this is the sea

released on september 16, 1985, the waterboys' this is the sea was a revelation for me. the music was so expansive and uncomplicated; and the lyrics were at once thoughtful and spiritual. every song was poignant and triumphant. it was like being in church, a delicious church not made with hands. it was the last waterboys album to include karl wallinger and the first with steve wickham, who led the band to ireland and a more traditional sound on their next release fisherman's blues.

www.mikescottwaterboys.com

'the whole of the moon' was their biggest hit. mike scott says the subject of the song is a composite of several people, including c. s. lewis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TON3PORRDQ



i pictured a rainbow
you held it in your hands
i had flashes
but you saw the plan
i wandered out in the world for years
while you just stayed in your room
i saw the crescent
you saw the whole of the moon

you were there in the turnstiles
with the wind at your heels
you stretched for the stars
and you know how it feels
to reach too high
too far
too soon
you saw the whole of the moon

i was grounded
while you filled the skies
i was dumbfounded by truth
you cut through lies
i saw the rain dirty valley
you saw brigadoon
i saw the crescent
you saw the whole of the moon

i spoke about wings
you just flew
i wondered I guessed and I tried
you just knew
i sighed
... but you swooned!
i saw the crescent
you saw the whole of the moon

with a torch in your pocket
and the wind at your heels
you climbed on the ladder
and you know how it feels
to get too high
too far too soon
you saw the whole of the moon
the whole of the moon!

unicorns and cannonballs 
palaces and piers 
trumpets towers and tenements 
wide oceans full of tears 
flags rags ferryboats 
scimitars and scarves 
every precious dream and vision underneath the stars 
you climbed on the ladder with the wind in your sails 
you came like comet blazing your trail 
too high too far too soon you saw the whole of the moon

owing a lot to van morrison's 'sweet thing', the song 'this is the sea' was originally written with twenty verses. this video features that title track and some pretty gnarly waves:

these things you keep 
you'd better throw them away 
you wanna turn your back on your soulless days 
once you were tethered and now you are free 
once you were tethered well now you are free 
that was the river this is the sea! 

now if you're feelin' weary 
if you've been alone too long 
maybe you've been suffering from a few too many plans that have gone wrong 
and you're trying to remember how fine your life used to be 
running around banging your drum like it's 1973 
well that was the river this is the sea! wooo! 

now you say you've got trouble
you say you've got pain 
you say've got nothing left to believe in 
nothing to hold on to nothing to trust nothing but chains 
you've been scouring your conscience raking through your memories 
scouring your conscience raking through your memories 
but that was the river this is the sea yeah! 

now I can see you wavering 
as you try to decide 
you've got a war in your head and it's tearing you up inside 
you're trying to make sense of something that you just don't see 
trying to make sense now and you know you once held the key 
but that was the river and this is the sea! yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah! 

now I hear there's a train 
it's coming on down the line 
it's yours if you hurry you've got still enough time 
and you don't need no ticket and you don't pay no fee 
no you don't need no ticket you don't pay no fee 
because that was the river and this is the sea! behold the sea.

'This is the Sea'
full album:


1. "Don't Bang the Drum" -- 0:00
2. "The Whole of the Moon" -- 6:47
3. "Spirit" -- 11:47
4. "The Pan Within" -- 13:37
5. "Medicine Bow" -- 19:51
6. "Old England" -- 22:36
7. "Be My Enemy" -- 28:08
8. "Trumpets" -- 32:26
9. "This Is the Sea" -- 36:03