What does Vance Joy's 'Riptide' mean?

Hi Thiha
Everi Yeo from our awesome show choir sang this song for the finals of the B-Dazzled Under 21 soloist 2015 and Adi, from the duet 'Shili & Adi' and also one of the judges who was a friend of mine expressed that Everi sang it very well and he loved her voice quality but that is as far the story about Everi and this song 'Riptide' goes. :) 

What I have to really say is:

Songs are interesting because sometimes they are very direct in what they say but sometimes it is less obvious and it is the less obvious that we want to tease out of the lyrics to understand the song better. We aren't the song writer so we can only like infer the meaning of what he has written. Inference is a skill which will be very useful in life because people don't always talk straight or direct and we need to pick up the underlying meaning of what is shared with us. We can of course, infer a different meaning from the tone used when spoken but for today we will just infer from words on screen/paper.

Pre-Reading 
Click on this to get to the video for a good listen of it. Close your eyes and just listen to it. Don't read or analyse the words yet.

1. The music of the song gives you an instant feeling. Can you give a word or a phrase to describe the mood of the song?
Answer ___________________________________

First Reading
You can watch the video with the the lyrics now. 

2. After a first reading of the lyrics, do you think the mood of the song fits the lyrics? Why yes or why not?
Answer____________________________

Close Reading 
The lyrics that I highlighted in blue and I have questions for you to answer. Don't worry about getting them all correct. Just try your best.

I was scared of dentists and the dark
I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations

3 a. Is the author still scared of these 4 things he mentioned? How do you know? 

3 b. When was he scared of them?

Answer___________

Oh, all my friends are turning green

4. When the author says his friends are 'turning green' what do you think he means? List down all the possibilities and indicate the one that suits this song best by putting a * next to it.

Answer ___________

You're the magician's assistant in their dreams

5. What do you think is the job of a 'magician's assistant'?

Answer __________

Oh, and they come unstuck

6 a. What is the 'they' referring to? (I am also trying to figure this answer out... Haha! Yah teachers don't always have all the answers. I will try figure out when we meet to discuss this)

Answer __________

6 b. Why do they come 'unstuck' (Lol. I am also still trying to figure the meaning of this so haha, I am hoping you have a better answer than I)

Answer __________

Lady, running down to the riptide
Taken away to the dark side

7a.So what is a 'Riptide'? Guess from looking at the word; even if you have never come across this word but if you are taking geography, I think you should have an idea.

Answer _________

7b. Why do you think the lady is running down to the riptide to be taken to the dark side?

Answer __________

I wanna be your left hand man

8. What can you possibly think "Left hand man' could mean?

Answer________

I love you when you're singing that song and
I got a lump in my throat because
You're gonna sing the words wrong

9. The expression 'lump in my throat' indicates the author is feeling a certain way. When does one get a lump in his/her throat?

Answer __________

10. 'singing the words wrong' could literally be singing lyrics of the song wrong but it could also mean something else? What do you think it could be?

Answer __________

There's this movie that I think you'll like
This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City
This cowboy's running from the south

11. Why do you think people run away to another place. What do they hope to find or do?

Answer ___________

And she's been living on the highest shelf

12. Complete the following: When something is put on the highest shelf, it is normally 

Answer __________

Oh, and they come unstuck

Lady, running down to the riptide
Taken away to the dark side
I wanna be your left hand man
I love you when you're singing that song and
I got a lump in my throat because
You're gonna sing the words wrong

I just wanna, I just wanna know
If you're gonna, if you're gonna stay

13. The author is not sure about this woman staying. What do you think is the relationship between the two and why?

Answer__________

I just gotta, I just gotta know
I can't have it, I can't have it any other way

14. Why is the author sounding so desperate?

Answer___________

I swear she's destined for the screen
Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen, oh

15. When the author says things like  'she's destined for the screen' and 'Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen', which adjectives would be appropriate to describe this woman? 

Answer ___________

Lady, running down to the riptide
Taken away to the dark side
I wanna be your left hand man
I love you when you're singing that song and
I got a lump in my throat because
You're gonna sing the words wrong

Oh lady, running down to the riptide
Taken away to the dark side
I wanna be your left hand man
I love you when you're singing that song and
I got a lump in my throat because
You're gonna sing the words wrong

Oh lady, running down to the riptide
Taken away to the dark side
I wanna be your left hand man
I love you when you're singing that song and
I got a lump in my throat because
You're gonna sing the words wrong
I got a lump in my throat because you're gonna sing the words wrong

Songwriters
KEOGH, JAMES

Published by
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

After-Reading

Click on this to get to the video Vance Joy's Riptide or go watch Everi's sweeter version in our Show Choir FB page July 11 entry.

13. Write a short paragraph to reflect on this exercise. Some Questions that you could consider are: What did you like about it? What was challenging for you? Did anything in this song resonate with you?
Answer ___________