Formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961, the original group comprised singer-musician-composer and bandleader Brian Wilson, his brothers Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Wilson neighbor David Marks appeared on their first four albums and was a member from 1962 to 1963 as a temporary replacement for Jardine, who had left the group to pursue a career in dentistry.
On their first few studio albums, the group primarily played surf music, but this changed after 1964 as their songs became more sophisticated and autobiographical. The 1965 album Today! particularly represented this shift in sound. Bruce Johnston joined the group that same year. Session drummer Hal Blaine is quoted: "We all studied in conservatories; we were trained musicians. We thought it was a fluke at first, but then we realized Brian was writing these incredible songs. This was not just a young kid writing about high school and surfing."
Following their most esteemed work, Pet Sounds (1966), the band became symbols of psychedelic counterculture. The highly anticipated follow-up, Smile, was left unfinished, and Brian soon relinquished his creative hold on the group. A trilogy of lo-fi releases followed: Smiley Smile (1967), Wild Honey (1967), and Friends (1968). Brian would not be credited as a primary composer for any Beach Boys album until 1977's Love You, an album on the fringe of synth-pop, new wave, and punk.
In Brian's absence, the Beach Boys still managed to release music that was regarded favorably by fans and critics despite poor sales: Sunflower (1970) and Surf's Up (1971). South African musicians Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar played and sang with the band on the next two albums: Carl & the Passions - So Tough (1972), and Holland (1973).
Many changes in both musical style and personnel have occurred in their sometimes-stormy career: Brian Wilson's mental illness and drug addiction; the deaths of Dennis Wilson in 1983 and Carl Wilson in 1998; and continuing legal battles among surviving members of the group. With the release of 1974's Endless Summer they became a more popular touring act, playing their greatest hits. They have recorded 36 Billboard Top 40 hits (including four number-one singles), have had over 100 million sales, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Official site: http://www.thebeachboys.com
'Til I Die
The Beach Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Floating over the raging sea
How deep is the ocean?
How deep is the ocean?
I lost my way
Hey hey hey
I'm a rock in a landslide
How deep is the valley?
How deep is the valley?
It kills my soul
Hey hey hey
I'm a leaf on a windy day
Pretty soon I'll be blown away
How long will the wind blow?
How long will the wind blow?
Oh
Until I die
Until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
The lyrics to The Beach Boys' song 'Til I Die' can be interpreted in many ways, but one possible meaning is that the songwriter is expressing a feeling of insignificance and powerlessness in the grand scheme of the world. The opening lines, "I'm a cork on the ocean / Floating over the raging sea", suggest that the songwriter feels as though they are at the mercy of the powerful forces of the natural world, and that their own life is small and insignificant in comparison. This feeling is compounded in the next verse, where the songwriter compares themselves to a rock in a landslide and a leaf on a windy day, both of which are similarly at the mercy of the forces of nature.
The repeated refrain of "How deep is the ocean?" and "How deep is the valley?" can be interpreted as rhetorical questions, indicating that the songwriter is not really seeking an answer to these questions, but rather using them as a way of expressing the vastness and unknowability of the world. The final lines of the song, "These things I'll be until I die / Until I die", suggest that the songwriter feels resigned to their fate as an insignificant and powerless part of the world, and that they will continue to be so until they die.
Overall, the lyrics to 'Til I Die' express a sense of humility and acceptance in the face of the vastness of the world, and a recognition that our own lives are but a small part of a much larger picture.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a cork on the ocean
I feel small and insignificant, like a tiny cork bobbing on the vast, tumultuous ocean.
Floating over the raging sea
I'm just drifting along, unable to control my direction or my fate on this turbulent sea.
How deep is the ocean?
The endless depth of the ocean reminds me of the vast expanse of possibilities and uncertainties that lay before me.
How deep is the ocean?
The ocean's mysterious depths also symbolize the unfathomable nature of life and the future, both of which are beyond my comprehension or control.
I lost my way
Despite my attempts to navigate this vast sea of life, I can't help feeling lost and adrift without a clear path or purpose.
Hey hey hey
This is a simple, upbeat refrain that captures my playful, carefree spirit even in the face of life's uncertainties.
I'm a rock in a landslide
Like a boulder careening down a mountainside, I feel like I'm hurtling towards an unknown fate with no way to stop or redirect my course.
Rolling over the mountainside
With nothing to hold me back or slow me down, I'm gaining momentum and speed as I head towards an uncertain future.
How deep is the valley?
The immeasurable depth of the valley beneath me represents the vast unknowns in life, from potential pitfalls and struggles to unexpected opportunities and triumphs.
How deep is the valley?
Even as I roll towards this valley, I am aware of the profound sense of uncertainty and mystery that shrouds all aspects of life.
It kills my soul
Despite my upbeat and carefree spirit, the weight of uncertainty and fear about the future can deplete my energy and enthusiasm, leaving me feeling drained and hopeless.
Hey hey hey
This refrain is a reminder that, even in the darkest moments, I can find a reason to keep going and hold onto hope for the future.
I'm a leaf on a windy day
Like a leaf being tossed around on a gust of wind, I feel the forces of life carrying me along without my control or input.
Pretty soon I'll be blown away
No matter how hard I try to cling to life and resist the winds of change, I know that eventually I will be blown away like a leaf in the breeze, leaving behind only a memory of my time on this earth.
How long will the wind blow?
This rhetorical question highlights the sense of powerlessness and uncertainty that I feel about my own fate and the future in general, as I can only watch and wait for the wind to carry me where it will.
How long will the wind blow?
Like the endless sea and the immeasurable valley, the wind is a symbol of the vast, unknown forces that shape our lives, subjecting us to their whims and caprices without warning or explanation.
Until I die
Ultimately, no matter how far I drift or how hard I try to resist, I know that my fate is inescapable and that I will continue to be subject to the forces of life until the end of my days.
Until I die
This simple refrain is a haunting reminder that, no matter how much we struggle or resist, our mortal lives are ultimately finite and subject to forces beyond our control.
These things I'll be until I die
These images of a cork, a rock, and a leaf represent the various stages and ways in which I experience the forces of life, and they will continue to define me until the end.
These things I'll be until I die
Despite my attempts to change or resist my fate, these elements of my identity and experience will continue to define me until the very end of my days.
These things I'll be until I die
No matter how much I try to escape or transcend the forces of life, the reality is that these defining elements will continue to shape and impact me until the very end of my journey.
These things I'll be until I die
This final refrain is a sobering reminder that, even as we strive to navigate the turbulent seas of life, we are ultimately subject to forces beyond our control that will shape us until the very end of our days.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Brian Wilson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@roblester2110
I'm a cork on the ocean
Floating over the raging sea
How deep is the ocean?
How deep is the ocean?
I lost my way
Hey hey hey
I'm a rock in a landslide
Rolling over the mountainside
How deep is the valley?
How deep is the valley?
It kills my soul
Hey hey hey
I'm a leaf on a windy day
Pretty soon I'll be blown away
How long will the wind blow?
How long will the wind blow?
Ohhhh
Until I die
Until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
These things I'll be until I die
@markmitchell457
I saw the PBS American Masters special with Brian Wilson last week. It brings up heavy emotions.
He is 12 years older than I am. Same age as my brother. Our house was always full of Beach Boys music.
On the PBS special you can clearly see the side effects of the drugs he has to take, but when he's directing the band on how to record a song, he's still 100% there and on the ball. He knows how he wants it to sound, and how to direct the band to get that magic sound.
In my 68 years, his music has pulled me out of many a emotional hole.
Pet Sounds is magic, and was the Beatles favorite album.
There's still music left in that man. Good music.
@landlinesandpercolators8822
Brian Wilson wrote this instead of committing suicide. Saved my life too.
@alaricperez
me too
@78thedayafter
me as well
@KathleenEReed
After the death of my brother, my best friend, it saved me, too - from madness and premature endlessness. How does Brian Wilson accomplish it? How does he take all of our collective pain and sorrow and create the feeling of hope and comfort? He's a genius, blessed with a most brilliant gift and a loving, compassionate heart.
@EverTheTwain
mine too
@gianmarcobezada4206
Trapped in my own head with nobody around me to help, loneliness kills me and I got nothing in my life to look forward too or any family who cares about me anymore. Music's all I got, been homeless a couple times and all by myself I'm only 15 years old. Life is the worst thing you can't ask for.
@burlingtonbill1
Possibly the greatest Brian Wilson song EVER written. Gorgeous harmony, deeply emotive, heart-wrenching lyrics, beautifully-layered production, original Beach Boy voices---what more could you ask? I never, ever, get tired of hearing it.
@saleconomos473
Might just have to agree.
This is 2:44 of "perfect" BB.
Never tire of hearing it. Wish it was longer actually.
But this LP had many quintessential songs.
Long Promised Road...Surf's Up...All classic.
@burlingtonbill1
Agree mostly with your "agreement." :-) I actually prefer Sunflower by a gnat's hair. But both are superb, largely-unknown albums that probably will never be completely venerated by the music-appreciation public at large.
@mightymeow8985
This sounds a lot like Carl Wilson