In a retrospective review of the song, AllMusic journalist Dave Thompson said: "Regardless of the surreal lyrics, their enigmatic meaning dovetails marvelously with the mood of this exquisite piece."
The single was released as a 7-inch single and a 12-inch single. The A-side of the 7-inch single was the title track, "Seven Seas", and the B-side was a live cover version of The Beatles' song "All You Need Is Love". The A-side of the 12-inch single consisted of the title track and "All You Need Is Love". The B-side consisted of "The Killing Moon", "Stars Are Stars" and "Villiers Terrace".
"All You Need Is Love", "The Killing Moon", "Stars Are Stars" and "Villiers Terrace" were recorded live at Liverpool Cathedral for the Channel 4 programme Play at Home.
A numbered limited edition 7-inch EP was also available on two discs, with all the tracks of the 12-inch single release and with the added title on the cover of Life at Brian's – Lean and Hungry.
American indie rock group Velocity Girl released a cover version of "Seven Seas" as a single on Heaven Records in 1995.
Seven Seas
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With your favourite finger
Paint the whole world blue
And stop your tears from stinging
Hear the cavemen singing
Good news they're bringing
Seven seas
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
A longing for
Some fresher feeling
Belonging
Or just forever kneeling
Where is the sense in stealing
Without the grace to be it
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
Burning my bridges
And smashing my mirrors
Turning to see if you're cowardly
Burning the witches with mother religious
You'll strike the matches and shower me
In water games
Washing the rocks below
Taught and tamed
In time with tear flow
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
The lyrics of Echo & the Bunnymen's Seven Seas are rich with symbolism and metaphors, making it open to interpretation. Initially, the opening verse seems to reference heartbreak and the act of moving on. The phrase "Stab a sorry heart" conveys a sense of desperation and resentment towards the end of a relationship, while "Paint the whole world blue" suggests a depressed state of mind. However, the following line "And stop your tears from stinging" offers a ray of hope and motivation to move forward.
The song then turns towards a more philosophical tone built around the idea of the seven seas. This could represent emotional depths, different lives, or continents. Ian McCulloch's use of the phrase "Swimming them so well, Glad to see my face among them," suggests one coming to terms with and embracing the world's vastness and unknown.
In the final verse, McCulloch revisits the idea of burning bridges, this time with more metaphors, "Burning the witches with mother religious," and "Turning to see if you're cowardly." These lines could be seen as a plea to let go of the past and shed one's fears. The repetition of the final verse emphasizes this idea of growth and the beauty in the process of change.
Line by Line Meaning
Stab a sorry heart
Painfully poke a heart that seeks forgiveness
With your favourite finger
Using the finger you like the most
Paint the whole world blue
Make everything depressing
And stop your tears from stinging
Prevent the pain of crying
Hear the cavemen singing
Listen to the primal music
Good news they're bringing
They're bringing positive messages
Seven seas
Seven different parts of the world's oceans
Swimming them so well
Navigating them skillfully
Glad to see
Happy to perceive
My face among them
My own reflection visible in them
Kissing the tortoise shell
Showing affection to nature
A longing for
A strong desire for
Some fresher feeling
A craving for something new
Belonging
The state of being accepted
Or just forever kneeling
Or always being subservient
Where is the sense in stealing
Why would one steal
Without the grace to be it
If one can't appreciate what they have acquired
Burning my bridges
Cutting off all ties
And smashing my mirrors
Breaking everything that reflects my image
Turning to see if you're cowardly
Looking back to check if someone is a coward
Burning the witches with mother religious
Punishing women with religious beliefs
You'll strike the matches and shower me
You'll set fire to everything around me
In water games
Splashing around in games
Washing the rocks below
Cleaning the dirt off the bottom
Taught and tamed
Educated and disciplined
In time with tear flow
In a rhythm with the drops of tears
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, PETER LOUIS VINCENT DE FREITAS, WILLIAM ALFRED SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@youngtheotrevino9048
Stab a sorry heart
With your favorite finger
Paint the whole world blue
And stop your tears from stinging
Hear the cavemen singing
Good news they're bringing
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
A longing for
Some fresher feeling
Belonging
Or just forever kneeling
Where is the sense in stealing
Without the grace to be it
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
Burning my bridges
And smashing my mirrors
Turning to see if you're cowardly
Burning the witches with mother religious
You'll strike the matches and shower me
In water games
Washing the rocks below
Taught and tamed
In time with tear flow
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
@paranoidandroid1798
✨Lyrics✨
Stab a sorry heart
With your favourite finger
Paint the whole world blue
And stop your tears from stinging
Hear the cavemen singing
Good news they're bringing
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
A longing for
Some fresher feeling
Belonging
Or just forever kneeling
Where is the sense in stealing
Without the grace to be it
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
Burning my bridges
And smashing my mirrors
Turning to see if you're cowardly
Burning the witches with mother religious
You'll strike the matches and shower me
In water games
Washing the rocks below
Taught and tamed
In time with tear flow
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise
Seven seas
Swimming them so well
Glad to see
My face among them
Kissing the tortoise shell
@stephenlisson1994
I'm 61 now and this great band are still one of my favourite bands of all time. I can always go back and listen to Echo and never tire of them.
@carloscotter3403
SAME here
@medusa3765
38 here, and always back to Echo. They're one of my favs, particularly Pete de Freitas' era.
@stephenlisson1994
@Matthew Aguirre Thank-you for the comment Matthew. Peace and love to you as well.
@jayhickman1854
And The Cure :-)
@stephenlisson1994
@Jay Hickman Yes Jay, another great band from this great era of music.
@francescoaverna
I'm 68. From Italy. I saw them in concert in Milano in the summer of 1982.
I think Bunnymen are the most underrated band in the entire rock history.
Simply, I loved them..
@cescorosa61
Sottovalutati? Ma se sono una delle più note band post punk! Ce ne sono di sottovalutate, e non sono certo loro.
@antoniobruno5194
Ed io li adoro ancora
@msbadkittie
you are so lucky to see them live back then! i grew up in Los Angeles and they were very popular here. i bought the Ocean Rain album when it came out in ‘84. God it was so amazing. one of the greatest bands of all time. sadly, never saw them live.