Please slow it down
There's a secret magic past world that you only notice when you're looking back at it
All I wanna do is turn around
I'm going down to sleep on the bottom of the ocean

Because I couldn't let go when the water hit the setting sun
Passing white daisies taking turns
Close the door walk into the street
Catching raindrops on your tongue

And for a minute it all stops but it won't last man
It's just a passing moment gone
Please slow it down
There's a secret place that I know where I could dig a grave out and climb underground for good

All I want to do is turn around
I'm going down to sleep on the bottom of the ocean
Because I couldn't let go when the water hit the setting sun
Passing white daisies taking turns

All those evenings on the back deck of our first apartment
They meant everything but the wind just carried em off
And you can't go back now just a passing moment gone



Lyrics submitted by SameOldStory

Track duration: 03:11

"White Daisy Passing" as written by Rocky Votolato

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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White Daisy Passing song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment: "I'm going down to sleep at the bottom of the ocean. Cause I couldn't let go, when the water hit the setting sun." - this line makes me sad.

    If a boy put this up after a night that we spent talking forever and then we got into a fight. Him telling me that he doesnt exist in my world. Is that a good or bad thing?

    :(
    Flag journeylove412on April 05, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:If I had to pick any song I relate to the most, this has got to be it. Hence my username.

    This line pretty much says it all "Cause I couldn't let go, when the water hit the setting sun/just a passing moment gone" Like others have posted, it's talking about trying to preserve a moment as much as you can knowing you can't hold onto it and you spend your days trying to relive that moment.
    Flag whitedaisypassingon October 18, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I think this song was def inspired by The Great Gatsby: the characters are all living in the past and not appreciating life while we live it. the "white daisy" could refer to Daisy Buchanan, etc.

    (writing a paper on this right now, and so I have Fitzgerald on the brain)
    Flag aliauthoron November 20, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:In response to thisguyukno, I agree with much of what you say. But if you watch the Video on YouTube that Rocky did, it really helps to explain the words. It's about enjoying the wonderful moments of life - that are "captured" and "memorialized" and then appreciated in the present. His desire to be buried is not a wish for death. Note: "there's a secret place that I know where I could dig a grave out and climb underground for good" means that he wants to be memorialized like the statues he is enjoying with his wife (note rings) in the video. If he is memorialized he can then hold onto the moment longer. This is similar with going "to sleep at the bottom of the ocean" in that he doesn't want the day to end - he wants to travel with the sun beneath the water's edge. Interesting too is that the tombstones in the video have some of the exact words from the song. His wife is wearing a necklace of an anchor - in the next scene they are both visiting a real anchor on the ground - another memorial. This anchor of course would "lie at the bottom of the ocean." In fact the sign at the foot of the anchor says: "went to sleep on the bottom of the ocean." And so the anchor is now in the present a memorial. Many other things to note in this video- but that's all the time I have. Great poetry, great song!
    Flag BrokenLyreon March 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I disagree with trentonite and argue that this song is most definitely about nostalgia of a past relationship with someone, if not fully then at least partly. The biggest clue is the line “all those evenings on the back deck of OUR first apartment”. Getting an apartment with someone is kind of a big step in most relationships - it’s very special feeling to finally call a place “ours” apartment instead of “mine”, which is why he mentions it. So, unless Rocky is gay, I don’t think he’d be reminiscing about the time he first became roommates with his best friend or whatever.

    Moving on, this song is very beautiful and sad in its lyrics. It is not about how sweet it is to reflect on life’s memories or about enjoying the moment because reminiscing never brings back the past. The guy is obviously nostalgic about a significant other to say the least, and also perhaps nostalgic for the good times with him/her and/or good/simpler times in the past in general.

    I could be wrong, but the “please slow it down” line of the chorus seems to me that he’s trying to talk things out with his ex or soon-to-be ex, telling her to calm down her hysteria or her trash-talking from the fight that their having or her walking out on him, basically to slow her momentum towards leaving him/things turning sour.

    Or also it could be Rocky just stating his thought of wanting time to slow down just a bit because he’s not over this girl and/or the good ol’ times and wants to be closer to this past than keeps getting farther away as time passes.

    The first one fits better because, although trentonite thinks otherwise, the “secret magic past world” line is probably Rocky trying to tell his girlfriend to perhaps reflect on their relationship and think about the good times before doing anything drastic, or even post-break-up trying to win her back, because in general you forget about ALL the good times with someone when not being existential every once in awhile. That she just keeps focusing on the bad when there is/was so much good in their relationship.

    Rocky really wants her back, or really wants to bring the relationship back to the way things used to be, those better, simpler times - “all I want to do is turn around”. But he can’t let go of this ideal as these good times are coming to an end or already ended - he couldn’t let go of the “setting sun”. And when you look at a sun setting on an ocean, it seems like it’s sinking to the bottom of the ocean as it disappears, and Rocky is down their latched onto it, essentially drowning.

    So yeah the two verses with him/them “passing white daises” is easier to interpret. It’s just two different memories of the good times that once were - very innocent, simple and beautiful like white daisy. And walking past daises is also very care/worryfree in it of itself. Catching raindrops on your tongue? I mean, who does that shit anymore? I wish people were still that romantic but you might be called kitchy for doing.

    Rocky also wants to die thinking about all this crap, “dig a grave out and climb underground for good”. Drama. I wouldn’t go that far.

    But yeah, the events where it stops raining because time stopped it because it can’t rain forever, and the wind metaphorically blowing away the memories on the back deck are significant in that they are both very or relatively unstoppable forces. The sun setting too is pretty unstoppable.

    Rocky knows this. But he can still at the least be in denial and long and mourn about it all. This guy’s hurting.

    Sorry if i ruined the magic of this song, but that’s what I think it’s about, and why.
    Flag thisguyuknoon October 02, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I disagree with trentonite and argue that this song is most definitely about nostalgia of a past relationship with someone, if not fully then at least partly. The biggest clue is the line “all those evenings on the back deck of OUR first apartment”. Getting an apartment with someone is kind of a big step in most relationships - it’s very special feeling to finally call a place “ours” apartment instead of “mine”, which is why he mentions it. So, unless Rocky is gay, I don’t think he’d be reminiscing about the time he first became roommates with his best friend or whatever.

    Moving on, this song is very beautiful and sad in its lyrics. It is not about how sweet it is to reflect on life’s memories or about enjoying the moment because reminiscing never brings back the past. The guy is obviously nostalgic about a significant other to say the least, and also perhaps nostalgic for the good times with him/her and/or good/simpler times in the past in general.

    I could be wrong, but the “please slow it down” line of the chorus seems to me that he’s trying to talk things out with his ex or soon-to-be ex, telling her to calm down her hysteria or her trash-talking from the fight that their having or her walking out on him, basically to slow her momentum towards leaving him/things turning sour.

    Or also it could be Rocky just stating his thought of wanting time to slow down just a bit because he’s not over this girl and/or the good ol’ times and wants to be closer to this past than keeps getting farther away as time passes.

    The first one fits better because, although trentonite thinks otherwise, the “secret magic past world” line is probably Rocky trying to tell his girlfriend to perhaps reflect on their relationship and think about the good times before doing anything drastic, or even post-break-up trying to win her back, because in general you forget about ALL the good times with someone when not being existential every once in awhile. That she just keeps focusing on the bad when there is/was so much good in their relationship.

    Rocky really wants her back, or really wants to bring the relationship back to the way things used to be, those better, simpler times - “all I want to do is turn around”. But he can’t let go of this ideal as these good times are coming to an end or already ended - he couldn’t let go of the “setting sun”. And when you look at a sun setting on an ocean, it seems like it’s sinking to the bottom of the ocean as it disappears, and Rocky is down their latched onto it, essentially drowning.

    So yeah the two verses with him/them “passing white daises” is easier to interpret. It’s just two different memories of the good times that once were - very innocent, simple and beautiful like white daisy. And walking past daises is also very care/worryfree in it of yourself. Catching raindrops on your tongue? I mean, who does that shit anymore? I wish people that romantic still but you might be called kitchy for doing.

    Rocky also wants to die thinking about all this crap, “dig a grave out and climb underground for good”. Drama. I wouldn’t go that far.

    But yeah, time stopping the fun had in the rain and the wind metaphorically blowing away the memories on the back deck significant in that they are both very/relatively unstoppable forces. The sun setting too is pretty unstoppable.

    Rocky knows this. But he can still at the least be in denial and long and mourn about it all. This guy’s hurting.

    Sorry if i ruined the magic of this song, but that’s what I think it’s about, and why.
    Flag thisguyuknoon October 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the line that makes me sad is all those evenings on the back deck of our first apartment, they meant everything but the wind just carried them off.

    maybe not quite sad, but it does get me there
    Flag royalewithcheeseon February 04, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:first song i heard by rocky. got me hooked. i love the harmonics, something in the chord progression gives me chills. it's addictive, but at least it's a semi-healthy addiction.
    Flag SnazzJazzon December 26, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"couldn't let go when the water hit the setting sun"

    Sort of reminds me of robert frost, nothing gold can stay. I dont know the exact circumstances, but he's in love with something beautiful and lost it but can't let go of it. Magic.
    Flag riley490on December 09, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song makes me want to take a roadtrip for some reason.
    Flag weirdfisheson December 02, 2007   Link

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