They also produced the soundtrack for the movie "The Insider" by Michael Mann in 1999 and some film music for "Ali" by the same director in 2001.
Tempest
Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause all I do is watch the numbers slip away
My lips silently repeat the countdown
'Cause it's too hard to say
I always knew that you would leave
Do you know where the hell we are
Frightened by the sweet things we say to each other
Frightened by the things we make them see
I always knew that you would leave
Like hunger that you always have to feed
Like when Don Rickles' spotlight goes blue
The countdown tells me I'm better off alone
And so empty without you
I always knew that you would leave
The lyrics of Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke's song Tempest seem to hint at a relationship that is on the verge of falling apart. The opening lines, "I should trade my heart in for a watch, 'Cause all I do is watch the numbers slip away," suggest the feeling of having one's heart slowly worn down by the passage of time. The singer is aware of this and silently repeats the countdown, unable to speak up and voice what may seem inevitable.
The lines, "Do you know where the hell we are, All the birds are too quiet in the trees," paint an ominous picture, as if the characters are lost in a place where even nature seems to have lost its voice. The sweet things they say to each other and the things they make the birds see may be too much for them to handle, causing a certain unease and fear.
The final lines, "Like hunger that you always have to feed, Like when Don Rickles' spotlight goes blue, The countdown tells me I'm better off alone, And so empty without you" suggest an internal struggle between holding on to a relationship and letting it go. The countdown may represent a sense of urgency, of needing to make a decision before time runs out. In the end, the singer acknowledges the inevitable and the song ends with the reminder that "I always knew that you would leave."
Line by Line Meaning
I should trade my heart in for a watch
I feel like my heart is not serving its intended purpose and I might as well replace it with something more useful like a watch
'Cause all I do is watch the numbers slip away
I am constantly reminded of the passage of time and how every second brings me closer to the end
My lips silently repeat the countdown
I keep a mental countdown of how much time is left before something happens or is over, and it's hard to verbalize it
'Cause it's too hard to say
Expressing these emotions out loud is too difficult for me, so I keep them to myself
I always knew that you would leave
I had a feeling that this relationship would come to an end eventually
Do you know where the hell we are
I am unsure about our current location and also feel lost in our relationship
All the birds are too quiet in the trees
There is an eerie silence around us, where everything seems to have stopped, as if even the birds aren't willing to chirp
Frightened by the sweet things we say to each other
We are scared of the intensity of our emotions, and how much we rely on each other for love and support
Frightened by the things we make them see
Our love seems too intense or too much for others to understand or comprehend, so they shy away from it
Like hunger that you always have to feed
My desire to keep this relationship alive and well is insatiable and always demands more
Like when Don Rickles' spotlight goes blue
The sudden, harsh reality of when a happy moment is cut off and plunged into darkness
The countdown tells me I'm better off alone
No matter how much I countdown the seconds, I know that I'm probably better off without this relationship
And so empty without you
I feel hollow and incomplete without my partner in my life
Contributed by Kaelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@johnrobb751
I should trade my heart in for a watch
'Cause all I do is watch the numbers slip away
My lips silently repeat the countdown
'Cause it's too hard to say
I always knew that you would leave
Do you know where the hell we are
All the birds are too quiet in the trees
Frightened by the sweet things we say to each other
Frightened by the things we make them see
I always knew that you would leave
Like hunger that you always have to feed
Like when Don Rickles' spotlight goes blue
The countdown tells me I'm better off alone
And so empty without you
I always knew that you would leave
@matinrahimov6451
Every single person leaving comments here are real human beings with deep soul and emotions....
@jasminnemcdonald94A
I heard this song from the movie "In America" (2002). It was during a rain storm in New York.
@corinne321smiley
wow, absolutely gorgeous!
@KoKaneZombie
Beautiful
@justin9275
I love this song
@tarahumare
incredible beauty song...amazing!!!
@KittyPurrsMistress
this is fantastic.
@garridoescultor
A Journey without bags...
@matinrahimov6451
1998 - i was 20 years old - doing my university - oh Lisa...you are IQ required...greetings from Baku
@esmeesme5268
Wow, nice! In '98 I was 4.