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.
With Tomorrow
This Mortal Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I must have thought it was a dream while she was here with me
When she was near I didn't think she would leave
When she was gone it was too much to believe
So with tomorrow I will borrow
Another moment of joy and sorrow
And another dream and another with tomorrow
So if there some day won't be time just to look behind
There was so much I was told that was not real
So many things that I could not taste but I could feel
So with tomorrow I will borrow
Another moment of joy and sorrow
And another dream and another with tomorrow
The lyrics of "With Tomorrow" by This Mortal Coil seem to revolve around memory and the impermanence of life. The singer seems to be grappling with the reality of loss and how fragile our experiences and connections can be. The opening lines suggest that the singer is struggling to distinguish between a dream and reality, which could symbolize their difficulty in accepting the painful truth of their current situation. When the person they love is near, it's easy to take their presence for granted and assume that they will always be there. But when they're gone, it's a shock to the system that is hard to believe.
The singer realizes that they have to keep moving forward, even if it means creating new moments of joy and sorrow. The repetition of the phrase "with tomorrow" at the beginning of each stanza reinforces the idea that life goes on, even if we're not ready for it. The bittersweet tone of the lyrics suggests that the singer is struggling to come to terms with their own mortality and the fleeting nature of existence. The line "There won't be reasons, no descriptions for my place and mind" implies that the singer is aware of their own limited time on earth and the fact that their memories and experiences will eventually fade away.
Line by Line Meaning
It was more like a dream than reality
At the time, the experience felt unreal and dreamlike
I must have thought it was a dream while she was here with me
The singer wasn't fully aware of the reality of the situation while it was happening
When she was near I didn't think she would leave
The singer didn't expect the person they were with to leave
When she was gone it was too much to believe
The reality of the person leaving was overwhelming for the artist
So with tomorrow I will borrow
The artist plans to rely on the possibility of a new day to bring new experiences
Another moment of joy and sorrow
The singer is accepting of the idea that a new day will bring both positive and negative experiences
And another dream and another with tomorrow
The singer looks forward to the possibility of new dreams and experiences in the future
So if there some day won't be time just to look behind
The artist acknowledges that there may be a time in the future where it won't be possible to reflect on past experiences
There won't be reasons, no descriptions for my place and mind
The artist believes that there may not be a clear understanding or justification for their thoughts and feelings
There was so much I was told that was not real
The artist was misled or provided with false information in the past
So many things that I could not taste but I could feel
The singer experienced emotions and feelings that they couldn't fully understand or act on
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JESSE DAVIS, HAROLD CLARK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind