Songs of Straddie · track 19
Tides of Time
analysed
An older local stands rooted on the Goompi shoreline at Dunwich, watching a tide that keeps taking their yesterdays. Across the day they climb to Mooloomba's cliffs for sunset, then return at dark when the stars come out over the outgoing tide, and finally wade in, no longer afraid of what the water knows.
Arc: Starts standing still on the shore watching time slip away like the tide, and ends walking toward the water at nightfall having lost fear, pulled 'near to the truth'.
Images to shoot
the tide rolling in then slipping back out across wet sand at Goompi/Dunwicha lone figure standing dead still on the shoreline while everything moves around themsun setting over the cliffs at Mooloomba/Point Lookout, colours draining out of the skya single grain of sand held close, 'in every grain of sand there's a tale'small paper boats or memories 'that once set sail' drifting out on the waterthe world spinning slow: a long slow horizon rotation or star-trail time-lapsethe tide rolling out to reveal the stars appearing above the flatswading in up to the knees at night, fear left on the beach
Phrases for posters and merch
Verbatim lines that stand alone, for lyric posters, metal prints and t-shirts.
Tides of Time
The tide knows where we'll go
Watching time pass, it always will
In the waves, I lose my fear
We're just a part of the ocean's rhyme
Every wave brings stories untold
In the rhythm of life's endless song
The tide, it speaks in whispers low
Line by line
“The tide rolls in, then slips away”
Open on a static locked-off wide of wet sand: one wave advances, then retreats, leaving a darker tideline that slowly dries. Let the retreat be the emotional beat, not the arrival.
“On the shores of Goompi, I stand still”
A single figure planted on the Dunwich shoreline, feet half-buried, absolutely motionless while water, gulls and cloud shadows move around them. Everything in frame drifts except the person.
“Watching time pass, it always will”
Hold a very long take on the figure's face in profile against the water. No cut. Let real time pass on screen so the audience feels the stillness the lyric names.
“Every wave brings stories untold”
Macro on the foam edge as each wave deposits something small: a shell, a feather, a scrap of driftwood. Treat each object like a page the sea is handing over.
“From the ancient past to the future's hold”
One slow push-in on the same stretch of beach, match-dissolving between an ancient midden shell layer and a child's fresh footprint pressing into the same sand.
“The sun sets over Mooloomba's cliffs”
Silhouette the figure on the Point Lookout headland, low sun behind the cliff line. Shoot into the light so the cliff edge burns gold and the person goes to shadow.
“The colors fade, but love still lifts”
As the sky desaturates in real time, cut to two hands finding each other in the dimming light. The colour drains from everything except the warmth between two people.
“In every grain of sand, there's a tale”
Extreme macro: a single grain rolled between finger and thumb, rack-focused so the whole beach behind falls to soft bokeh. The smallest thing holds the whole story.
“Of dreams and hearts that once set sail”
Small handmade paper boats, each with a name written on it, set adrift from the shallows and carried out. A quiet nod to the album's handwritten-sign motif.
“With every turn, the world spins slow”
Locked-off star-trail time-lapse over the outgoing tide, or a slow horizon roll, so the literal turning of the world becomes visible rather than metaphorical.
“But the tide knows where we'll go”
Overhead drone straight down on the figure standing at the water's edge, the retreating tide drawing long fingers of channel around them like it is deciding a direction.
“So we breathe, we wait, we grow”
Three tight beats cut to the sound of surf: a chest rising, eyes closing to wait, a green shoot in the dune spinifex. Breath, patience, growth in three simple images.
“In the silence, there's more to know”
Drop the music to near silence and hold only ambient surf and wind. A campfire circle from the album world sits quiet, everyone listening rather than talking.
“The tide, it speaks in whispers low”
Ear-level close-up at the foam line, the mic and lens right down where the last thin sheet of water hisses back into the sand. The sea is literally whispering.
“The tide rolls out, the stars appear”
Time-lapse from dusk to full dark: as the water withdraws to reveal shining wet flats, the first stars come out and mirror in the pools. Sky and sand share the same lights.
“In the waves, I lose my fear”
The figure finally walks in, knee-deep in the dark water, back to camera, shoulders dropping. Leave a coat or shoes behind on the dry sand as the fear they set down.
Lyrics
Verse 1
The tide rolls in, then slips away,
Just like the moments of our yesterday.
On the shores of Goompi, I stand still,
Watching time pass, it always will.
Every wave brings stories untold,
From the ancient past to the future’s hold.
Chorus
Tides of time, they carry us all,
From the rise of life to the endless fall.
With every turn, the world spins slow,
But the tide knows where we’ll go.
Tides of time, we’re swept along,
In the rhythm of life’s endless song.
Verse 2
The sun sets over Mooloomba’s cliffs,
The colors fade, but love still lifts.
In every grain of sand, there’s a tale,
Of dreams and hearts that once set sail.
We’re just a part of the ocean’s rhyme,
Lost in the waves, caught in time.
Chorus
Tides of time, they carry us all,
From the rise of life to the endless fall.
With every turn, the world spins slow,
But the tide knows where we’ll go.
Tides of time, we’re swept along,
In the rhythm of life’s endless song.
Bridge
So we breathe, we wait, we grow,
In the silence, there’s more to know.
The tide, it speaks in whispers low,
Of where we’ve been and where we’ll go.
Chorus
Tides of time, they carry us all,
From the rise of life to the endless fall.
With every turn, the world spins slow,
But the tide knows where we’ll go.
Tides of time, we’re swept along,
In the rhythm of life’s endless song.
Outro
The tide rolls out, the stars appear,
In the waves, I lose my fear.
Tides of time, they pull us near,
To the truth, ever clear.
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