According to Roland: This track was the b-side to 'I Believe', which was so clearly inspired by Robert Wyatt that I thought it would be a good idea to cover one of his songs for the flip side. His voice in my opinion is one of the best, not something I felt I could match, but if I introduced one person to his music then it would have been worth it.
Piano work was done by Nicky Holland, a regular on the TFF-tours.
Sea Song
Tears for Fears Lyrics
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You come from the foam - crested brine
It's your skin shining softly in the moonlight
Partly fish, partly porpoise, partly baby sperm whale
Am I yours? are you mine to play with?
Joking apart, when you're drunk you're terrific
When you're drunk I like you mostly late at night
But I can't understand the different you
In the morning
When it's time to play at being human for a while
We smile, we smile, we smile
You'll be different in the spring, I know
You're a seasonal beast
Like the Starfish that drift in with the tide, with the tide
So until your blood runs to meet the next full moon
Your madness fits in nicely with my own, with my own
Your lunacy fits neatly with my own
My very own
We're not alone
The lyrics to Tears for Fears's song Sea Song depict a dynamic, ever-changing relationship that ebbs and flows with the tides. The opening lines, "You look different every time, you come from the foam-crested brine," suggest that the subject of the song, presumably a lover or romantic interest, is a mermaid or sea creature of some kind. The imagery of the shining skin in moonlight and being "partly fish, partly porpoise, partly baby sperm whale" further cements this idea.
The next lines, "Am I yours? are you mine to play with?" suggest a sense of ownership or desire to control the other person. However, the following lines reveal a more playful nature to the relationship, with the singer stating they like the person when they're drunk and find them funny. But there's a sense of confusion or frustration with the "different you in the morning" when the person returns to being human.
Line by Line Meaning
You look different every time
The person being referred to in the song changes their appearance all the time
You come from the foam - crested brine
The person in the song comes from the sea
It's your skin shining softly in the moonlight
The person in the song has skin that sparkles in the moonlight
Partly fish, partly porpoise, partly baby sperm whale
The person in the song is part fish, part porpoise, and part baby sperm whale
Am I yours? are you mine to play with?
The singer is asking if they belong to each other and if they're free to play with one another
Joking apart, when you're drunk you're terrific
The singer thinks that the person in the song is great when they're drunk
When you're drunk I like you mostly late at night
The singer prefers the person in the song when they're drunk at nighttime
You're quite alright
The singer thinks the person in the song is okay
But I can't understand the different you
The singer can't comprehend the changes in the person in the song
In the morning
When it's daytime
When it's time to play at being human for a while
When it's time to pretend to be human for a bit
We smile, we smile, we smile
We put on a happy face even though we're not truly happy
You'll be different in the spring, I know
The person in the song will change in the springtime
You're a seasonal beast
The person in the song is like a creature that changes with the seasons
Like the Starfish that drift in with the tide, with the tide
Like the starfish that come and go with the tide
So until your blood runs to meet the next full moon
Until the next full moon when the person in the song changes again
Your madness fits in nicely with my own, with my own
The singer's craziness goes well with the person in the song's craziness
Your lunacy fits neatly with my own
The singer's insanity fits well with the person in the song's insanity
My very own
Belongs to me exclusively
We're not alone
We are not the only crazy ones in the world
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ROBERT ELLIDGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind