By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas. Their next, the critically-acclaimed Heaven Up Here, reached the Top Ten in 1981, as did 1983's Porcupine and '84's Ocean Rain. Singles like "The Killing Moon" (later used in the soundtrack to Donnie Darko, a film whose imagery owed much to the artwork of the band's early records.), "Silver," "Bring on the Dancing Horses," and "The Cutter" helped keep the group in the public eye as they took a brief hiatus in the late 1980s. Their 1987 self-titled LP was a small American hit, their only LP to have significant sales there.
McCulloch quit the band in 1988. De Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident one year later. The others decided to continue, recruiting Noel Burke to replace McCulloch on vocals in Reverberation (1990), which did not generate much excitement among fans or critics. Burke, Sargeant and Pattinson split after that, but the surviving three fourths of the original band reformed in 1997 and released Evergreen (1997), What are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999), Flowers (2001) , Siberia (2005), and the latest addition, The Fountain (2009). The group's old audience liked the return to their classic sound, and they also managed to gain a number of new, younger listeners.
Echo and the Bunnymen were managed early on by Bill Drummond, who went on to be a founder member of The KLF.
09-Ocean Rain
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And now my hurricanes
Have brought down
This ocean rain
To bathe me again
My ship's a sail
Can you hear its tender frame
Screaming from beneath the waves
All hands on deck at dawn
Sailing to sadder shores
Your port in my heavy storms
Harbours the blackest thoughts
I'm at sea again
And now your hurricanes
Have brought down
This ocean rain
To bathe me again
My ship's a sail
Can you hear its tender frame
Screaming from beneath the waves
Screaming from beneath the waves...
All hands on deck at dawn
Sailing to sadder shores
Your port in my heavy storms
Harbours the blackest thoughts
All hands on deck at dawn
Sailing to sadder shores
Your port in my heavy storms
Harbours the blackest thoughts
All at sea again
And now my hurricanes
Have brought down
This ocean rain
To bathe me again
My ship's a sail
Hear its tender frame
Screaming from beneath the waves
Screaming from beneath your waves
Screaming from beneath the waves
Screaming from beneath the waves
All hands on deck at dawn
Sailing to sadder shores
Your port in my heavy storms
Harbours the blackest thoughts
The lyrics of this song evoke a sense of being lost at sea in the midst of a storm. The opening line of "All at sea again" sets the scene for the tumultuous journey ahead. The hurricane imagery reinforces this sense of danger and uncertainty, as the storm clouds gather and unleash their fury. The singer seems to be embracing this chaos, with the line "To bathe me again" suggesting a kind of cleansing or rebirth that comes from confronting the forces of nature.
The ship metaphor is also used throughout the song, with the vessel being buffeted by the waves and screaming in protest. This can be interpreted as a reflection of the singer's own inner turmoil, as they struggle to stay afloat in the face of life's challenges. The repeated refrain of "All hands on deck at dawn" reinforces the idea of teamwork and the need for everyone to work together in order to survive.
The final lines of the song, "Screaming from beneath your waves / Screaming from beneath the waves" suggest a kind of struggle between the singer and the ocean itself. It's left unresolved whether the singer will emerge triumphant from this battle, or be swallowed up by the waves.
Line by Line Meaning
All at sea again
Feeling lost and uncertain in life once more
And now my hurricanes have brought down this ocean rain
Personal struggles and crises have caused emotional turmoil
To bathe me again
Overwhelming feelings consume one's mind and heart
My ship's a sail, can you hear its tender frame
The artist is fragile and vulnerable, seeking empathy and understanding
Screaming from beneath the waves
Internal pains and struggles are intense and desperate
All hands on deck at dawn, sailing to sadder shores
Facing challenges head-on with determination, but feeling hopeless about the future
Your port in my heavy storms, harbours the blackest thoughts
Finding solace in someone else's company but struggling with deep, dark emotions
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE PATTINSON, PETE FREITAS, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jonwirkis2410
Ian McCulloch .... Ian McCulloch .... Ian McCulloch....YOU make my day complete again. This clip of the MASTERY and brilliance of all the members of the Bunnymen....is so very moving. I was glued to this presentation like a fly stuck to duct tape. Why? Because it is obvious to me that brilliant, entertaining people follow the lead of BRILLIANT, entertaining people....LIKE....Mr. Ian McCulloch. This is one fantastic production. I wish I could have been present at this show (even if this is not my Bunnymen album of choice). Yea...I would buy any recording or attend any Bunnymen shows....even if they happen to 'cover' ...Row, row, row your boat!
@yvesaltana5732
Superb !
@markc-ru4qz
I love them to bits but love the Banshees more of course. Once Steven Severin said the Bunnymen did whatever the Banshees did first and now I believe it. This seems a little Dreamshow-y to me. Silly rabbits! 🐰🐇
@janebraun4482
Wish I'd been there!!
@bleeknoir
I was at the Liverpool show. Life changing stuff.
@tedcantu1
The songs are all chopped up and the video is all blurry. The cameraman near passing out or what? Geez.
@oonanyc
to bad this was ruined by the camera stuck on the same setting, what fool thought that would make this video "cool"?
@rhmcvay
WOW!