Swimming
Florence + the Machine Lyrics


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Your songs remind me of swimming
Which I forgot when I started to sink
Drank further away from the shore
And deeper into the drink

Sat on the bottom of the ocean,
A stern and stubborn rock
'Cause your songs remind me of swimming,
But somehow I forgot

I was sinking, but now I'm sunk
And I was drinking, and now I'm drunk
Your songs remind me of swimming
But somehow I forgot

I tried to remember the chorus
I can't remember the verse
Cause that song that sent me swimming
Is now the life jacket that burst

Rotting like a wreck on the ocean floor
Sinking like a siren that can't swim anymore
Your songs remind me of swimming
But I can't swim any more

Pull me out the water, cold and blue
I open my eyes and I see that it's you
So I dive straight back in the ocean
So I dive straight back in the ocean

Take a deep breath, suck the water in my chest
Take a deep breath, suck the water in my chest
And cross my fingers, and hope for the best
Then all of a sudden, I heard a note

It started in my chest and ended in my throat
Then I realized, then I realized, then I realized
I was swimming, yes, I was swimming
And now I'm swimming, yes, I am swimming

Your songs remind me of swimming
Which I forgot when I started to sink
Your songs remind me of swimming
Which I forgot when I started to sink

Oh, your songs remind me of swimming
Which I forgot when I started




Your songs remind me of swimming
Which I forgot when I started to sink

Overall Meaning

Florence + the Machine's song Swimming uses a metaphor of swimming to describe the feeling of sinking into a depressive state. The song starts off by stating that the singer's songs remind her of swimming but she forgot how to swim when she started to sink. She drifted away from the shore and further into her depression. She compares herself to a "stern and stubborn rock" sat on the bottom of the ocean. She used to love swimming, but somehow she forgot how to do it. She was sinking, and now she's sunk. She tried to remember the chorus, but she couldn't. The song that once made her feel happy and alive has now turned into something that is hurting her.


The singer feels like she is drowning, like she is sinking like a siren that can't swim anymore. She wishes someone could pull her out of the water and save her. However, she realizes that the person who can save her is herself. She takes a deep breath, sucks the water in her chest, and crosses her fingers, hoping for the best. Suddenly, she hears a note that starts in her chest and ends in her throat. That note makes her realize that she is swimming again. The songs that once reminded her of swimming are now the life jacket that helps her stay afloat. She doesn't need anyone else to save her because she can save herself.


The song's message is that even though life gets tough, we must learn to swim again even when we feel like we're sinking. We must draw from our experiences and use them as inspiration to keep moving forward. The song encourages listeners to find the strength within themselves to overcome adversity.


Fact 1: The song was written by Florence Welch, her father Evelyn Welch, and producer James Ford.
Fact 2: The song was released on Florence + the Machine's third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful in 2015.
Fact 3: Florence + the Machine often include water (ocean or river) imagery in their lyrics and music videos.
Fact 4: The song has been interpreted as a metaphor for addiction and the difficulty of getting sober.
Fact 5: Swimming was used in the final scene of the season 2 finale of "How to Get Away with Murder."
Fact 6: Florence Welch said in an interview that the song was personal to her and her dad because they used to go swimming together.
Fact 7: The song was performed during Florence + the Machine's set at the 2015 Coachella Music Festival.
Fact 8: The track was ranked 85th on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best songs of 2015.
Fact 9: The song has been covered by various artists, including Grace VanderWaal and Maggie Rogers.
Fact 10: The music video for the song features Florence Welch in a blue jumpsuit and goggles, swimming in a pool and surrounded by synchronized swimmers.


Chords: The chords for Swimming are as follows:
Intro/Verse: G, Em, C, G
Chorus: Am, C, G, Dsus4.


Line by Line Meaning

Your songs remind me of swimming
The music of the artist reminds the singer of the feeling of swimming.


Which I forgot when I started to sink
But when the singer began to struggle and descend, they lost that connection.


Drank further away from the shore
As the singer drifted from safety, they continued to indulge in self-destructive behaviors.


And deeper into the drink
Those actions led the artist even further into peril and danger.


Sat on the bottom of the ocean,
The artist is now at their lowest possible point - stranded and alone.


A stern and stubborn rock
But they resolve to hold on and stay strong regardless.


'Cause your songs remind me of swimming,
Once again, the singer is reminded of the joy and lightness of swimming thanks to the artist's music.


But somehow I forgot
But the memory is fleeting and they struggle to hold onto it.


I was sinking, but now I'm sunk
The artist was gradually falling, but at some point they crossed a point of no return.


And I was drinking, and now I'm drunk
Their self-destructive tendencies have brought them so low, they can no longer function properly.


I tried to remember the chorus
The singer searches frantically for something to hold onto or remember.


I can't remember the verse
But even those fragments of hope elude them.


Cause that song that sent me swimming
The very song that had provided so much joy before has now become tainted by the singer's struggles.


Is now the life jacket that burst
Even the familiar or comforting has been lost to the singer.


Rotting like a wreck on the ocean floor
The singer has hit rock bottom and is quickly wasting away.


Sinking like a siren that can't swim anymore
Their own voice and appeal, usually so alluring and powerful, now fails them completely.


But I can't swim any more
Despite everything, the artist holds onto hopelessness and despair.


Pull me out the water, cold and blue
But when someone comes to save them, they are briefly able to find relief.


I open my eyes and I see that it's you
The person they turn to for support is revealed.


So I dive straight back in the ocean
But instead of grasping onto that lifeline, the artist deliberately plunges back into their own misery.


Take a deep breath, suck the water in my chest
The artist is willing to endure the pain and risk to feel alive again - to feel anything at all.


And cross my fingers, and hope for the best
But they still cling to the tiniest sliver of hope that things might get better.


Then all of a sudden, I heard a note
And then, suddenly, something changes - something shifts within the singer.


It started in my chest and ended in my throat
They feel something new and profound in their body - something that rises within them and reaches a crescendo.


Then I realized, then I realized, then I realized
And then they understand - they realize that they are swimming again, that they are feeling joy and hope again.


I was swimming, yes, I was swimming
Their connection to the water and to life has been restored.


And now I'm swimming, yes, I am swimming
The singer is alive again and no longer sinking into despair.


Oh, your songs remind me of swimming
And finally, the artist acknowledges the power of music - especially this artist's music - to help them find strength and meaning in their life, once again.


Which I forgot when I started
But they also know how easily that feeling of losing oneself in the water - or music - can be lost or forgotten, especially in times of stress or despair.


Your songs remind me of swimming
Yet they also know that even in the depths of their struggles, the right music - the right artist - can bring them back to life, just as surely as swimming does.


Which I forgot when I started to sink
And they know that they must continue to cling to that hope and that joy - no matter how hard things may get.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVEN JAMES, STEVEN ALEXANDER JAMES, STEPHEN MACKEY, SIMON STAFFORD, FLORENCE WELCH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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