Inspiration Behind Beyond the Sea:
Beyond the Sea was initially inspired by the French chanson “La Mer” written by Charles Trenet. However, Bobby Darin’s vision for this song included a romantic big-band anthem. La Mer was poetic, treating the ocean as a special place, evoking images of waves, wind and birds of the sea. Behind the scenes, Bobby battled multiple bouts of rheumatic fever which doctors warned his mother that he may not make it to 30. This looming condition fueled a sense of urgency within Bobby to write Beyond the Sea at age 22.
Biblical Application:
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good, Genesis 1:9-10.
Exegesis of Beyond the Sea:
Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe
And he keeps it out of sight
Images of fable creatures of the sea mixed with poetry.
You know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, though, wears old Macheath, babe
So there’s never, never a trace of red
Unusual stanza to sing to a woman unless it’s Shark Week. A poetic image of a shark attack.
Now on the sidewalk, huh-huh, huh
Ooh, Sunday mornin’, uh-huh
Lies a body just oozin’ life, eek!
And someone’s sneakin’ ’round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?
Bobby appears to be using fear to drive a woman into his arms. Using the reference of a knife attack at the edge of a hidden corner.
A-there’s a tugboat, huh, huh, ah-ah
Down by the river, don’t you know?
Where a cement bag’s just a-droopin’ on down
Oh, that cement is just, it’s there for the weight, dear
Five’ll get you ten, old Mack, he’s back in town
Bobby goes from watching a tugboat tow a larger vessel through a narrow waterway to slang like a lounge singer pointing out that Old Mack is back.
Now did ya hear ’bout Louie Miller?
He disappeared, babe
After drawin’ out all his hard-earned cash
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor
Could it be our boy’s done somethin’ rash?
Poiting out an interesting current event, a disappearance. Expecting the worse. trying to figure out what went wrong.
Now, Jenny Diver, ho, ho, yeah, Suky Tawdry
Ooh, Miss Lotte Lenya, and Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
Now that Mack, he’s back in town
Pointing out people of his era as lines form to watch them go by. Or this is some form of a line dance with the individuals mentioned leading the way.
I said, Jenny Diver, whoa, Suky Tawdry
Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Mack, he’s back in town
Look out, Old Mack, he is back!
The final chorus is similar to the one just above with a few differences. Old Mack is back was a common saying in this era of entertainment and music.
Final Thoughts:
This is by far the most difficult exegesis I have performed so far. Between the poetry references and names well before my time, Beyond the Sea is difficult to break down. Understanding “La Mer” would help, but this song reflects an age before I was born. From the melody perspective, the beat and sound have kept Beyond the Sea relative through the years, especially during the summer. If I lived during the Big Band Era, I would have loved to learn the ballroom dance to Beyond the Sea and other classics of this time period.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 