Christopher Anton Rea (born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues sing… Read Full Bio ↴Christopher Anton Rea (born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. A "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart" known for his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five solo albums, two of which topped the UK Albums Chart. Described as "rock's ultimate survivor", given his recovery from several bouts of serious illness, Rea was "a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10" with his single "The Road to Hell (Part 2)". The album, The Road to Hell (1989), topped the album chart, as did its successor, Auberge (1991). His many hit songs include "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat", "Stainsby Girls", "Josephine", "On the Beach", "Let's Dance", "Driving Home for Christmas", "Working on It", "Tell Me There's a Heaven", "Auberge" and "Julia". He also recorded a duet with Elton John, "If You Were Me". Rea was nominated three times for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

He has never toured the United States, where he is best known for the 1978 single "Fool (If You Think It's Over)", which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, earning him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1978. A decade later, "Working On It" topped the Mainstream Rock chart. He has sold more than 40 million records worldwide.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Rea

Studio albums
Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? (Magnet, 1978)
Deltics (Magnet, 1979)
Tennis (Magnet, 1980)
Chris Rea (Magnet, 1981)
Water Sign (Magnet, 1983)
Wired to the Moon (Magnet, 1984)
Shamrock Diaries (Magnet, 1985)
On the Beach (Magnet, 1986)
Dancing with Strangers (Magnet, 1987)
The Road to Hell (WEA, 1989)
Auberge (EastWest, 1991)
God's Great Banana Skin (EastWest, 1992)
Espresso Logic (EastWest, 1993)
La Passione (soundtrack, EastWest, 1996)
The Blue Cafe (EastWest, 1998)
The Road to Hell: Part 2 (EastWest, 1999)
King of the Beach (EastWest, 2000)
Dancing Down the Stony Road/Stony Road (Jazzee Blue, 2002
Blue Street (Five Guitars) (Jazzee Blue, 2003)
Hofner Blue Notes (Jazzee Blue, 2003)
The Blue Jukebox (Jazzee Blue, 2004)
Blue Guitars (Jazzee Blue, 2005)
The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes (Jazzee Blue, 2008)
Santo Spirito Blues (Jazzee Blue, 2011)
Road Songs for Lovers (Jazzee Blue, 2017)
One Fine Day (Rhino, limited release, 2019)

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Chris Rea Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Between the devil and the deep blue sea
Everywhere I turn it's got a hold on me
Between the devil and the deep blue sea
Everywhere I run it won't let me be
Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea
Between the devil and the deep blue sea
Can somebody somebody somebody help me please
Between the thunder and the driving rain

Could I ever be, be the same again
Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea

Holding on
Waiting for some good luck to come
Come my way, set me free

It's that old boy himself and he always knew
Sooner or later
If you don't say what's true you'll end in chains

And you'll always be
Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Chris Rea's "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" speak to being trapped in an impossible situation with seemingly no way out. The phrase "between the devil and the deep blue sea" is an idiom that refers to being faced with two undesirable options, and that is exactly what the singer of the song is experiencing. Everywhere he turns, he feels trapped and unable to escape. He is caught between a metaphorical devil, representing a difficult decision or situation, and the deep blue sea, representing the consequences of that decision or situation. The singer pleads for help as he tries to navigate the stormy waters of his dilemma.

Musically, the song is characterized by a driving rhythm and bluesy guitar work, creating a sense of urgency that matches the song's lyrical content. The repeated chorus emphasizes the singer's feelings of being caught, unable to break free from his predicament. However, the bridge of the song offers a glimmer of hope, as the singer sings about waiting for good luck to come and set him free.

Line by Line Meaning

Between the devil and the deep blue sea
Feeling trapped with no favorable options

Everywhere I turn it's got a hold on me
Feeling overwhelmed and unable to escape the difficult situation

Everywhere I run it won't let me be
Feeling like there's no escape from the situation

Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea
Stuck in a difficult situation with no easy way out

Can somebody somebody somebody help me please
Pleading for assistance to overcome the situation

Between the thunder and the driving rain
Facing intense and overwhelming obstacles

Could I ever be, be the same again
Wondering if it's possible to recover from the situation

Holding on
Persisting through the difficult situation

Waiting for some good luck to come
Hoping for a fortunate turn of events

Come my way, set me free
Desiring to be released from the struggle

It's that old boy himself and he always knew
Referring to one's own conscience and its awareness of the truth

Sooner or later
Implying that the truth will eventually be revealed

If you don't say what's true you'll end in chains
Warning against the consequences of not being truthful

And you'll always be
Suggesting that the consequences will never go away

Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea
Reiterating the idea of being stuck in a difficult situation with no easy way out

Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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