Quadrophenia

Lyrics II

5:15 

This songs creates a scene where Jimmy is headed back to Brighton on a train to 'relive' the riot. He is high on amphetamines and confuses many of the train passengers as he makes his way through the cabins. Jimmy is nostalgic of the day of the riot and wants to relive it. He may be doing this because he misses it or because he wants to check to see if that day was really as special as he thought it was. 

The lyrics capture everything Jimmy has experienced for the past few years, making the listeners also have a nostalgic experience. 

Out of my brain on the train
Out of my brain on the train
On a raft in the quarry
Slowly sinking
Back of a lorry
Holy hitching

Sea and Sand

Once at Brighton, Jimmy comes to realize what a small and quiet town it is. He walks throughout the scenes of the riot, retracing everything he did and trying to feel it again. The theme of the sea is emphasized as it was in the opening track, and it represents the town of Brighton.

Here by the sea and sand
Nothing ever goes as planned
I just couldn't face going home
It was just a drag on my own
They finally threw me out
My mom got drunk on stout
My dad couldn't stand on two feet
As he lectured about morality

Drowned

This song shows Jimmy's feeling as he comes to terms with reality. He literally feels drowned as he realizes the falsehood of the riot at Brighton and the fact that perhaps it wasn't as revolutionary as he felt. He has given up in life and doesn't know where to go or what to do next. 

Let me flow into the ocean
Let me get back to the sea
Let me be stormy and let me be calm
Let the tide in, and set me free

I'm flowing under bridges
Then flying through the sky
I'm traveling down cold metal
Just a tear in a baby's eye

Bell Boy

Jimmy discovers that one of his idols who seemed to be a glorified Mod actually works as a bell boy at a hotel. This was the final evidence to Jimmy that things are not quite what they seem. Everything that he cared about has, in a sense, has abandoned him. 

Ain't you the guy who used to set the paces
Riding up in front of a hundred faces
I don't suppose you would remember me
But I used to follow you back in sixty-three

I've got a good job, and I'm newly born
You should see me dressed up in my uniform
I work in hotel, all gilt and flash
Remember the place where the doors were smashed?

Doctor Jimmy

Now all of Jimmy's emotions are breaching at the same moment, causing him to feel overwhelmed. This scene enhances what he felt before, a sense of abandonment from everything he ever cared about, and leads to lyrics which present a violent and unstable Jimmy. 

'Doctor' could be referring to the fact that Jimmy cannot rely on any real doctors or psychiatrists and has to instead become his own. 

Laugh and say I'm green
I've seen things you'll never see
Talk behind my back
I'm off the beaten track
I'll take on anyone
Ain't scared of a bloody nose
Drink 'til I drop down
With one eye on my clothesWhat is it?
I'll take it
Who is she?
I'll rape it
Got a bet there?
I'll meet it
Getting high?
You can't beat it

The Rock

This instrumental track creates the sound of waves - both the waves at sea and the waves of emotions that Jimmy is feeling. In the opera, Jimmy steals a boat and rides out to sea where he sits and thinks. There is some sense of hope and waiting, but overall, Jimmy is overwhelmed with both the world around him and his own self. 

Love Reign O'er Me

In a sense, Jimmy is coming to terms with himself in this song. However, the lyrics are mysterious and it is unknown how Jimmy is at the end. He realizes love is a controlling force, as is his own mind and the world around him. The theme of water (reign/rain) can also represent a sense of cleansing that Jimmy has at this moment. There is still conflict present in the lyrics, however, and the outcome of Jimmy's story is left for the listeners to determine. 

Only love
Can make it rain
The way the beach is kissed by the sea
Only love
Can make it rain
Like the sweat of lovers'
Laying in the fieldsLove, reign o'er me
Love, reign o'er me, rain on me, rain on me

*By the way, I think this is literally one of the most beautiful songs ever. I actually cried the first time hearing it. It's really quite the masterpiece.