The first taste of new material arrives June 25 in the form of four-song EP Compass (released worldwide on Avow Records / INgrooves Fontana). From the eerie, synth-driven obsession of “Lady Black” to the upbeat, Beatles-esque musing of “Space and Time,” these songs propel Boyd into exciting, untraveled terrain. Rounded out by the evocative “Come Together” and “Where All the Songs Come From,” Compass is representative of his innate restlessness. For an artist like Boyd, the thrill and confusion of the quest to create will always trump the tangible, material rewards bestowed for his efforts.
While Boyd’s inviting, empathetic voice is familiar to millions, Sons of the Sea (self-titled album due this fall) infuses it in challenging new contexts. Produced by the renowned Brendan O’Brien (Incubus, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Rage Against the Machine), the album luxuriates in innovative sonic backdrops, allowing what they coined as “oddball pop” to flourish. Leadoff track “Jet Black Crow” flaunts what Boyd calls a “stomping playfulness” that befits his dreamlike musing on infatuation’s ups and downs. And he is just as compelling in the record’s many departures, playing lothario in the seductive “Come Together,” contemplating his unique creative process in the piano-driven “Avalanche,” or paying tribute to Emily Dickinson’s perspective on an artist’s responsibility via “Untethered”—“tell us the truth, but tell it to us gently, lest we all go blind.”
Boyd and O’Brien joined forces when Incubus went on hiatus following 2011’s If Not Now, When? “After much toiling and overthinking about how I was to go about starting a new music project, I decided that the best way forward was to let go completely!” Boyd enthuses. “Stop thinking about where, when, what, who and how, and simply…GO!”
That ability to overcome doubt and give voice to complex thoughts applies to his visual art as well. Boyd’s third art book, So the Echo, will also emerge this fall, following up acclaimed predecessors White Fluffy Clouds (2003) and From the Murks of the Sultry Abyss (2007). A compendium of unobstructed watercolor, ink pieces and photographic spreads, So the Echo “offers some of my most vulnerable observations yet, unedited and out on a limb. After all, the echo towards a life of expressivity is only as loud as the call!”
“There is no end in creativity,” Boyd concludes. “Hence, to strive towards an end result is a fool’s errand. Set goals, make music and paint pictures, but know that the crux of your happiness balances delicately on the wings of the act of creativity itself. Not at the finish line.”
Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye
Sons of the Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm,
Yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new,
In city and in forest they smiled like me and you,
But now it's come to distances and both of us must try,
Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.
Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme
You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me,
It's just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea,
But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie,
Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.
I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm,
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm,
Yes many loved before us, I know that we are not new,
In city and in forest they smiled like me and you,
But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie,
Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.
The lyrics of "Hey That's No Way to Say Goodbye" by Sons of the Sea is a poetic expression of an ending relationship. The singer reminisces about the beautiful moments they shared with the partner, how they used to cherish each other in the morning with deep and warm kisses. He acknowledges that they are not a new couple, as love existed even before they did. He compares their love story to the many lovers before them who have also smiled like them, in the city or forest. However, things have changed, and they now have distances that they must bridge.
The singer understands that they must both try to overcome this barrier, and it is essential to say goodbye in the right way. He implores his partner not to speak of love or chains, for it will only make the situation harder. Instead, he wants them to walk together to the corner, and although their love would never be the same again, it would rhyme always. He assures that "my love goes with you as your love stays with me.” This beautiful composition reflects a mature acceptance of the inevitable and an attempt to remain friends.
Line by Line Meaning
I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm,
I cherished every moment we spent together, from waking up to sharing tender moments.
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm,
Your hair cascaded like a golden storm on the pillow, signaling the peaceful slumber we shared.
Yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new,
Our love story is nothing new, countless others have experienced and felt the same love that we share.
In city and in forest they smiled like me and you,
Love knows no boundaries, out in the open or in secret places, like in the city or forest, it brings smiles to the faces of those involved.
But now it's come to distances and both of us must try,
The reality of our distance, either the physical or emotional kind, has set in and we both have to work hard to keep our love alive.
Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
I can see the sadness in your eyes, and the pain it brings me is beyond words.
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.
We cannot end what we have with a fake smile and a goodbye; our love deserves something more significant and heartfelt.
I'm not looking for another as I wander in my time,
While I move forward, time passing me by, I remain faithful and committed to the love we shared.
Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme
Even in this bittersweet moment, let us be together, and let's walk in sync, one beside the other, our paths lined up.
You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me,
Our love will continue to exist, even though we can't be together physically, and I take solace in that.
It's just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea,
Change is natural and inevitable, like the shifting of the shoreline and the waves of the sea, it's the natural evolution of our love story.
But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie,
While we can't be together, let's not speak of our love and it's unbreakable bond, it's better to avoid talking about something inevitable that we cannot control.
Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
Again I see the sadness in your eyes, and it just adds to the heaviness I feel in my heart.
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.
Let's put an end to our love story in a way that does justice to its place in our hearts, this goodbye is not quite it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: LEONARD COHEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind