Tidal Wave
Thee Oh Sees Lyrics


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I wish I could cross my arms and cross your mind
'Cause I believe you'd unfold your paper heart and wear it on your sleeve
All my life I wish I broke mirrors instead of promises
'Cause all I see is a shattered conscience staring right back at me
I wish I had covered all my tracks completely
'Cause I'm so afraid, is that the light at the far end of the tunnel or just the train
Lift your arms, only heaven knows where the danger grows
And it's safe to say there's a bright light up ahead and help is on the way

I forget the last time I felt brave, I just recall insecurity
'Cause it came down like a tidal wave and sorrow swept over me

Depression please cut to the chase and cut a long story short
Oh please be done, how much longer can this drama afford to run
Fate looks sharp, severs all my ties and breaks whatever doesn't bend
But sadly then, all my heavy hopes just pull me back down again

I forget the last time I felt brave, I just recall insecurity
'Cause it came down like a tidal wave and sorrow swept over me
Then I was given grace and love
I was blind but now I can see
'Cause I've found a new hope from above
And courage swept over me

It hurts just to wake up whenever you're wearing thin
Alone on the outside
So tired of looking in
The end is uncertain
And I've never been so afraid




But I don't need a telescope to see that there's hope
And that makes me feel brave

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Thee Oh Sees' "Tidal Wave" explore themes of insecurity, regret, and hope for redemption. The singer wishes that they could have done things differently in their life and made better choices. They long for a way to connect with someone else on a deeper level, but feel trapped by their own past mistakes. The image of a tidal wave crashing down on them represents the overwhelming force of their negative emotions.


The singer is struggling with depression and anxiety, feeling like they keep getting pulled down by their own negative thoughts and experiences. They long for a way to break free from these cycles and find a sense of hope and purpose. The final stanza of the song offers a glimmer of hope, as the singer discovers a newfound sense of courage and determination to face their fears and overcome their struggles.


Overall, "Tidal Wave" is a powerful and emotionally resonant song that speaks to the human experience of struggling with regret and insecurity, but also finding hope and redemption in the face of adversity.


Line by Line Meaning

I wish I could cross my arms and cross your mind
I wish I could make you think about me as much as I think about you.


'Cause I believe you'd unfold your paper heart and wear it on your sleeve
Because I believe that if you thought about me enough, you would open up and express your feelings to me.


All my life I wish I broke mirrors instead of promises
Throughout my life, I regret making promises that I couldn't keep and wish that instead, I had broken superficial things like mirrors.


'Cause all I see is a shattered conscience staring right back at me
Because whenever I look inwards, all I see is the disappointment and failure that comes from not keeping my promises.


I wish I had covered all my tracks completely
I wish that I could erase all of the mistakes I've made and cover up the evidence so that they could never be brought to light.


'Cause I'm so afraid, is that the light at the far end of the tunnel or just the train
Because I'm so scared, I can't tell if what's coming towards me is a glimmer of hope or impending doom.


Lift your arms, only heaven knows where the danger grows
Lift your arms and look up, because only divine intervention knows where potential harm could come from.


And it's safe to say there's a bright light up ahead and help is on the way
But it's comforting to know that there's a ray of hope on the horizon and someone is coming to help me soon.


I forget the last time I felt brave, I just recall insecurity
I can't remember the last time I felt brave, only the constant insecurity that I feel on a daily basis.


'Cause it came down like a tidal wave and sorrow swept over me
Because my insecurity and fear came crashing down like a tidal wave, leaving me feeling overwhelmed and helpless in its wake.


Depression please cut to the chase and cut a long story short
I wish depression would just be straightforward and get it over with instead of dragging out the pain.


Oh please be done, how much longer can this drama afford to run
I'm tired of this emotional torment, how much more can I handle before it's too much?


Fate looks sharp, severs all my ties and breaks whatever doesn't bend
Fate can be cruel and unforgiving, cutting off relationships and shattering anything that's too inflexible to withstand its blows.


But sadly then, all my heavy hopes just pull me back down again
Sadly, my own expectations and desires just end up dragging me down further whenever I try to pick myself up.


Then I was given grace and love
But then I was shown kindness and compassion.


I was blind but now I can see
I was so consumed by my insecurities and fears that I couldn't see clearly, but now I have a new perspective.


'Cause I've found a new hope from above
Because I've found hope in a higher power or greater purpose.


And courage swept over me
I was finally able to find the courage I needed to face my fears and insecurities thanks to this newfound hope.


It hurts just to wake up whenever you're wearing thin
It's painful to even wake up in the morning when you feel like you're at your breaking point.


Alone on the outside
Feeling alienated and disconnected from others.


So tired of looking in
Tired of being introspective and caught in a cycle of self-pity and doubt.


The end is uncertain
It's unclear what the future holds, creating a sense of unease and anxiety.


And I've never been so afraid
I've never been this scared before.


But I don't need a telescope to see that there's hope
But I don't need any special equipment or powers to see that there's still hope and something worth working towards.


And that makes me feel brave
And this knowledge fills me with courage and determination.




Contributed by David J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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