Against The Tide by Colin Hay is a song about a relationship that has fallen apart, but the protagonist is still unable to let go of the memories and the love he once shared with his partner. The opening lines describe the broken lines of communication between him and his partner, but despite this, he remains hopeful that they will find their way back to each other. He compares their journey to walking in a beautiful forest, but eventually the trees become thin and offer little shade, leaving them exposed to the sun, and symbolizing the difficult times that they had to face. The protagonist admits that he sleepwalks at night because he is unable to let go of his memories, and he is searching for a way to move on. He struggles against the tide of his emotions and longs to reach the other side, where he can find peace. He knows that he cannot wait until the end to make things right, but he has hope that they will find a way back to each other. The chorus of the song talks about how the protagonist feels that his love for his partner is like the rain, saturating everything around, and he cannot let go of the memories they shared. He has a sense of being watched over, and he knows that he will not drown. Towards the end of the song, the protagonist realizes that his partner has moved out of reach and slipped out of his hands, but he still lives in the dreams that he has of them together. He is carried away by the tide but still holds on, knowing that he can no longer pretend that everything is okay. In summary, Against The Tide is a heartfelt song about a person struggling to come to terms with a relationship that has ended. Despite the broken lines of communication, the protagonist remains hopeful that they will find their way back to each other, but he knows that he needs to move on and let go of the memories for his own sake.
