Modest Mouse: Ocean Breathes Salty Meaning
Song Released: 2004
Ocean Breathes Salty Lyrics
In my head, in my heart, in my soul.
And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both live again.
Well I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Don't think so.
Well that is that and this is this.
You...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:I seem to see a very different interpretation of this song from the norm. To me it seems that it's written about someone who's made a mess of their life, wasting so much of it, and eventually passed (whether they took it themselves, I'm unsure). There was a bond between the writer and the person who passed but it obviously had conflict, likely caused by the life choices made by that person. Since it was such a tragic life, the writer could be saying that he hopes, for that person's sake, that there's something else afterwards, but regardless, he made a mess of this life, why wouldn't he do so again? It reminds me of when a person usually becomes remorseful and searches for more to existence when their life is coming to an end or they are, for, example in jail, seeing the consequences of their choices. They only want something to hope for because they've made a mess of what they have, not because they've always been searching for something greater.
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2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:This song is about the suicide of someone close
The lyrics "Your body may be gone, I'm gonna carry you in.
In my head, in my heart, in my soul." are talking about how he will always remember them.
"And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both live again.
Well I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Don't think so."
(Saying that mabe when he dies they will be reunited in heaven but he doubts that there is even a heaven or the other person will be there but doubts it because suicide is a sin)
Also he talks about enjoying the simple things in life like tasting the ocean breeze in the lyric "The ocean breathes salty, won't you carry it in?
In your head, in your mouth, in your soul."
Well that is that and this is this.
Will you tell me what you saw and I'll tell you what you missed,
when the ocean met the sky.
You missed when time and life shook hands and said goodbye.
When the earth folded on itself.
(listing all the things with person missed because they or commited suicide)
You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste death?
You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste death?
(Talking about wasting (taking) ones life in suicide so saying that if you wasted life why not waste death?) -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:Brock is saying that it's a waste trying to understand God, because he's impossible to understand, humans will never be able to. He's saying you might as well enjoy life and not waste it trying to understand where it all came from. "you wasted life, why wouldn't you waste the afterlife?" Meaning, you will be just as clueless and trying to understand the afterlife just as you were your life life :]
Even though Brock says he doesn't believe in God, his lyrics really lean more toward he DOES believe in SOMETHING but he just has no idea and doesn't see the worth in trying to have any idea. -
I believe this song is about someone
who went too far with the drugs and caused their relationship to end . Eventually this excessive drug use killed this poor bastard and this song is an ode
to his banished but much loved homie. Just a thought... Could be about suicide or anunaki overlords for all I know. -
Wow I used to love this song but reading the interpretations others posted bums me out. They are opinions but even so theyre all making similar points as to what the lyrics are relaying to the listener. Unfortunately, they are inaccurate about religion, Christianity, and God. Religion gets a bad reputation in general because of people that use it to oppress others, make money, gain power. Ancient religions tend to have the same general principles ( dont murder, dont lie, be humble and generous, do not judge others), its hardly a waste of life or a jail if people studied doctrine. It is true that we cannot fathom "God" and religions acknowledge this. That is why we call it faith. Most people want proof and reject all ideas of a higher power because they are scared of being fooled and tend to think of "God" having human characteristics. Atheism and agnostism are actually far more popular in the world. Many people go to a worship service to please their families or to look "good". If you are religious and you feel unhappy with your spiritual practice then something is wrong. You shouldnt feel like praying is a chore. And you shouldnt need to be brainwashed by a cult to enjoy "God". If youre an athiest and you assume religious people are just the blind leading the blind, you are wrong. No one has disproven God and no one is going to. No one can assume someone wasted their life just because it doesnt meet their expectations. What does is well lived life supposed to look like anyway?
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Someone questioned the crosses at the end of the video and wondered if it represented other birds. If you look at the band members, they each represent different animals (rabbit, squirrel, fox[?]). I think it represents other animals the boy has buried. Either pets or from finding them injured and the animal later died. Might explain why his mom appeared so impatient (yet another injured animal that will waste family money only to die).
I am not so sure that the lyrics, "You wasted life, why wouldnt you waste the afterlife?" means wasting time on religion (Christian or otherwise). Seems to me it has more to do with someone without any ambition to do anything meaningful during life would also not do anything meaningful in death. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I see this as an agnostics view on the death of a loved one or a friend who believed in God and heaven and hell. He thinks that they wasted their time in pursuing a God who never appeared to help them and that if heaven does exist (according to their beleifs) then they will still be looking for him, thereby wasting their own death and they did life.
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it's obviously talking about the death of someone else, which is why they wrote this song in the first place. it's reflecting how they're dealing with the death..
i think that's why they used the boy trying and trying to take care of the crow when in the end he dies anyway- which is what the lyrics mean when they say "You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste death" -
I think its just his way of coping with death not religion and their perspectives of death
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It's about his friend who committed suicide...instead of grieving he's venting....his friend thought he would be sorry that he's gone but instead Hes angry that he gave up...this is his memoir saying fuck you, mate
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I think that "when time and life shook hands and said goodbye" is refering to when life ends. When your life leaves, time also leaves you, afterlife.
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the song goes in reverse time, starting after the person's death and working back. "and maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both live again" ovbiously refers to after the person's dead.
"and maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both grow old" is before the death, along with "the more we move ahead the more we're stuck in rewind" is before the death but there's no telling what time in relation it is to the growing old reference.
he doesn't believe in catholism, no. he doesn't. but he's saying that for the other person's sake that their beliefs were right so they have somewhere to go now that they're dead.
i haven't seen the video, and i wouldn't let it effect any opinion on the song meaning. -
He is definitely not catholic. He is far too anti-religion and social control as a whole to be a member of arguably the most hierarchal religion to ever plague the minds of individuals. Reference his song lyrics in Bukowski, or 3rd Planet, for instance. He completely disassembles the legitimacy of believing in a higher power. "Who would wanna be such an asshole" and "the third planet is sure that they're being watched by an eye in the sky that can't be stopped and when you get to the promised land, you get to shake that eyes hand." His feelings are seemingly strongly against the lack of autonomy that is associated with religion.
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well, the bits about the jail, i think are his own personal commentaries on his own experience in jail and how it brought on this close connection to life and the small experiences you miss out on if you allow them to pass you by. but i get confused at the line explaining "when time and life shook hands and said goodbye" as something they missed. this lyric sounds like the moment where time lets go of life, but isn't that death? how could someone miss that if they are, in fact, dying? unless if i'm getting that completely wrong that is..
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I believe It does have something to do with death, and he is debating weather he believes in god or not hints ""Good luck, for your sake I hope heaven and hell are really there but I wouldn't hold my breath" And I also think he might be a Catholic because he thinks whoever died went to purgatory, hints "Collected my belongings and I left the jail./Well thanks for the time, I needed to think a spell." B/C Catholics believe that if you die and are not ready for heaven you go to purgatory somewhere where you get right then eventually get ready to end up n heaven.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I felt it was about wasting your life heeding religion. However, the video makes me think otherwise.
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