The group takes its name from Shakespeare. In particular Hamlet's soliloquy To be, or not to be, where it refers to dying; "coil" is used in its archaic sense of "disturbance, trouble":
"What dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause."
Hamlet, Act III, Scene 1, line 67.
My Father
This Mortal Coil Lyrics
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We'd go boating on the Seine
And I would learn to dance.
We lived in Ohio then.
He worked in the mines.
All his dreams, like boats
We knew We'd sail in time.
My sister's all grew up and went away,
Marrying their grown up dreams, the lilacs and the man.
I stayed behind, the youngest still only danced alone.
Hoping
Hoping
That my father's dreams would someday take me home.
I live in Paris now, my children dance and dream.
Hearing the ways of a miner's life,
In words they never say.
I sail my memories of home,
Like boats across the Seine.
And watch my father's eyes
Watching the setting sun
Set in my father's eyes again
The song My Father by This Mortal Coil is a nostalgic ballad about a father's unfulfilled dreams for himself and his children. The singer starts by reminiscing about the promises her father made, that they would live in France, go boating on the Seine, and she would learn to dance. However, they were living in Ohio at the time, and her father worked in the mines. Despite this, they believed that one day they would sail away to fulfill those dreams. As time passed, the singer's sisters grew up and left for Denver and Cheyenne to pursue their own dreams.
The singer remained the youngest, still holding on to the hope that her father's dreams would one day take her home. Years later, she is now living in Paris, where her children dance and dream just as she did as a child. She thinks of her father and the miner's life he led and never spoke about. The memory of his unfulfilled dreams is now what keeps her connected to home as she sails her memories across the Seine. The final lines tell us about how she sees her father's eyes watching the setting sun, making us realize that the father has now passed on and all she has left are the memories of his dreams and the hope that they will somehow be fulfilled.
Overall, the song tells a poignant story of unfulfilled dreams and the power of memory to keep them alive. The singer holds on to her father's dreams, keeping them alive in her own way as she watches her own children dance and dream, just as she did when she was a child. The song is a reminder to cherish our dreams and to never let go of the hope that they will someday come true.
Line by Line Meaning
My father always promised us that we would live in France.
My dad promised that we'd move to France someday.
We'd go boating on the Seine, And I would learn to dance.
We'd take boat rides in the beautiful Seine river and dance when we got there.
We lived in Ohio then. He worked in the mines.
At that time, we lived in Ohio where my dad worked in the coalmines.
All his dreams, like boats We knew We'd sail in time.
Like the boats that sailed on Seine, we knew that someday we would fulfill our dreams.
My sisters all grew up and went away, To Denver and Cheyenne. Marrying their grown-up dreams, the lilacs and the man.
My sisters grew up and got married, and moved away to places like Denver and Cheyenne to start their own lives; they married their dreams and the men they loved.
I stayed behind, the youngest still only danced alone. Hoping Hoping That my father's dreams would someday take me home.
I remained at home while my sisters left, and danced often by myself, hoping that someday, my father's dreams for us would bring me home too.
I live in Paris now, my children dance and dream. Hearing the ways of a miner's life, In words they never say.
Now, I live in Paris with my kids, who dance and dream, however, the way they understand things differs from the life that my father led in the mines.
I sail my memories of home, Like boats across the Seine.
I often reflect upon my past as I reminiscence about the promises that father made to us, just like boats of Seine river, sailing back and forth.
And watch my father's eyes Watching the setting sun
I remember how my dad used to look when gazing upon the sunset, capturing this moment clearly in my mind.
Set in my father's eyes again
The same image of my father watching the sunset appears to me again in my mind.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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