Peter Stuart (vocalist/guitarist) started out by playing in the acoustic club circuit. He then became a backup singer on a Counting Crows tour in 1994. He recorded an album with producer Jimbo Barton and a band that included Neil Nunziato on drums, Mike Visceglia on bass, Dawn Buckhola on the cello, and Regina Ballantese on the violin. They became known collectively as Dog's Eye View. They signed with Sony Records and released the album Happy Nowhere in 1995, which peaked at #77 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts. The band recorded a song for the Vic Chesnutt benefit album "Sweet Relief Two". In 1996 they had major success at radio and VH1 with the single "Everything Falls Apart", which hit #8 on the Top 40 Mainstream charts and #66 on the Billboard Hot 100. Following this success, Dog's Eye View toured with Counting Crows, Del Amitri, and The Wallflowers following the release of Happy Nowhere. However, a second single, "Small Wonders", failed to chart.
A second album, Daisy, was released by Sony in 1997. Following this, Peter Stuart released a solo album, Propeller, on Vanguard Records in 2002. After an extended hiatus, Dog's Eye View released a third album (also on Vanguard), Tomorrow Always Comes, in 2005.
Waterline
Dog's Eye View Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he's talking to me
He says "I'm sorry it's so hard to be free"
He says "I knew you when you were so young
And you will never know me
Except for pictures that you might find from
When you were three or four or five"
Down at the waterline
I'm at the waterline tonight
At the waterline
At the waterline tonight
Now I'm talking with my sister
Who says she knows you well
She says she hears you in her hallway at night
And sometimes she can smell you
But me, I have to make you up
From the smallest clues I can find
Me, I have to dig you up
From the corners of my mind
We're at the waterline
At the waterline tonight
We're at the waterline
At the waterline tonight
I built this boat for you, my friend
And you're not here to get in
I'm wondering should I let it go
And see if I can swim
Yeah, I'm standing with this boat I built
With water at my knees
I thought that I might find you here
But it looks like it's just me
Here at the waterline
At the waterline tonight
At the waterline
The waterline tonight
I'm walking with my father's ghost
He's talking to me
He says "I'm sorry"
The song "Waterline" by Dog's Eye View is a reflective and emotional tribute to a lost loved one, possibly a father or close friend. The first stanza introduces us to the singer, who is walking with their father's ghost, seemingly trying to connect with him in some way. The father apologizes for how difficult it is to be free, perhaps indicating that their relationship was strained or that he found it hard to be himself. The father bemoans the fact that the singer can never truly know him, except through old pictures of when the singer was very young. This sets a melancholic tone for the rest of the song.
In the next stanza, the singer talks with their sister, who seems to have a deeper connection to the lost loved one. She claims to smell the loved one at night and can hear them in her hallway. Meanwhile, the singer has to piece together clues to make up their image of the loved one. It's a testament to how grief and loss can manifest differently in each person. The repeated refrain of "At the waterline tonight" suggests that the singer is using the water as a metaphor for the divide between the living and the dead, or perhaps a symbol of their own emotions.
The final stanza, where the singer is standing at the waterline with a boat they built for their friend, is particularly poignant. The boat represents the singer's own attempts to connect with the lost loved one, but they are met only with water at their knees. They had hoped to find the loved one on the other side of the water, but it turns out they are alone. The song ends with the father's ghost repeating his apology, perhaps indicating that the singer has come to some kind of acceptance, or at least some kind of closure.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm walking with my father's ghost
I'm moving forward in life while carrying the memories and experiences of my father who has passed away
And he's talking to me
I feel his presence and influence in my life, and it seems like he's guiding me in some way
He says 'I'm sorry it's so hard to be free'
My father is acknowledging the difficulties he faced in life and expressing regret for the burden he may have passed on to me
He says 'I knew you when you were so young
My father is reflecting on the past when I was a child and he was still alive to see me grow up
And you will never know me
Since my father has passed away, I can't fully understand or know him the way I wish I could
Except for pictures that you might find from
The only way I can see glimpses of my father and the past is through old photographs and memorabilia
When you were three or four or five'
The memories of my father that I can access are from when I was very young, and so they are hazy and fragmented
Down at the waterline
The waterline represents a liminal space, a boundary between different parts of my life and experiences
I'm at the waterline tonight
This is where I am at the moment, emotionally and metaphorically speaking
Now I'm talking with my sister
I'm having conversations about our shared past with a family member who also knew my father
Who says she knows you well
My sister feels like she has a better sense of who my father was, perhaps because she knew him longer or remembers him better
She says she hears you in her hallway at night
My sister feels like my father's presence is still palpable in her life, and she may even experience auditory hallucinations or memories
And sometimes she can smell you
My sister has vivid sensory memories of my father, which reinforce her sense of personal connection to him even after his death
But me, I have to make you up
I don't have these same sensory experiences or memories of my father, so I have to rely on more abstract or imaginative reconstructions of who he was
From the smallest clues I can find
I piece together my memories of my father from whatever glimpses I can gather from my own personal archives, family members, or other sources
Me, I have to dig you up
This process of reconstructing my father's life and personality is difficult and sometimes painful, because it requires me to unearth memories and emotions that may have been buried
From the corners of my mind
The scraps of memories and knowledge about my father that I have are scattered and diffuse, making it even harder to form a cohesive picture of who he was
We're at the waterline
The space between us and our memories of our father is a source of tension and division, represented by the waterline
I built this boat for you, my friend
I had hoped that my father would be around to see my accomplishments and successes, and that we could share in these experiences together
And you're not here to get in
Unfortunately, my father's death means that he won't be able to witness or enjoy these moments with me
I'm wondering should I let it go
I'm uncertain about whether to continue pushing myself and growing, even if my father won't be around to share in these experiences with me
And see if I can swim
Perhaps I need to venture out into uncharted waters and challenge myself, in order to find new ways of continuing my journey
Yeah, I'm standing with this boat I built
I'm proud of my own accomplishments and growth, even if my father won't be able to share in them with me
With water at my knees
The water is a symbol of change and transformation, but it also represents the danger and uncertainty that comes with setting out into the unknown
I thought that I might find you here
I had hoped that my father's memory or influence would be present in the place I am now, but I am coming to terms with the fact that he is gone
But it looks like it's just me
Ultimately, I need to find my own way in life and create my own path, even if it feels like I am doing it alone
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PETER F STUART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind