Clifford T. Ward typified the early 70s bedsitter singer-songwriter with a series of albums that were at best delightful and at worst mawkish. Ward left grammar school before A-levels to work as a clerk, but by 1962 was fronting local beat group Cliff Ward and the Cruisers. The group changed their name to Martin Raynor and the Secrets and made their recording debut for EMI Records in 1965, before recording several more tracks as the Secrets for CBS Records.
In 1967 Ward enrolled at Worcester teacher training college to study English and divinity, after which he taught at Bromsgrove high school. His debut album appeared on disc jockey John Peel's brave-but-doomed Dandelion Records label in 1972. His second album and his first release for Charisma Records, Home Thoughts, proved to be his finest work and gave him wider recognition. Ward constructed each song as a complete story sometimes with great success.
The beautiful "Gaye" became a UK Top 10 hit but surprisingly the stronger "Home Thoughts From Abroad" and the infectious and lyrically excellent "Wherewithal" failed to chart. Mantle Pieces and Escalator contained a similar recipe of more harmless tales like the minor hit "Scullery" with affecting lyrics like; "You're my picture by Picasso, you'd brighten up any gallery'.
Ward's refusal to tour and promote his songs did not help endear the singer to his record company, however, and he switched to the Phonogram Records label for 1975"s No More Rock 'N' Roll. In later years although still recording the occasional album and still reluctant to perform live, Ward received kudos as a songwriter with his material being recorded by artists such as Cliff Richard, Art Garfunkel and Justin Hayward.
He was struck down with multiple sclerosis in 1987 and his health rapidly deteriorated. He managed to record 1991's vinyl-only album Laugh It Off, and friends and colleagues pieced together two more albums of new songs, out-takes and demos to give the ailing Ward some financial assistance. He finally succumbed to pneumonia December 18th 2001.
Ocean Of Love
Clifford T. Ward Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All we gotta do is learn to sail it
There's an ocean of love between us
All we gotta do is learn to bail it.
Come on girl and get your feet wet don't be shy
There's no tidal wave in sight
Come on girl let's push the boat out, you and I
There's an ocean of love between us
All we gotta do is learn to sail it
There's an ocean of love between us
All we gotta do is learn to bail it.
Come on girl and let your heart rule your head
It's harder to be foolish than wise
Let's show 'em all adventure is not dead
'Cause I can see it girl in your eyes.
There's an ocean of love between us
All we gotta do is learn to sail it
There's an ocean of love between us
All we gotta do is learn to bail it.
There's an ocean, ocean
All we've got to do - is sail it
There's an ocean, ocean
All we've got to do is learn to sail it, sail it
Ocean, ocean
All we gotta do is learn how to bail it
Ocean, ocean
All we gotta do is learn to sail it, sail it
Ocean, ocean
All we gotta do is sail it, sail it
(Repeat and fade).
The lyrics to Clifford T. Ward's song "Ocean of Love" speak to the idea that there is an immense amount of love that exists between two people, but they need to learn how to navigate it effectively in order to truly experience it. The repeated phrase "there's an ocean of love between us" serves almost as a mantra, driving home the point that the potential for great love is there if only they are brave enough to seize it.
The verses encourage the listener (presumably the person who the singer is addressing) to take risks and be open to new experiences. The metaphor of sailing a boat is fitting, as it implies a sense of adventure and the need to work together in order to reach one's desired destination. The line "come on girl and let your heart rule your head" suggests that in matters of love, it's important to embrace one's emotions rather than overthink things.
Overall, the message of the song is one of hope, urging listeners to take a chance on love and to believe that the effort will be worth it. It's a sweet, uplifting anthem that captures the excitement of being in love and all the possibilities that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
There's an ocean of love between us
There is a significant amount of love between us.
All we gotta do is learn to sail it
We simply need to navigate and utilize this love.
All we gotta do is learn to bail it
We just need to learn how to control and manage our love.
Come on girl and get your feet wet don't be shy
Take a chance on love, don't hold back.
There's no tidal wave in sight
There are no major obstacles or challenges ahead.
Come on girl let's push the boat out, you and I
Let's take action on this love together.
We could be there by tonight
We could experience the fullness of love very soon.
Come on girl and let your heart rule your head
Follow your emotions rather than overthinking.
It's harder to be foolish than wise
It can be more difficult to take risks than to play it safe.
Let's show 'em all adventure is not dead
Let's prove that exciting love still exists.
'Cause I can see it girl in your eyes
I can see the potential for a great love within you.
Ocean, ocean
Reference to the vastness and depth of love.
All we've got to do - is sail it
We just need to navigate through love.
All we gotta do is learn how to bail it
We just need to learn how to handle love when it gets rough.
All we gotta do is sail it, sail it
We simply need to move forward in love.
Repeat and fade
The song continues to encourage us to pursue love.
Contributed by Gabriella Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@christopherdoyle8479
A beautiful song as all Cliffords songs were, this one constantly reminds me of Procol Harum compositions with Gary Brookers seafaring songs and organ influence.....wonderful..
@siansteed8610
... but this song goes way, way beyond beautiful or melodic or mysterious or clever... Clifford has captured my soul with this one... R.I.P.
@beinway
His songs will only grow with time. Beautiful work..
@wandering_not_lost
For me this brilliant, anthemic masterpiece is Cliff's very best. Thank you for posting it, nice pictures too.
@TheDutch1949
what a truly wonderful song love it
@Good_Condition
The single version of this song was played by Ken Bruce last Monday
Sounded fantastic and Ken was extremely complimentary about Clifford
Loved it!
@Littlealan1959
bought this record when it was released loved it then still love it now R.I.P CLIFFORD your music will live forever
@peterstclair4657
A great song from the musical magician!
@nigelmarshall5891
2 years is a long time ago, but the original album is called Waves - its brilliant, but difficult to find (like New England Days, another masterpiece). CTW is a genius! Hope this helps xx
@louwebley6334
very underrated composer and singer. Absolutely brilliant and died far to young