Wish You Were Here

"Wish You Were Here"
Incubus

I dig my toes into the sand
The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket
I lean against the wind
Pretend that I am weightless
And in this moment, I am happy

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here

I lay my head onto the sand
The sky resembles a backlit canopy with holes punched in it
I'm counting UFOs
I signal them with my lighter
And in this moment I am happy...happy...

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here

The world's a roller coaster
And I am not strapped in
Maybe I should hold with care
But my hands are busy in the air

I wish you were here (until fades)

I love the lyrics to this song.  One of my fondest memories is of being on the beach at night, looking out at the surging water and smelling the salt as it blows in on a gentle breeze.  The verses in this song describe what it looks like perfectly.  I know the chorus isn't creative in the least, and to be honest, the melody and musical aspects of the song aren't all that awesome, but I love the imagery.  At night, that's exactly how the ocean looks - like countless diamonds strewn across a gigantic blue blanket, with the sky resembling a backlit canopy with random holes punched in it.  I hear these lyrics, and I can immediately feel the sand between my toes, the breeze through my clothes and hair, and smell the salt water.

Adding to the appeal of the lyrics is the fact that not only is the singer so happy to be where he/she is, but he/she also wants to share that happiness with another.  Clearly there is someone missing from the experience (because he/she is absent altogether, because of a break-up, or simply because he/she is sleeping in the hotel room), and although "in this moment" the subject is happy, there's still the slight feeling of something(one) missing.  A listener can relate to this song in two ways: either being the subject singing, wishing for the company of another, or the "you" in the chorus, thinking, "Yeah...I wish I was there, too..."  I think it's beautiful, all of it, and this song will forever stay on my Favorites playlist  =)