Moby found commercial and critical success with his fifth album Play (1999), which, after receiving little recognition, became an unexpected global hit in 2000 after each track was licensed to films, television shows, and commercials. It remains his highest selling album with 12 million copies sold. Its seventh single, "South Side", featuring Gwen Stefani, remains his only one to appear on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 14. Moby followed Play with albums of varied styles including electronic, dance, rock, and downtempo music, starting with 18 (2002), Hotel (2005), and Last Night (2008). His later albums saw him explore ambient music, including the almost four-hour release Long Ambients 1: Calm. Sleep. (2016). Moby continues to record and release albums; his twenty-first studio album, Resound NYC, was released in May 2023.
In addition to his music career, Moby is known for his veganism and support for animal rights and humanitarian aid. He was the owner of TeaNY, a vegan cafe in Manhattan, and Little Pine, a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles, and organized the vegan music and food festival Circle V. He is the author of four books, including a collection of his photography and two memoirs: Porcelain: A Memoir (2016) and Then It Fell Apart (2019).
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby
Discography
Moby (1992)
Ambient (1993)
Everything Is Wrong (1995)
Animal Rights (1996)
Play (1999)
18 (2002)
Hotel (2005)
Last Night (2008)
Wait for Me (2009)
Destroyed (2011)
Innocents (2013)
Long Ambients 1: Calm. Sleep. (2016)
These Systems Are Failing (2016)
More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse (2017)
Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt (2018)
Long Ambients 2 (2019)
All Visible Objects (2020)
Live Ambient Improvised Recordings Vol. 1 (2020)
Reprise (2021)
Ambient 23 (2023)
Resound NYC (2023)
When It
Moby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Locked away in this freezing cold
Someone flying, only stolen,
I can't tell, this night's so old,
I don't want to swim the ocean,
I don't want to fight the tide,
I don't want to swim forever,
What was that, my sweet sweet nothing
I can't hear you through the fog
If I holler let me go
If I falter let me know
I don't want to swim the ocean,
I don't want to fight the tide,
I don't want to swim forever,
When it's cold I'd like to die.
I don't want to swim forever,
I don't want to fight the tide,
I don't want to swim the ocean,
When it's cold I'd like to die.
The opening line of this song, "Where were you when I was lonesome," sets the tone for the overwhelming sense of isolation and despair that permeates the track. The singer is alone, locked away in the freezing cold, and yearning for human connection. The line, "Someone flying, only stolen, I can't tell, this night's so old," is particularly cryptic and suggests that the singer is watching someone else living a free, joyful life while they are trapped.
The refrain, "I don't want to swim the ocean, I don't want to fight the tide, I don't want to swim forever, when it's cold I'd like to die," speaks to the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion that comes from constantly working to overcome obstacles. The singer is tired of fighting against daunting odds and could almost welcome death if it meant an end to their anguish.
The final verse is particularly poignant, as the singer seems to be in the midst of a mental breakdown. They question whether the words they are hearing are even real, and plead for help if they falter. The repetition of the refrain underscores the fact that the singer is trapped in a cycle of despair that they can't seem to escape from.
Overall, "When It's Cold" is a song that grapples with the reality of loneliness and isolation, striking a chord with anyone who has ever felt trapped or cut off from the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Where were you when I was lonesome
I was alone in the past and I wonder where you were during that time
Locked away in this freezing cold
I feel trapped in a cold and lonely place
Someone flying, only stolen,
I see someone flying away but I'm not sure if it's against their will or by choice
I can't tell, this night's so old,
It's hard to figure out what's happening because it feels like this night has been dragging on forever
What was that, my sweet sweet nothing
I heard something but it was meaningless to me, like a whisper in the wind
I can't hear you through the fog
I'm having trouble hearing your words because everything feels unclear and muddled
If I holler let me go
If I cry out in pain or struggle, please let me leave this situation
If I falter let me know
If I begin to lose my way or make the wrong choice, please give me a sign to help me course-correct
I don't want to swim the ocean,
I don't want to face something as vast and unpredictable as the sea
I don't want to fight the tide,
I don't want to struggle against forces that are beyond my control
I don't want to swim forever,
I don't want to remain in this endless state of struggle or uncertainty
When it's cold I'd like to die.
In my darkest moments, I wish for an end to my struggles and pain
I don't want to swim forever,
I don't want to keep going without any clear end in sight
I don't want to fight the tide,
I don't want to keep trying to change something that is beyond my control
I don't want to swim the ocean,
I don't want to face a vast and terrifying unknown
When it's cold I'd like to die.
In my most desperate moments, I wish for release from my pain and struggles
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RICHARD MELVILLE HALL, MIMI GOESE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GeneGear
I have been a huge Moby fan since like 2006, and hit the start of a 13 year battle with depression in the summer of 2009. I had this song on repeat during many a dark, dark night.
I broke when Stranger Things began playing this song. It had been over three years since I had last heard the song due to my music tastes changing with the times. I shed tears, a rare event from blunted affect due to just how long I have had depression. As Eddie begged for life, it was a non-stop reminder of the times I came losing against my depression...as well as the memories of the last time I saw my grandfather, lying in a hospital bed in a coma after a heart surgery had failed and he didn't wake up. I managed to say goodbye, at least, but the world seemed to get a lot darker once his funeral was over.
Now my abusive, piece-of-shit father is having his home state levy federal criminal charges against him, not merely for crimes he specifically didn't commit, but because he finally gathered the strength to do the right thing for once in his life and got a bunch of kids out of a really horrible situation. Then I broke my car and almost totaled it because of an ADHD moment, and now my friend who has had kidney failure for a long time now is battling to get on the transplant list because their disease has finally advanced to that.
We all knew it was coming to a head soon, but this has been a rough four weeks, and there just doesn't seem time for dealing with anything anymore. This song is calming in a way, knowing someone else already went through something similar enough to make a song about how goddamn painful it can be trying to keep your head above water. That at some point, in a very brief moment in time, I could say with certainty I wasn't the only one, nor was I the first.
That I wasn't alone, no matter how badly my depression tried to hammer that idea into me.
@nillsthefunexpert2571
''I can't feel or see anything.''
''I don't want to die ... i'm not ready to die''
Those lines broke me
@MsLanibug
It was so hard to watch and Max's death was completely overshadowed by Eddie's. Sure, Max's heart was restarted but she's not out of danger yet by any means. It makes it so much harder to watch because they're just kids. A fourteen year old should never have to beg for her life like that, and another fourteen year old should never have to comfort someone like that. Watching Eddie's death and then Max's right after was heartbreaking. I've never cried so much for a show in my life.
@bamboozla9977
@@MsLanibug I believe it's because she is not dead, my friend. She is in a coma. My theory is that she will not awake until Vecna is dead. They say he consumes someone when he takes them. I think he has her living soul while her body is momentarily broken
@AMRC-vb3ws
@@MsLanibug I cry the same with both but seeing Max like that was more sad.
@gobbleswells2883
That scene was the living, breathing definition of "I'm not crying, your crying!" :'(
@vitotheproserra5678
Fr Dude
@vera9443
"Lucas, I can't feel or see anything. I'm so afraid. I don't wanna die. I'm not ready."
@ayeeeeeeee6240
had me crying
@thehoopman88
I was crying like a little bitch 😭
@Crimson.Creates
I'm never gonna emotionally recover from this