Submarine Bells
The Chills Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Snow alights as dark sea grows
Then far below lies softly glowing
Snow turns slowly into water

I know deep down hidden in you submarine bells chime
Gold and groaning, sunlit toning, submerged sound sublime

So the colder, deeper tolling
Reaches dissolution
You wish a vicious whirlpool go swirling round and round

I can watch in wonder as your gaze shifts past my shoulder
Just a glimpsed abyss that flashes at me

I know deep down hidden in you submarine bells chime
Gold and groaning, sunlit toining, submerged sound sublime

Since the weakest currents bruise it
Someday I may lose this
Immersed in words sand miss you
Kiss foaming waves goodbye

I slice the surface here beside you
Lungs filled liquid yell I love you
Sound moves further underwater

Deep and dark my submarine bells groan in greens and grey
Mine would chime a thousand times




To make you feel okay
Kay, kay, okay

Overall Meaning

The Chills's song Submarine Bells describes a sense of isolation and disconnection from another person who is emotionally distant. The song begins with a description of snow falling on a dark sea, signaling both lightness and darkness. This contrast continues in the next line where what lies below the water is softly glowing, and the snow above slowly turns into water, representing the gradual loss of purity and innocence.


The singer then speaks directly to the subject of the song, someone who seems unreachable and hidden. They know deep down that hidden within this person are the sounds of submarine bells - representing deep emotions that have been submerged or buried. The singer understands that these emotions are beautiful and valuable (gold), but they come with a sense of pain and sadness (groaning). This creates a submerged sound that is both beautiful and haunting.


The next verse describes the frustration and alienation felt by the singer, who watches as the subject's attention drifts away from them to something beyond. The glimpsed abyss represents the unknown or unknowable parts of the other person's psyche, and the singer is both mystified and fascinated by it.


Overall, the song creates a complex and moody atmosphere that captures the struggle to connect with others and understand their inner world.


Line by Line Meaning

Snow alights as dark sea grows
As the sea grows darker, snow silently falls and settles on top of it.


Then far below lies softly glowing
Far below the surface, there is a soft, subtle light.


Snow turns slowly into water
The snow that had fallen on top of the sea is now melting and turning into water.


I know deep down hidden in you submarine bells chime
I believe that you have an underlying beauty or talent that is waiting to come out.


Gold and groaning, sunlit toning, submerged sound sublime
The sound that you keep hidden is beautiful and sublime, like the golden glint and groaning sound of the sun shining on the sea from below.


So the colder, deeper tolling
As the sound becomes colder and deeper, it resonates even more.


Reaches dissolution
The sound eventually fades away and disappears.


You wish a vicious whirlpool go swirling round and round
It seems like you want chaos to turn and swirl around you, perhaps to break the monotony.


I can watch in wonder as your gaze shifts past my shoulder
I am amazed and intrigued by the way you look around, as if searching for something beyond me.


Just a glimpsed abyss that flashes at me
Sometimes I catch a quick glimpse of an unreachable space or idea inside you.


Since the weakest currents bruise it
Even the smallest of movements can cause damage to that hidden part of you.


Someday I may lose this
Eventually, that inner beauty or talent may be completely lost or unreachable.


Immersed in words sand miss you
Surrounded by the sound of the waves and lost in thought, I miss you.


Kiss foaming waves goodbye
Send a final farewell to the waves as they crash and fall.


I slice the surface here beside you
Although I am here next to you, there is still an invisible barrier separating us.


Lungs filled liquid yell I love you
Even though it may be underwater, I will scream out my love for you.


Sound moves further underwater
Underwater, even the smallest of sounds can travel a great distance.


Deep and dark my submarine bells groan in greens and grey
The submerged sound inside me is deep and dark, yet filled with nuances of greens and greys.


Mine would chime a thousand times
If I could, I would make that sound resonate a thousand times over to fill the void between us.


To make you feel okay
My hope is that hearing that sound will bring you peace and make everything okay.


Kay, kay, okay
Repeatedly affirming that it is okay and will be okay.




Writer(s): Martin John James Phillipps

Contributed by Aubrey C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions