Rolling Waves
The Naked and Famous Lyrics

The Naked and Famous's "Rolling Waves" is a song that talks about escapism and the desire to break free, to live life to the fullest before it's too late. The song opens with a line "Before we sleep can I hear you say? For the last time, for the last time," where the singer emphasizes the significance of the moment and the urge to live it fully. The idea is that when we sleep, we escape the world of reality and enter the world of dreams. The line "take a piece, take a piece, or just walk away" signifies that one can either take a piece of the moment with them or simply let it go and walk away. The imagery of rolling waves emphasizes the idea of the ebb and flow of life, and how each moment is fleeting and should be savored in its intensity.

The song continues with "Given the time can we come alive? We are swimming, we are swimming, no warning signs." The singer asks if in the given time, they can come alive, and not just exist. The line "we are swimming, we are swimming, no warning signs" explains that time flies by quickly and we can be swept away if we are not careful. The chorus repeats the line "Before we sleep can you just say, for the last time today, take a piece or just walk away, like rolling waves," emphasizing the impermanence of life and the desire to make the most of it.

The bridge of the song "These nine hours of delay, like a lifetime, like a lifetime, it falls away" refers to the time between flights at an airport. The singer realizes that even such a small time delay can feel like a lifetime, and yet it seems like it passes by in the blink of an eye. The last verse of the song "You swim from pulling tides that swallow you at night, let go, let go into these rolling waves, like rolling waves" is a metaphor that when we face obstacles in life, we should let go and allow ourselves to be carried by the waves.