat
Hero
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Post by cat on Jun 10, 2004 14:07:30 GMT -5
Hmmm, interesting take on the song. Funny, I never viewed that line as the least bit sarcastic, though there is much sarcasm throughout the earlier parts of the song. I always thought of "swim like dolphins" as representing a happier, freer state of being.
I'll have to rewatch some of the video versions I have of the song, but right offhand, I don't recall him doing anything to indicate that the line was intended sarcastically.
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Post by Poster Saint on Jun 10, 2004 20:43:51 GMT -5
Hmmm, interesting take on the song. Funny, I never viewed that line as the least bit sarcastic, though there is much sarcasm throughout the earlier parts of the song. I always thought of "swim like dolphins" as representing a happier, freer state of being. I'll have to rewatch some of the video versions I have of the song, but right offhand, I don't recall him doing anything to indicate that the line was intended sarcastically. Let me rephrase. I think Tim meant it sarcastically, as a narrator. Within the context of the song, I think the characters he describes are in a state of intoxication. So, in reality their situation hasn't improved, but in their inebriation they have escaped the reality of the situation and feel as if their lives have improved, such that when the alcoholic veil has lifted and reality sets in they will return to their doleful state. So, Tim the singer is being sincere, because perception is everything in this case; Tim the writer has created a situation in which he is forced to sing it sincerely, despite knowing the ultimate truth as the narrator. That is what I meant by suggesting he was being sarcastic. As I mentioned, the music really seems to unhinge after he sings this line, and I think it's a reflection of the actual state of things: chaotic. Contrarily, when there's a bit of a c rescendo of sound towards the end of "Vervaceous", it sounds like the musical equivalent of souls traveling through space, in other words complete freedom. Again, it may just be me, but I find GAWI sounds really sour, which is only appropriate because that's the nature of the song: not happiness, survival. |
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cat
Hero
Posts: 314
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Post by cat on Jun 12, 2004 19:05:08 GMT -5
Ah, yes, now I understand perfectly what you mean. Yes, that makes sense to me. I was really struggling with trying to interpret it as Tim being sarcastic there, which I just couldn't see at all.
I knew the very first time I heard GAWI that it was going to be one of those James songs that would be difficult for me to listen to because it's so intensely personal to me, and it inspires different emotions at different times, depending on my mood. Sometimes it makes me sad, sometimes a little agitated (mostly the music does that, not the singing), and sometimes something like a kind of hard-won acceptance. Okay, so maybe we're not talking about happiness here, but sometimes it's possible to be content with things that fall short of that, i.e., sometimes just surviving a difficult situation can bring a sort of peace of mind which I wouldn't call happiness but, well, by comparison to the unrest you felt before, can be a big improvement.
While I agree that survival and not "happiness" is probably the central theme, I don't find it sour at all. Even if we know that Grace & Daniel's "dolphin" state is a temporary and deceptive one brought about by inebriation, I don't get the feeling that the song ends on a negative note because I'm not left with the iimpression that the singer is saying that this will necessarily always be the case-- perhaps I'm an incurable optimist!
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Post by Poster Saint on Jun 12, 2004 22:57:50 GMT -5
I knew the very first time I heard GAWI that it was going to be one of those James songs that would be difficult for me to listen to because it's so intensely personal to me, and it inspires different emotions at different times, depending on my mood. Sometimes it makes me sad, sometimes a little agitated (mostly the music does that, not the singing), and sometimes something like a kind of hard-won acceptance. Okay, so maybe we're not talking about happiness here, but sometimes it's possible to be content with things that fall short of that, i.e., sometimes just surviving a difficult situation can bring a sort of peace of mind which I wouldn't call happiness but, well, by comparison to the unrest you felt before, can be a big improvement. That makes perfect sense to me. I agree for a couple of reasons. First, I don't think that Tim ever reveals a glimpse into their future within the context of the song. Theirs is a lifestyle of living in the moment, because I doubt they can foresee any change on the horizon; despite the likelihood that they will not only have some kind of epiphany, but I suspect they will eventually separate. It's easy to consider that an unhappy ending, but I think their relationship hinges on the fact that they tolerate each other because the other tolerates the substance abuse. It only acts as a self reflective excuse. Second, and something I never really dissected yet, is the fact that they seem to be not only surviving, but successfully conquering something ("getting away with it" not "getting along"). They have problems that, for the present time, they are managing to avoid. Statistically, finances are the number one relationship killer. If it is indeed about money, not only are they not solving the problem (debt?) but they are increasing it, and getting away with it (drinking away what little money they do have). But, if you confronted them in a state of inebriation, they'd probably be oblivious to whatever it is their drinking away, because they're doing it successfully. Ultimately it's not positive, but they couldn't care less. |
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