The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Sweet Breeze" by the artist "Tiger Lillies, The"

The song "Sweet Breeze" by the British band The Tiger Lillies paints a tragic picture of sailors' lives, woven into maritime folklore. The lyrics are filled with symbolism and contrast, conveying both the romance of sea adventures and the doom lurking in the depths.

The first verse begins with an idyllic sketch: the "sweet breeze" carries the sailors, they are free to sing songs. But already here, a shadow of tragedy slips through – their "sweethearts are weeping at the port", anticipating a swift separation. The image of "seven seas" hints at long and dangerous voyages, from which not everyone is destined to return.

The second verse amplifies the tragedy: above the cliff where children are playing, the question hangs – "will their fathers return?". The bell singing to the sea is both a symbol of hope and a harbinger of funerals, as it also strikes the time on board the ship. The mermaid dancing in the distance is an image of deceptive beauty and mortal danger lurking at sea.

The third verse reveals the inner state of the sailors. They are "on needles" – they are consumed by a thirst for wandering, but at the same time they are "captives of the seas", doomed to eternal wandering and, possibly, death. "They know their fate is to drown" – fatalism inherent in people of this profession, facing the unpredictability of the elements.

The fourth verse emphasizes the inevitability: "they must sail", they are driven by an irresistible force, an "obsession". And again the image of crying sweethearts left on the shore is repeated, and the bitter statement – "in the seas they will die".

The repetition of the last lines – "Their sweethearts are weeping at the port, / In the seas they will die" – reinforces the tragedy, turning the song into a kind of requiem for the sailors who doomed themselves to an eternal struggle with the elements.

The musical arrangement of the song likely echoes its mood: dark, minor chords, perhaps the use of an accordion, creating a melancholic mood characteristic of The Tiger Lillies' work.