The song "Waveforms" was used in the 2013 video game, Grand Theft Auto V on the "Worldwide FM" radio station.
The band released their eponymous debut album in January 2012, combining 80s pop rhythms with 60s Beach Boys-style vocal harmonies, a style that some, rightly or wrongly, have labelled folktronica.
Surf's Up
Django Django Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hand in hand some drummed along, oh
To a handsome man and baton
A blind class aristocracy
Back through the opera glass you see
The pit and the pendulum drawn
Columinated ruins domino
Are you sleeping?
Hung velvet overtaken me
Dim chandelier awaken me
To a song dissolved in the dawn
The music hall a costly bow
The music all is lost for now
To a muted trumpeter swan
Columinated ruins domino
Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
Are you sleeping, Brother John?
Dove nested towers the hour was
Strike the street quicksilver moon
Carriage across the fog
Two-Step to lamp lights cellar tune
The laughs come hard in Auld Lang Syne
The glass was raised, the fired rose
The fullness of the wine, the dim last toasting
While at port adieu or die
A choke of grief heart hardened I
Beyond belief a broken man too tough to cry
Surf's up
Aboard a tidal wave
Come about hard and join
The young and often spring you gave
I heard the word
Wonderful thing
A children's song
Child, child, child, child, child
A child is the father of the man
Child, child, child, child, child
A child is the father of the man
A children's song
Have you listened as they played
Their song is love
And the children know the way
That's why the child is the father to the man
Child, child, child, child, child
Child, child, child, child, child
Na na na na na na na na
Child, child, child, child, child
That's why the child is the father to the man
Child, child, child, child, child
The lyrics to "Surf's Up" by Django Django describe a scene of societal decadence and decay, with the singer observing the wealthy and powerful engaging in a kind of elite entertainment that is soon to crumble around them. The diamond necklace, the handsome man and baton, and the blind class aristocracy are all symbols of wealth and power, while the opera glass and columinated ruins suggest a kind of nostalgic longing for what once was. The singer seems intrigued and also somewhat repelled by these figures, seeing them from a distance like an outsider looking in.
The second verse introduces a new scene, one that is more personal and intimate. The hung velvet and dim chandelier suggest a sense of luxury and decadence, but there is a melancholy tone to the music hall and the muted trumpeter swan. Again, the singer appears to be looking in from the outside, observing a world that is inaccessible to them. The refrain of "Canvass the town and brush the backdrop, are you sleeping?" suggests a certain amount of frustration or anxiety about the state of things, as though the singer is trying to wake people up to a different way of seeing the world.
The final stanza brings together the themes of the previous two, with references to things like "quick silver moon" and "carriage across the fog" evoking a sense of dreamlike unreality. The image of the child as the father of the man suggests that there is something regenerative and hopeful about youth, even as the world around us is falling apart. The final line, "That's why the child is the father to the man," reinforces this idea and brings the song to a close on a hopeful note.
Line by Line Meaning
A diamond necklace played the pawn
Wealth and status were manipulated to gain power.
Hand in hand some drummed along, oh
People were easily swayed and joined in without questioning.
To a handsome man and baton
Leadership was asserted through charm and authority.
A blind class aristocracy
The wealthy and powerful were blind to the struggles of the lower classes.
Back through the opera glass you see
Looking back, one can see the privileged view of the upper class.
The pit and the pendulum drawn
The gap between the wealthy and poor is a dangerous and volatile situation.
Columinated ruins domino
The crumbling of societal structures is on the horizon.
Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
The rich try to hide their privilege.
Are you sleeping?
The lower classes are either not aware or not willing to confront their own oppression.
Hung velvet overtaken me
Luxury has become suffocating.
Dim chandelier awaken me
The illusion of wealth is shattered in the harsh light of reality.
To a song dissolved in the dawn
The fleeting enjoyment of material possessions cannot last.
The music hall a costly bow
Entertainment is indulgent and expensive.
The music all is lost for now
The temporary pleasures of society have no lasting impact.
To a muted trumpeter swan
The once impressive is now rendered powerless and silenced.
Dove nested towers the hour was
The past was a time of beauty and prosperity.
Strike the street quicksilver moon
The present is a sharp and erratic departure from the past.
Carriage across the fog
Navigating the uncertain present is difficult.
Two-Step to lamp lights cellar tune
The contrast between high and low classes is stark and jarring.
The laughs come hard in Auld Lang Syne
Reflecting on the past brings only painful memories.
The glass was raised, the fired rose
There was a celebration of the past, but it is now gone.
The fullness of the wine, the dim last toasting
The temporary celebration was not enough to erase the harshness of reality.
While at port adieu or die
Leaving the past behind in order to survive.
A choke of grief heart hardened I
The pain of the past has made it difficult to feel anything at all.
Beyond belief a broken man too tough to cry
The heaviness of the situation feels insurmountable, yet strength is still maintained.
Surf's up
The time to face the tumultuous wave of reality has come.
Aboard a tide of wave
Embracing the uncertainty rather than fighting it.
Come about hard and join
Fearlessly and bravely facing the reality of the present together.
The young and often spring you gave
Hope for the future generations who are not yet impacted by the current state of society.
I heard the word
A message of hope is being received.
Wonderful thing
There is still reason for optimism.
A children's song
The hope for the future lies in the innocence of youth.
Child, child, child, child, child
The importance of the next generation.
A child is the father of the man
The future is in the hands of current children.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Random Modnar
This version is actually quite beautiful, I cant decide which one I like the most.
thehypefi
holy god, what a nice ending !!
jo smith
Wonderful song. Beautiful rolling chorus ending. It makes you wonder what if the Smile sessions were released as an album in 1966. The Beach Boys were clearly ahead of their time, unbeknownst to all.
Antoine Plantier
ladder to heaven