Cheryl Ann Fernandez-Versini (née Tweedy, known professionally as Cole; bor… Read Full Bio ↴Cheryl Ann Fernandez-Versini (née Tweedy, known professionally as Cole; born June 30, 1983 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England) is an English singer, songwriter, dancer, and model. She is one of the five members of girl group Girls Aloud.

Rising to fame in late 2002, Cole was selected to become a member of girl group Girls Aloud on ITV's reality television programme Popstars The Rivals. Cole's first solo performance was on American rapper will.i.am's Heartbreaker in 2008. She was picked to appear as a dancer in the video after taking streetdancing classes during the filming of the ITV2 series The Passions of Girls Aloud, in which the members of the band achieve something they had always wanted to do, other than sing. She was later asked, by will.i.am, to sing additional vocals on the track.

In April 2009, Cole started working on solo material. Her debut album, 3 Words, was released in the UK on 26 October 2009. Cole was reunited with will.i.am for the album, in addition to collaborating with Fraser T. Smith, Syience, Danish production team Soulshock & Karlin, singer-songwriter Taio Cruz, Wayne Wilkins, and Steve Kipner. Recorded in Los Angeles and London, Cole mainly collaborated with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, the executive producer of 3 Words. It crosses from contemporary R&B, dance pop, house and a more general pop sound.

3 Words spent two weeks at number one. On 6 November 2009, BPI certified the album Platinum, denoting shipments of over 300,000 units. It later tripled this feat. The first single from the album, Fight for This Love, was written by Andre Merritt, Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins, and produced by Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins. According to Cole, it was released as the lead single because she "connected with the song so well". Following a performance on The X Factor live results show, Fight for This Love became the fourth best-selling single of 2009 in the UK. It charted at number one on both the Irish and UK Singles Chart. In 2010, Fight For This Love went to number one in Denmark, Norway and Hungary. The single was later certified platinum in the UK. Cole's second single 3 Words, which features will.i.am, went to number 4 in the UK and seven in Ireland. In 2010, the single was released in Australia and charted at number 5 and was certified platinum. The third single, Parachute, charted in the top five in both the UK and Ireland. The single was certified silver in the UK. From May to July 2010, Cole was the opening act for The Black Eyed Peas at the British shows (as well as some European dates) of The E.N.D. World Tour. Chris Johnson of the Daily Mail wrote, "she was supposed to be the support act. But as it turned out, Cheryl Cole ended up being the main event".

In March 2010, Cole stated that she had begun working on a follow up album to 3 Words, which she hoped to release "later on in the year". Cole's second solo album, titled Messy Little Raindrops, was released on 1 November 2010. The album's first single, Promise This, was released on 24 October 2010 and became her second number-one hit in the UK. The album was largely produced by Wayne Wilkins, but Cole also reunited with will.i.am, with collaboration from J. R. Rotem, Starsmith, Al Shux, and Free School for the first time. The album also features guest vocals from August Rigo, Dizzee Rascal, Travie McCoy, and will.i.am. The album's lead single, Promise This, went straight to number 1 in the UK, selling 157,000 in its first week. A week later, Messy Little Raindrops was released, charting at number 1 in the UK, 2 in Ireland and 7 in Europe.

The Flood
Cheryl Cole Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Turn the lights out in the lighthouse,
I saw you coming,
Felt the shipwreck saw the wreckage,
I heard you yelling,
Just and that's when I saw your reflection in the sand,
Wondering where you will wash up, oh
I ran to the water,

Mmhhmm,
I can put my hands down yeah,
But I wont bring nothing up,
Sitting on the shore all day,
Waiting on the tide to come,

But you can't hold on to water,
It fills you up but never stays,
It's only good to wash away, today,
And you're loving me like water,
You're slipping through my fingers such,
A natural disaster love,

Bringing on the Flood of love,
Love me like a fire of love,
Bring it on.

Stay the night out,
By the beach house,
It's oh so quiet,
Lit a candle by the window,
So you might find it,
Hope you know you'll always have a place to call your home,
Still I can't help but think I could have saved you from drowning,

Ohhh,
I can put my hands down in it yeah,
But I wont bring nothing up,
Ohhh,
Sitting on the shore, yeah,
Just waiting on the tide to come,

But you can't hold on to water,
It fills you up but never stays,
It's only good to wash away, today,
And you're loving me like water,
It's slipping through my fingers such,
A natural disaster love,

Bringing on the flood of love,
Love me like a fire of love,
Bring it on.

Knew the waves where I see,
When I felt them all retreating,
When to take a dive in the deep end,
Woah what was I thinking,

Cos you cant hold on to water,
It fills you up and never stays,
It's only good to wash away, today,
And you're loving me like water,
You're slipping through my fingers such,
A natural disaster love,

Bringing on the flood of love,
Love me like a fire of love,
Bring it on.

Oooohhh Ooooohhh...

Rising and the falling of my tears,

Rising and the falling of my tears that fill the ocean,
The ocean, the ocean, my tears...

Overall Meaning

The Flood by Cheryl Cole is a song about love that is compared to water. The use of metaphors in the lyrics is the key to interpreting its meaning. At the beginning of the song, the metaphor of the lighthouse, a symbol of safety and guidance in the stormy sea, is used to describe the singer's perception of her lover. The shipwreck and the wreckage represent the hardships that they faced in the past. She then compares her lover's love to water, which fills her up but never stays. She is waiting for the tide to come, hoping that their love will be renewed. The chorus emphasizes the importance of the flood of love, which should be as strong and powerful as a fire.

The second verse of the song suggests that the relationship was once strong and stable. The beach house represents their home and the candle by the window symbolizes hope for their future together. The metaphor of a drowning person echoes the idea of the shipwreck and the wreckage previously described in the song. The bridge refers to the realization that the relationship is not working out, as the waves retreat, and the tears of the singer fill the ocean.

Overall, The Flood by Cheryl Cole is a poignant and emotional song about the ups and downs of love. It draws on the powerful metaphor of water and the ocean to suggest that love, like water, can be both beautiful and destructive.

Line by Line Meaning

Turn the lights out in the lighthouse,
Preparing for a disaster and acknowledging its inevitability

I saw you coming,
Recognizing the warning signs of a doomed relationship

Felt the shipwreck saw the wreckage,
Feeling the emotional wreckage of a broken relationship

I heard you yelling,
The emotional turmoil of a relationship ending

Just and that's when I saw your reflection in the sand,
Reflecting on the past and the impossibility of changing it

Wondering where you will wash up, oh
Consideration of where a person will end up after a failed relationship

I ran to the water,
Seeking refuge from the emotional turmoil

Mmhhmm,
Humming sound, expressing both sadness and reflection

I can put my hands down yeah,
Acknowledging that moving on from the past is possible

But I wont bring nothing up,
Choosing to leave the past in the past and move forward

Sitting on the shore all day,
Reflecting on the past and wondering about the future

Waiting on the tide to come,
Hopeful for a better future

But you can't hold on to water,
Acknowledging that holding onto something that isn't meant for you is futile

It fills you up but never stays,
Love can be overwhelming and fulfilling, but not forever

It's only good to wash away, today,
Love is transient but can bring healing

And you're loving me like water,
Being loved for a short while and then disappearing forever

You're slipping through my fingers such,
The realization that love is slipping through the fingers without the possibility of holding onto it

A natural disaster love,
A love that is quick, overwhelming, and damaging

Bringing on the Flood of love,
Desiring an intense and powerful love

Love me like a fire of love,
Asking for a passionate and fiery love

Bring it on.
Wanting the full intensity of love

Stay the night out,
Holding on to memories and refusing to let go

By the beach house,
A symbol of happier times

It's oh so quiet,
The loneliness and emptiness of the present

Lit a candle by the window,
Hopeful for the return of love

So you might find it,
Leaving a light on for someone who might never return

Hope you know you'll always have a place to call your home,
Offering a place of refuge and comfort for someone that might not come back

Still I can't help but think I could have saved you from drowning,
Regretting not being able to rescue a failed relationship

Knew the waves where I see,
Recognizing the patterns of a doomed relationship

When I felt them all retreating,
The realization that a relationship is ending

When to take a dive in the deep end,
Taking a chance on love despite knowing the risks

Woah what was I thinking,
Regret and realization that taking the chance on love might have been a mistake

Rising and the falling of my tears,
The emotional toll of a failed relationship

Rising and the falling of my tears that fill the ocean,
The overwhelming and consuming nature of the emotional pain

The ocean, the ocean, my tears...
The metaphorical representation of the emotional pain and the vastness of the world in which it exists

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PRISCILLA RENEA, WAYNE ANDREW WILKINS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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