101 Strings was an umbrella term for a highly successful easy listening sym… Read Full Bio ↴101 Strings was an umbrella term for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding a hundred albums and a creative lifetime of roughly thirty years. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a puffy cloud logo and sepia-toned photo of the orchestra. According to the photograph, the 101 Strings orchestra was composed of 124 string instruments (all male except for the harpist) and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan. The orchestra's famous official photograph was taken in the Musikhalle Hamburg. In reality, of course, the recordings also featured a full brass, woodwind and percussion section, and not quite as many strings as are shown in the photograph. In later years (right up to the 80's), the recordings were made by a session orchestra in London, with a line-up including a modern "pop" rhythm section. In the late 1990's, the 101 Strings Orchestra was revived with "The New 101 Strings Orchestra" for a series of modern recordings.

Ebb Tide
101 Strings Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

First the tide rushes in, plants a kiss on the shore
Then rolls out to sea and the sea is very still once more
So I rush to your side like the oncoming tide
With one burning thought, will your arms open wide?
At last face to face, and as we kiss through an embrace
I can tell, I can feel you are love, you are real
Really mine in the rain, in the dark, in the sun
Like the tide at its ebb I'm at peace in the web of your arms

Really mine in the rain, in the dark, in the sun
Like the tide at its ebb I'm at peace in the web of your arms

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 101 Strings Orchestra's song "Ebb Tide" refer to the powerful and unpredictable movements of the tide, which serves as an analogy for the singer's intense feelings of love and desire for someone else. In the first verse, the tide rushes in to the shore and then retreats back to the sea, leaving the water calm once more. This is compared to the singer rushing to their loved one's side, with the same intensity as the tide. The singer hopes that their advances will be met with open arms, and when they finally come face to face, they can feel the reality and authenticity of their love.

The second verse continues with the idea of the singer being at peace in the web of their loved one's arms, just like the tide is still in its ebb. The waves of romantic intensity, much like the physical movements of the tide, can be both exhilarating and calming. The overall message of the song is one of passion and devotion, underscored by the unstoppable force of the tide.

Overall, "Ebb Tide" is a romantic and poetic expression of love, using the natural world as a metaphor for the intensity of human emotion. It speaks to the idea that love can be both wild and unpredictable, like the ocean, but also deeply grounding and peaceful, like the calm after the tide has ebbed.

Line by Line Meaning

First the tide rushes in, plants a kiss on the shore
The tide fervently meets the shore and lands a kiss, as if it has just seen a long lost friend.

Then rolls out to the sea and the sea is very still once more
The tide retreats back into the sea, leaving the sea calm like a still pool of water where one can see their own reflection.

So I rush to your side like the oncoming tide
I am like the tide, I run towards you with the same intensity and excitement as the tide approaching the shore.

With one burning thought, will your arms open wide?
I have only one thought in my mind, will you embrace me fully with your arms?

At last face to face, and as we kiss through an embrace
We finally come face to face and passionately kiss each other as we embrace tightly.

I can tell, I can feel you are love, you are real
I can sense and feel that you are the love that I have been dreaming of and that you are truly real.

Really mine in the rain, in the dark, in the sun
You are truly mine whether it's raining, dark or sunny outside.

Like the tide at its ebb I'm at peace in the web of your arms
Just like the tide at low tide is calm, I too am at peace when I am being held in your arms.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Robert Maxwell, Carl Sigman

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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