The Other Side
Tina Dico Lyrics


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I had a dream last night
The worst in many years
Had me biting on my pillow
Had me waking up in tears
I was knocking on a door
I'd been knocking all my life
Expecting great things on the other side
On the other side
Expecting great things on the other side

There was a beam of light
I sensed the time was near
I was getting all excited
Saw my future bright and clear
The lock gave out a roar
And the door slid open wide
I was free to walk out on the other side

On the other side
Finally free to walk out on the other side

That's when the dream got frightening
I was not at all prepared
For the empty hall that met me
And the truth that lived in there
The castle and the king
And the diamonds in the sky
Were nowhere to be seen on the other side

On the other side
No, there were no lights on the other side
On the other side
Yeah, the lights were off on the other side

Now, if the dream is right
And if I'm thinking clear
I guess I should be thankful to have woken up right here
And not half-way up a ladder into an empty sky
Not looking for a better place to live my life
No, I think I'll just stay and live it on this side





On this side
I'll just stay and live my life on this side

Overall Meaning

In her melancholic song "The Other Side", Tina Dico dreams about what is on the other side of her life. She describes how she had a vivid dream in which she was knocking on a door she had been knocking on for years, expecting great things on the other side. Finally, the door opens and she is free to walk out on the other side, but the dream takes a frightening turn when she realises that the castle, the king and the diamonds in the sky that she had been expecting were nowhere to be seen. The lights were off on the other side.


The lyrics of the song are a reflection on the idea that we all have expectations and visions of what we want our life to be like. We work hard to achieve our goals, hoping for success and happiness, but sometimes, when we finally reach the other side, we find that things are not what we had hoped or anticipated. Tina Dico's message is one of acceptance and gratitude for the life she has and the side she is on. She realises that it is better to live in the present than to chase illusions and dreams that do not truly fulfill. She decides to stay and live her life on this side.


Line by Line Meaning

I had a dream last night
The author describes a dream that occurred the previous night


The worst in many years
This dream was particularly bad and left a lasting impact


Had me biting on my pillow
The dream was so tough that the author's physical reaction was to bite down on a pillow


Had me waking up in tears
The dream was so distressing that upon waking, the author was in tears


I was knocking on a door
The dream began with the author knocking on a door


I'd been knocking all my life
The author has been knocking on doors, metaphorically seeking opportunities and new experiences for the entirety of their life


Expecting great things on the other side
However, the author's hope is for great things on the other side of this particular door


On the other side
The concept of the 'other side' is important in this song and represents a metaphor for another plane of existence or level of experience


Expecting great things on the other side
The author is hopeful that once through this door, something wonderful awaits


There was a beam of light
The door appears to open upon a beam of light, suggesting a new realm of understanding and experience


I sensed the time was near
The author feels that their time has come, that something important is about to happen


I was getting all excited
Despite initial trepidation, the author becomes excited at the thought of what's to come


Saw my future bright and clear
The author understands that this new door represents an opportunity for their future to become bright and clear


The lock gave out a roar
As the lock is opened, it gives out a roar; a metaphor for the author bursting through the previous barriers and entering a new, potentially powerful realm


And the door slid open wide
Finally, the door slides open and the author is free to explore 'the other side'


On the other side
As before, this line represents the metaphorical plane of existence different from the author's previous level of experience


Finally free to walk out on the other side
The author is now completey unleashed to experience the other side, well-prepared to do so


That's when the dream got frightening
However, despite initial excitement and enthusiasm, the author finds the other side more frightening than anticipated


I was not at all prepared
The author did not realize the struggles or challenges that awaited them


For the empty hall that met me
The new realm was not what the author had hoped, represented by the 'empty hall'


And the truth that lived in there
The author understood that they could not escape the truth in this new realm, that they must face struggles rather than living in constant comfort


The castle and the king
The author's initial hopes and visions of greatness represent the 'castle and the king,' now proven to be nothing more than a fantasy


And the diamonds in the sky
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous line, the 'diamonds in the sky' being a metaphor for an imaginary future


Were nowhere to be seen on the other side
The truth challenged the author's prior belief, revealing the other side to be different than the initial concept


On the other side
This line serves to repeat and underline the aforementioned diminished hopes and dreams for the other side


No, there were no lights on the other side
This is a continuation of the conveying the truth is not the way the author had hoped, there is no brightness to chase or follow


On the other side
Simply furthering the repetition of discovering the other side is different than previously thought


Yeah, the lights were off on the other side
This reiterates the disappointment of the author and their burgeoning belief that what they wanted has vanished


Now, if the dream is right
Having experienced the other side, the author contemplates whether they truly liked it


And if I'm thinking clear
The author wants clarity on this contemplation, and wishfully assumes that clear thinking will give them a better grasp of the concept


I guess I should be thankful to have woken up right here
After experiencing the truth of the other side, the author is thankful they woke up from the dream and found themselves in their present reality


And not half-way up a ladder into an empty sky
Metaphorically, the author feels they have avoided the trap of chasing empty dreams, indeed they have left the ladder altogether and accepted their current location, the present moment.


Not looking for a better place to live my life
The past hope of always finding a bright, shining place to experience and live is gone, and the author is happy to fully live their life in the present moment, without looking for a better version of itself in the future


No, I think I'll just stay and live it on this side
The author acknowledges the importance of staying where they are, finding joy and the positive in the present, and taking all the ups and downs of their present moment to shape their life


On this side
This line once again reemphasizes the importance of the present moment


I'll just stay and live my life on this side
Finally, the author has accepted the truth in the other side, and is happy to live in the present, and live their life to the fullest and happiest.




Writer(s): Tina Dickow

Contributed by Adam V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@moonoggin

I had a dream last night
The worst in many years
Had me biting on my pillow
Had me waking up in tears
I was knocking on a door
I'd been knocking all my life
Expecting great things on the other side

On the other side
Expecting great things on the other side

There was a beam of light
I sensed the time was near
I was getting all excited
Saw my future bright and clear
The lock gave out a roar
And the door slid open wide
I was free to walk out on the other side

On the other side
Finally free to walk out on the other side

That's when the dream got frightening
I was not at all prepared

For the empty hall that met me
And the truth that lived in there
The castle and the king
And the diamonds in the sky
Were nowhere to be seen on the other side

On the other side
No, there were no lights on the other side
On the other side
Yeah, the lights were off on the other side

Now, if the dream is right
And if I'm thinking clear
I guess I should be thankful to have woken up right here
And not half-way up a ladder into an empty sky
Not looking for a better place to live my life
No, I think I'll just stay and live it on this side

On this side
I'll just stay and live my life on this side



All comments from YouTube:

@andreaslossek509

Meine Frau und ich lieben Tina Dico !!! Und wir freuen uns total, dass sie am 23.06.2023 während der Kieler Woche ein Konzert in Kiel spielen wird - wir sind dabei 😊😊

@JannikLoekke

As with all her songs, she has an amazing ability to write in a way, that speaks to my most inner thoughts and fears. She is one of the most precious thing to ever come out of Denmark. Been a fan for years, and will continue to be, for many many years to come!..

@stevekirschenbaum9801

Tina Dico...one of Europe's best kept secrets.

@xyzbb4692

True

@075672820

This is seriously so great. This woman is incredibly talented! That voice! The songwriting! So grateful that there are humans like this out there in the world.

@enriquevalladares1684

I from mexico and really love tina dico! 

@xyzbb4692

I love the lyrics. And I love people who think so deep so that they can write such wonderful lyrics and chords.

@TheClk88

Oh she's definitely not undiscovered ;) She's very popular in Denmark and all over Scandinavia. :) One of our greatest Singer/Songwriter in Denmark so far :-)

@P1NKM4U5

In deed she is ! :D... i love her, i've listened to her songs all the way through my teens and till now... .:D

@homusik

One of the best song writers i Denmark - in the world.

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