Wild Surf
Come on
Yeah come on while you still can
Yeah come on while it still stands
Burning in my head
Tonight
Beneath the moon rays
We stand in the doorway
Looking towards other skies
They are yours and mine
For now
Yeah ride
Ride the wild surf
Until the dawn
Is ushered in at your word
Your heart must always burn
Yeah burn like a star in the cold night
Yeah burn until the dawn light
And make it to a new time
Burning in my head
Yeah so Come on
Yeah come on while you still can
Yeah come on while it still stands
Burning in my head
Tonight
The sky above us
Dark and wondrous
How could you be unsure
It’s all mine and yours
For now
Yeah ride
Ride the wild surf
Until the dawn
Is ushered in at your word
Your heart must always burn
Yeah burn like a star in the cold night
Yeah burn until the dawn light
And make it to a new time
Burning in my head
Yeah we’re gonna make it to the new times
We’re gonna make it from the old times
We’re gonna make it to the good times
That’s for sure
Ain’t gonna let it slip away
Ain’t gonna let this chance fade
Ain’t gonna let it go in vain
Ain’t gonna let it slip away
Yeah so Come on
Yeah come on while you still can
Yeah come on while it still stands
Burning in my head
In the cold night
Yeah burn until the dawn light
And make it to a new time
Burning in my head
Song Notes
The song had the working title “50s song”, and was on the set list as this when it was first performed live at Butzweilerhof, Cologne in Germany on August 15th 1997. The original version had different lyrics and song structure.
There is an extended version of the song with a guitar solo that is normally played live, this version appears on the US version of Nu-Clear Sounds and Intergalactic Sonic 7”s. The song was re-mixed by infamous Nirvana Nevermind producer Butch Vig for release in America.
Tim: I was reading Jack Kerouac’s On the Road while we were on the road and it really inspired this song. It’s about living life, “burning like roman candles across the night”. It means be positive and live your life well. Relax. The sound of it is sort of Nirvana meets the Beach Boys.
Rick and Charlotte during the Tim Burgess Twitter listening party for Nu-Clear Sounds in April 2020:
Rick: One of the first written for the record, I think we had the bones of this before the isolation kicked in. Which probably explains the feel of it. Almost would fit better on 1977 lyrically; although I think they were written during recording. Weird that it’s so positive, but I guess it was not all doom and gloom in the studio!
Charlotte: Did I write this guitar solo? The recorded version was edited but I think we always played the full-length version live. This feels like a song straddling 1977 and a new era. A little shaft of light before we dive into the Upside Down again.