The group initally formed to compete in the National Campus Band Competition in 1997. Temperley and Quartermain were already in a band at the time, Freud's Pillow, but had met with little success and asked Temperley's childhood friend MacLeod to form a new band, which became Eskimo Joe. The band ended up winning the competition prize: a slot at the 1997 Livid Festival and a session in a studio to record their first EP, Sweater. The title track became so successful on national broadcaster Triple J, it gained much airplay and featured in the Hottest 100 of 1998. A second EP Eskimo Joe followed up in 1999.
Later in 1999, Eskimo Joe was signed on to Modular and in 2001, their debut album Girl, which went gold. After splitting with Modular, they signed a new contract with Mushroom in 2002, releasing sophomore album A Song is a City in 2004. The album went double-platinum and earned the group Best Artist the following year.
Settling down for six weeks over Christmas in 2005, the noticeably darker album Black Fingernails Red Wine, was recorded and released the following June, debuting at number one on the ARIA charts and later going platinum. The band (jokingly) described the album as their "stadium rock" record and headed out on extensive touring around the country, including a stint at Live Earth in Sydney.
The band eventually went on to tour the globe, with trips around the US and Europe, before recording their fourth album, Inshalla, in Byron Bay. The album was released in May 2009 and topped the charts at number one in the ARIA album charts. It explores a very different sound for Eskimo Joe, with lead singer Temperley saying the band were a stage where they wanted to do something different musically and also in their personal lives.
From the Sea
Eskimo Joe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ohh I could of slept for days,
It's like a radar and it calls to you,
From the sea, from the sea, from the sea
Ohh she's just so under pain,
Ohh I'm so spaced out today
My head's the light way and I come to you,
Hello, hello, ohh hello
The world repeats itself some how
She knows, she knows, ohh she knows,
The world repeats itself some how
All I'm just beginning to know,
She's all I'm just beginning to know
Ohh, there's just no oxygen
Ohh, why can't we just fall in,
In the sea
Hello, hello, ohh hello
The world repeats itself some how
She knows, she knows, ohh she knows,
The world repeats itself some how
Ohh, ohhh, ohhh, ohhhh, ohhh, ohhh
Hello, hello, ohh hello
The world repeats itself some how
She knows, she knows, ohh she knows,
The world repeats itself some how
All I'm just beginning to know,
She's all I'm just beginning to know,
She's all I'm just beginning to know now.
The lyrics to Eskimo Joe's "From the Sea" are somewhat ambiguous and abstract, leaving room for interpretation. The song seems to be about a person who is going through a difficult time and finding solace in the sea. The repeated line "from the sea, from the sea, from the sea" suggests a longing for escape or a desire to lose oneself in the vastness of the ocean. The imagery of a radar calling out from the sea suggests that the person is drawn to the sea almost irresistibly.
The second verse speaks of pain and being spaced out or disconnected from the world, and the idea that the person's head is "the light way" seems to suggest a kind of floating state. The repeated use of the phrase "the world repeats itself somehow" could indicate a sense of monotony or ennui, perhaps suggesting that the sea represents a way out of this repetition.
The chorus repeats again, with the same mysterious meaning, but the final lines of the song suggest that the person is finding comfort, or at least something to hold onto, in the sea. "She's all I'm just beginning to know now" implies that the sea is more than just a physical space - it has taken on a form of its own, a kind of entity that can be known and understood.
Overall, "From the Sea" is a song that conveys a mood of longing and searching, with an emphasis on the ways in which we seek escape, comfort, and meaning in the world around us. It's a song that leaves much to the imagination, but its haunting melody and evocative lyrics make it a memorable and powerful piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Ohh I'm so spaced out today,
Today I feel very disoriented and unfocused.
Ohh I could of slept for days,
I am so tired that I feel like I could have slept for days.
It's like a radar and it calls to you,
There is something calling out to me like a radar.
From the sea, from the sea, from the sea
This calling seems to be coming from the sea.
Ohh she's just so under pain,
She is clearly in distress or under a lot of pain.
Ohh I'm so spaced out today
I am feeling particularly disconnected and unfocused today.
My head's the light way and I come to you,
Despite feeling disconnected, I am drawn to be with her and ease her pain.
From the sea, from the sea, from the sea
This feeling of being compelled to be with her comes from the sea.
Hello, hello, ohh hello
A greeting and attempt to make contact with the one in pain.
The world repeats itself some how
There is a feeling of repetition or familiarity in the world.
She knows, she knows, ohh she knows,
She seems to have a deeper understanding of this repetition than I do.
The world repeats itself some how
There is a sense of cyclicality or repetition in the world.
All I'm just beginning to know,
I am still beginning to understand and navigate this world of repetition.
She's all I'm just beginning to know
She is someone very significant in this process of learning and navigating this world.
Ohh, there's just no oxygen
There is something suffocating or smothering in this environment.
Ohh, why can't we just fall in,
Despite this suffocating feeling, there is a desire to submerge and escape from this environment.
In the sea
This escape or submersion is imagined happening in the sea.
Ohh, ohhh, ohhh, ohhhh, ohhh, ohhh
Repetition of sounds that seem to convey a sense of longing or yearning.
All I'm just beginning to know,
I am still in the process of exploring and learning about the world.
She's all I'm just beginning to know,
She is the most significant aspect of this learning and exploration process.
She's all I'm just beginning to know now.
At this point in time, she is the main focus of my understanding and exploration of the world.
Lyrics ยฉ BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: FINLAY TEMPERLEY BEATON, JOEL PETER QUARTERMAIN, STUART LESLIE MACLEOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joshuamak9930
I remember when Blue Water High was on tv when I was like 5. I didn't understand the show back then but I felt like I still liked it for some reason. It was just cool to see kids surfing and talking to each other ๐
I never really watched the whole season or anything so I thought I'd give it a shot and watch it all as a 22yo guy.
It felt weirdly nostalgic to see how these kids interacted with each other back then. I know its just a show but you could tell there was just a different vibe in the air without the pervasive use of technology.
Throughout season 1 I felt like I really got to know these kids and my inner child was extrememly upset to discover the gang were only together for 1 season. I watched 1 episode of season 2 and regretted it instantly.
This song was my most played song of 2023 and I think its because A) its a very good song but also B) it came at a big turning point in the show, when it looked like Perry would leave because she didn't feel like she belonged. I remember how relieved I felt when Matt got her to come back but honestly this song is a reminder of a little emotional roller coaster ride.
I feel like the essence of the scene and song as far as it speaks to me, is that ultimately The Gang Sticks Together.
Its weirdly calming in that way.
I hope if theres ever a time when I find my tribe in life, that even if someone feels like they don't belong, we'll let em know they mean a lot to us ^_^
@jackson-br1sr
Ooooh
I'm so spaced out today
Ooooh
I could have slept for days
It's like a radar
And it comes
To you
From the sea
From the sea
From the sea
Ooooh
She's just so under pain
Ooooh
I'm so spaced out today
My head's a lead weight
And it comes
To you
From the sea
From the sea
From the sea
Hello hello oh hello
(The world repeats itself some how)
She knows she knows oh she knows
(The world repeats itself some how)
Only just beginning to know
She's only just beginning to know
Ooooh
There's just no oxygen
Ooooh
Why can't we just fall in
In the sea
Hello hello oh hello
(The world repeats itself some how)
She knows she knows oh she knows
(The world repeats itself some how)
Oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh-oh
oh-oh oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh-oh
oh-oh oh-oh-oh
Hello hello oh hello
(The world repeats itself some how)
She knows she knows oh she knows
(The world repeats itself some how)
Only just beginning to know
She's only just beginning to know
She's only just beginning to know now
@hatemalameddine2627
Seriously the most underrated band of all time
@jameshamilton533
Agree. THE best!
@CreateMakeEnterprise
There's something about these Eskimo Joe songs that takes me right back to being young again. They were all over the radio, Video Hits, Rage in Australia I think, and I saw them live at Airlie Beach. They blended into the soundtrack of my young life perhaps.
@nathan_cavalcanti
I've discovered Eskimo Joe on Blue Water High, now I'm a big fan of them
@amylove3639
too.
and from dance academy :D
@fahimtabriz6250
Omg me too! i found out abt the series few days ago and now im here! loving the show and the song! :))
@nabeelnazeen7546
Matt and heath episode the assignment where he plagiarized.
@siebastjan
Bloody hell i miss Blue Water High
@jonnyronnyguy
Man 2004 was the bomb; I was 15, I could eat maccas without gaining weight, I would muck around at the shops with my mates, and I had my playstation 2.
@goodshipkaraboudjan
Lol mate same, and Limewire was around when you wanted to download a song/virus.