To the Sea
Rose Elinor Dougall Lyrics


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Oh, to love someone
Really love someone
Makes one solitary
Struggles all alone

Come
Come home
Come home to whatever you think home to be
Come alone
And we'll ride through the valley and the rivers and the fields to the sea

Gentle affections will be the death of you
In the silent hours
Who will call to find you?
So no more fighting with yourself
The war is won
Never ended
Never begun

Oh, come
Come home
Come home to whatever you think home to be
Oh, come alone
And we'll ride through the valley and the rivers and the fields to the sea

Oh, come
Come home
Come home to whatever you think home to be
Oh, come alone




And we'll ride through the valley and the rivers and the fields to the sea
Sea, sea, sea, sea, sea, sea

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rose Elinor Dougall's "To The Sea" reveal a theme of love and loneliness. The song starts with the lines, "Oh, to love someone / Really love someone / Makes one solitary / Struggles all alone." These lines depict the idea that even though love is capable of bringing two people together, it can also alienate them from everything else. The next set of verses encourages someone to come home, but it is left up to one's interpretation of what or where home is. The idea of home can mean something different to everyone, and the song acknowledges this by stating, "Come home to whatever you think home to be." The singer invites the listener to take a journey with her through valleys, rivers, and fields to the sea, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the journey of life.


The next verse takes a turn, portraying a sense of hopelessness and despair. Dougall sings about how "Gentle affections will be the death of you / In the silent hours / Who will call to find you?" These lines suggest that even though love can bring happiness, it can also lead to emotional destruction. The war metaphor in the lines "So no more fighting with yourself / The war is won / Never ended / Never begun" could represent the internal struggles and battles that one goes through in life, and how ultimately they are never really won or lost.


Overall, "To The Sea" by Rose Elinor Dougall encapsulates the beauty and fragility of love and the journey through life. The song's meaning is subjective and can be interpreted by each listener in their own way.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh, to love someone
The experience of loving someone deeply is deeply moving


Really love someone
The love that is referenced is a love that is true and enduring, not simply transient


Makes one solitary
Love can simultaneously be a source of loneliness, even when in the presence of others


Struggles all alone
Sometimes, in being truly committed to someone, one may find themselves alone and in conflict


Come
Invitation to the listener


Come home
Invitation to return to a familiar and comfortable place


Come home to whatever you think home to be
Home is a subjective concept different for each individual, but universally captures a sense of belonging


Come alone
Isolation is sometimes necessary when facing struggle


And we'll ride through the valley and the rivers and the fields to the sea
Together, we will transcend any difficulties and experience a sense of peace together


Gentle affections will be the death of you
Love can be deceptive in its subtlety and can have a powerful and destructive grip on those who experience it


In the silent hours
Self-reflection and introspection can be particularly difficult, often leaving one vulnerable to the grip of intense emotions such as love


Who will call to find you?
Calling out for help when experiencing this feeling of loneliness is important, but also difficult when it seems that no one else is in reach


So no more fighting with yourself
Letting go of one's internal struggles and accepting oneself is the only way to move forward, even when feeling isolated


The war is won
There is a sense of closure in having overcome one's inner conflicts


Never ended
The fight with oneself is ongoing


Never begun
The struggle has always been there, and will always be there in some shape or form


Sea, sea, sea, sea, sea, sea
Repetition of this line emphasizes the feeling of being caught in a cycle and the endless nature of the sea, a common metaphor for the unconscious mind




Contributed by Kayla G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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