Jimmy Webb is responsible for writing numerous popular and Top 10 hits sung by a disparate group of artists, including Glen Campbell ("Galveston"); Art Garfunkel ("All I Know"); Donna Summer and many others.
Webb's father was a Baptist minister and a former Marine. His mother died when he was a teenager. His most popular songs were all composed when he was between 19 and 21 years of age.
"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.
He is noted for having written songs that were hits in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and is the only person to receive Grammy Awards in all three categories: music, lyrics and orchestration. Webb has also written the music for the animated film The Last Unicorn.
Webb is also a performer of his own music, although his solo output has never matched the commercial success of recordings of his work by other performers.
He was elected to the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986.
In The Sea
Jimmy Webb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The fish have learned to fly
On a moonlit night
On wings of silver
As the enchanted stars
Sail serenely by.
Do they know?
Where winged horses fly?
Narwhales lost at sea,
And never seen again.
Go.
Go and ask the magpie
"Where do unicorns go?"
In the trees
The birds have learned to speak
Many colored
They keeps their secrets
In a parade of clouds
Playing hide and seek.
Do they know?
Where do unicorns go?
Where winged horses fly?
Narwhales lost at sea
And never seen again.
Does myth
And mystery lie
Where the unicorns go?
The song "In the Sea" by Jimmy Webb is a beautifully written piece that allows listeners to escape reality and get lost in the world of fantasy. The first stanza sets the tone of the song as we are introduced to a scene where fish have learned to fly on a moonlit night, using silver wings as the enchanted stars sail by. The second stanza then questions whether these fish and creatures know where unicorns go and where winged horses fly, and what happened to narwhals when they are lost at sea never to be seen again. The third stanza brings a change of scene where birds have learned to speak and keep their secrets through a parade of clouds, playing hide and seek. The songs' final question asks if myth and mystery lie where unicorns go.
The lyrics of "In the Sea" are based on the theme of the unknown and the imagination. It is a mysterious journey, and it allows the listener to take a break from their daily routine and find themselves dreaming of a magical world where anything can happen. The song lyrics spark questions that cannot be answered in reality, which is the beauty of this song. It conjures a sense of hope and wonder, and the idea that there are still secrets hiding in the universe waiting to be revealed.
Line by Line Meaning
In the sea,
The song starts by talking about the sea.
The fish have learned to fly
Fish have started jumping high enough to be misconstrued as flying.
On a moonlit night
This generally happens on a night where the moon is shining bright.
On wings of silver
The idea of reflections from the moon or stars falling on the water seems almost like wings of silver materializing.
As the enchanted stars
The stars reflect underwater and create a supernatural view.
Sail serenely by.
The reflection of the stars in the water floats gently alongside.
Do they know?
The singer questions on whether or not the fish understand their impossible feat.
Where do unicorns go?
The song's questioning theme continues, focusing on the mythical unicorns and their location after disappearance.
Where winged horses fly?
The song paints a picture of the location of winged horses' flights and journeys.
Narwhals lost at sea,
The song adds on the idea of the narwhals who have been lost in the vast sea before their discovery.
And never seen again.
The singer emphasizes that some have never been found, adding on to the mysterious tone of the song.
Go.
An abrupt command is given here, urging someone to seek answers.
Go and ask the magpie
The magpie, known to be highly intelligent, is the proposed tool for answers in the song.
"Where do unicorns go?"
The repeated focus on unicorns is a play on the scattered unreality reinforced throughout this piece.
In the trees
The setting changes, and trees become the central theme.
The birds have learned to speak
Birds are given the capability to communicate human language.
Many colored
The birds are colorfully vibrant.
They keeps their secrets
Although the birds can speak, they still withhold their privacy and exclusivity.
In a parade of clouds
Cloud formations are used as the setting for the secretive bird world.
Playing hide and seek.
The birds engage in playful and youthful activity, further establishing their secrecy.
Does myth
The song's final question draws back to the mysterious, mythical themes present in the previous lines.
And mystery lie
The enigmatic continues to lurk in the final line.
Where the unicorns go?
A final touch of questioning and ambiguity is left through an inflection towards the mythical creature, unicorns, once again.
Contributed by Owen I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@neff02
So classic. Thanks for posting 🥰😎
@2nd2LastUnicorn
🥰
@ImperatorPenguin
In the sea
The fish have learned to fly
On a moonlit night
On wings of silver
As the enchanted stars
Sail serenely by
Do they know?
Where do unicorns go?
Where winged horses fly?
Narwhales lost at sea
And never seen again
Go
Go and ask the magpie
"Where do unicorns go?"
In the trees
The birds have learned to speak
Many colored
They keeps their secrets
In a parade of clouds
Playing hide and seek
Do they know?
Where do unicorns go?
Where winged horses fly?
Narwhales lost at sea
And never seen again
Does myth
And mystery lie
Where the unicorns go?
@nymphacea
Thank you!