Ebb Tide
Frank Sinatra Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

First the tide rushes in
Plants a kiss on the shore
Then rolls out to sea
And the sea is very still once more

So I rush to your side
Like the oncoming tide
With one burning thought
Will your arms open wide?

At last we're face to face
And as we kiss through an embrace
I can tell, I can feel
You are love, you are real
Really mine

In the rain, in the dark, in the sun
Like the tide at its ebb




I'm at peace in the web
Of your arms

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Frank Sinatra's song "Ebb Tide" are full of poetic imagery and storytelling that reflect the ebb and flow of emotions in love. The song starts off describing the ebb tide, where the tide rushes in towards the shore and then retreats back into the sea, leaving the sea calm and still once more. This imagery describes the way emotions can rush in and out of love, leaving one feeling vulnerable and uncertain. The singer in the song rushes to their lover's side as the tide rushes onto the shore, and hopes that their arms will open wide in welcome.


The second verse describes a moment where the singer is face to face with their lover, and as they embrace and kiss, they can feel that their love is real and that they truly belong to each other. The final verse uses further imagery, describing how the singer finds peace and security in their lover's arms, just as the tide retreats and finds peace in the web of the water's currents. Overall, the song is a beautiful depiction of how love can be both tumultuous and peaceful, and how finding someone to love is like finding a safe harbour in the ever-changing tides of life.


Line by Line Meaning

First the tide rushes in
The incoming tide reaches the shore for the first time in a rush


Plants a kiss on the shore
The tide touches the shore like a person planting a kiss on someone's cheek


Then rolls out to sea
The tide retreats back to the sea


And the sea is very still once more
After the tide retreats, the sea becomes calm again


So I rush to your side
Just like the tide rushes to the shore, I hurry towards your side


Like the oncoming tide
Just like the incoming tide, I come to you with passion and persistence


With one burning thought
I have only one intense thought on my mind


Will your arms open wide?
I wonder if you will welcome me with your open arms


At last we're face to face
Finally, we meet each other and look into each other's eyes


And as we kiss through an embrace
As we hug and kiss, we express our feelings and emotions through physical touch


I can tell, I can feel
I am certain and confident about what I feel


You are love, you are real
I understand that you represent true love and reality


Really mine
I feel possessive and secure by knowing that you are mine


In the rain, in the dark, in the sun
Throughout all situations, good or bad, any weather, I want you with me


Like the tide at its ebb
Similar to how the tide flows calmly towards the sea, I feel peaceful in your embrace


I'm at peace in the web
I am comfortable and relaxed in the surrounding of


Of your arms
your embrace




Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Robert Maxwell, Carl Sigman

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Mike


on The Lady Is A Champ

eight

She gets too hungry for dinner at eight
She can't eat late and stay up all night, because unlike society types, she has to get up in the morning.

She likes the theatre and never comes late
She cares more about seeing the play than being seen making an entrance.

She never bothers with people she'd hate
Her friends are friends, not social trophies.

Doesn't like crap games with barons or earls
While barrns and earls probably don't play craps, she associates with friends, not people to be seen with.

Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
She doesn't "slum", the practice of the rich in the 30's, when the song was written, of touring poor neighborhoods dressed in rich clothes to "tut, tut" about the deplorable conditions, and congratulate each other for "caring about the poor"

Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
Doesn't trade gossip for acceptance among an in-crowd


She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair
She cares more about how her hair feels than conforming with current hair fashions

Hates California, it's cold and it's damp
Since most of California is noticeably warmer and / or drier than New York, where the play the song was written for is set, this is probably a facetious excuse to like what she likes.


And she won't go to Harlem in Lincoln's or Ford's
Another reference to slumming, but facetious, since Lincolns and Fords were middle-class, not luxury brands when the lyric was written

Anonymous


on Try a Little Tenderness

Here are the correct lyrics

Try A Little Tenderness - Frank Sinatra - Lyrics

Oh she may be weary
Women do get wearied
Wearing that same old shabby dress
And when she’s weary
You try a little tenderness

You know she’s waiting
Just anticipating things she’ll may never possess
While she is without them
Try just a little bit of tenderness

It’s not just sentimental
She has her grieve and her care
And the words that soft and gentle
Makes it easier to bear
You wont regret it
Women don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
And it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness

Musical Interlude

And, it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness

Daniel


on The Way You Look Tonight

I met Frank Jr. in Las Vegas, a real gentleman. RIP you both.

Giorgi Khutashvili


on Theme from New York, New York

)))

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