Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: indie-pop
Song Meaning of “Tides” by The xx
Tides by The xx is a melancholic song about the overwhelming emotions of love and the power of the ever-changing nature of relationships. The song is set against the metaphor of a tidal wave which symbolizes the various and often unpredictable swings of feelings in any intimate relationship.
The lyrics “Nowhere to run, love in your arms, I surrender” symbolize the character’s feelings of helplessness and surrender to their fate of being with the person they’re in love with. In the second verse, “Sometimes I feel like I’m losing my fight/ Always entangled tangled up in your tide” illustrates the feeling of struggling to swim against the tide of love, being overwhelmed by the intensity of feelings and the power of the relationship.
The chorus, “Oh, oh, the tide is strong, on my own, I can’t go on” speaks to the character’s acknowledgement that their love is out of their hands; the tide of their relationship is too strong for them to hold back. Ultimately, the song is a beautiful reminder that relationships come in all shapes and forms, and that love always has the power to take us on unexpected journeys.