Thomas Dolby - One Of Our Submarines Lyrics






...Missing... missing... missing... missing...

One of our submarines is missing tonight
Seems she ran aground on manoeuvres
One of our submarines

A hungry heart
To regulate their breathing
One more night
The Winter Boys are freezing in their spam tin
The Baltic moon
Along the northern seaboard
And down below
The Winter Boys are waiting for the storm

Bye-bye, empire; empire, bye-bye
Shallow water - channel and tide

And I can trace my history
Down one generation to my home
In one of our submarines
One of our submarines

Red lights flicker, sonar weak
Air valves hissing open
Half her pressure blown away
Flounder in the ocean
See the Winter Boys
Drinking heavy water from a stone

Bye-bye, empire; empire, bye-bye
Shallow water - channel and tide
Bye-bye empire, empire bye-bye
Tired illusion drown in the night

And I can trace my history
Down one generation to my home
In one of our submarines
One of our submarines
One of our submarines





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Thomas Dolby One Of Our Submarines Comments
  1. E.... O....

    A prophecy on Kursk?

  2. B.... A....

    I'm a 1984 high school graduate. I've always adored Thomas Dolby's sound -- "Gnarly! That whole band is just one dude! He's got like one synthesizer! Sounds like a whole orchestra!" His quick drop off the pop charts never make sense to me. His submarine flew north I guessed, until a few years ago when I researched him, from "no way a talent like that moves to Van Nuys to putter to the mailbox in his robe." Good news: World? Please allow me to introduce the inventor of the very app. "Which one?" No, Son. The tool itself. The Application. I'm pretty sure he slipped on out to Silicon Valley even before it bore the name, and invented the most rudimentary tools we use today. Like what got us past CB radios? I don't understand myself. But certainly on that most basic level. "Heddy Lamar and Dolby, sitting in a tree, inventing jumping of frequency!" Somebody fact check me on what all I brought up. :) Thank you!!!

  3. M.... C....

    This song is absolutely PERFECT!!!!

  4. H.... ....

    I really hope my comment wasn't deleted. And I have to wonder when it's gone, 77 comments are given as the total, but 38 are visible.

  5. m.... i....

    Thomas lives in between human league and new order in Monterey

  6. f.... ....

    This song was Ahead of it's time in the 80's

  7. J.... C....

    The section of this song from 4:00-5:00, the synth array, dolbys lyrics. Yeah man.

  8. J.... T....

    Epic tune...thank you Mr. Dolby.

  9. R.... G....

    First heard this song back in the day.....80s...great song song.

  10. A.... L....

    I wish the whole album was on spotify...at least I found it somewhere. Reminds me of my dad.

  11. M.... H....

    My older brother had this album back in 1982/83. I was 7/8 years old at that time. Wasn't a day goes by I didn't hear this on a daily basis back then. Still, get the feels listening to it today in my 40s. The song is a MASTERPIECE!

  12. J.... H....

    The extended version back in the day was just as good. You are definitely one of a kind. Can't beat that.

  13. D.... B....

    I heard this song the first time March 1983 when I got into my car leaving the hospital after my childhood best friend died. I was 18 years old.

  14. R.... L....

    I was hurt that this was on Spotify and has since been removed! Thanks for having it hear and in HD.

  15. T.... ....

    Somehow this manages to make a crew of men dying in a submarine, being so desperate as to drink their own fuel, sound good, but not in a way to make you feel any better about the setting. Bravo Mr. Dolby, Bravo

  16. m.... i....

    A stunning dazzler mazzler you were fearfully created what nor withers nor toils simplest that's Best as light and darkness 🌕🌑

  17. J.... S....

    What a great song, especially when you hear the back story. Dolby is a pure musical genius! So much great music came out around that time. Much of it was very spacey too. This song reminds me of Planet P. Their album came out around the same time.

  18. L.... J....

    Better everytime I hear it. Fabulous.

  19. M.... Z....

    loved this album. Listened to it all of the time. He was awesome!

  20. M.... V....

    There's an awful lot of wires on that album cover. Anyways I love this song 👍

  21. B.... F....

    This deserves more views and more likes

  22. T.... H....

    Still better than anything in "music" currently in 2019.

    T.... H....

    you clearly just haven't looked hard enough, get off your high horse

    T.... H....

    @FlowingLily Exactly. Here are just some nice songs released this year. Only 1 song per band/artist

    Baby, You're a Haunted House - Gerard Way
    The Archer - Taylor Swift
    The End of the Game - Weezer
    I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don't Wanna Die Anymore - Waterparks
    I Don't Want To - Mal Blum
    Telescope - Cavetown
    Upperdrugs - Highly Suspect
    People - The 1975
    wish you were gay - Billie Eilish
    Mantra - Bring Me The Horizon
    Follow God - Kanye West
    Stayaway - MUNA
    Hope For The Underrated Youth - YUNGBLUD
    White Mercedes - Charli XCX
    Great Party - Frank Iero and The Future Violents
    Show & Tell - Melanie Martinez
    Ready To Let Go - Cage the Elephant
    Mother's Daughter - Miley Cyrus
    Uncomfortably Numb - American Football
    “Wasteland, Baby!” - Hozier
    Absinthe - I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
    Boys Like You - Dodie Clark

    This is by no means a complete list of the best music of the year, just a random list songs I myself (someone who predominantly listens to rock and sometimes pop/hip hop) have enjoyed.

  23. J.... M....

    I used to love to take long rides early in the morning on the Connecticut highways back in the early 80's firing up a bone and listening to this, Airwaves and Screen Kiss by T.D. along with The Fixx, Gary Numan and AFoS.

    J.... M....

    Firing up a bone? I remember being gutted the next album was so different. Still good, i just wanted more of this luscious stuff. I still do :)

  24. N.... T....

    I'm still there, O'hara..
    seated on the back of my Geo Metro on that country road, seeing stars so clearly in that winter twilight, and gazing into our memories.

  25. m.... ....

    Such a great song ... bye bye empire, empire bye bye --

  26. T.... B....

    one of our tangerines is missing

  27. t.... ....

    epic synth sounds! what a classic~~~~

  28. H.... A....

    I love this song so much. Thanks for uploading and thank you Thomas Dolby for being a genius.

  29. N.... ....

    This song is so brilliant and still today; now, innovative. Master class. I am still stealing from it.

  30. 2.... m....

    Sound like Prince remixed by Aphex Twin!

  31. O.... M....

    2018 still getting it!

  32. S.... M....

    It's sad to think that no 21st century child will ever understand just how unbelievably awesome this sounded on a Sony Walkman in 1982. :)

    S.... M....

    You should have tried a Sony Professional Walkman!

    S.... M....

    @HappyQuails oh i know, right? i just thought it was great that the sanyo sounded so much better than my 1974, aero-dynamic red panasonic portable cassette recorder i'd been using for like eight years, haha!!

    S.... M....

    @Monika Radzaj love you have it...but i believe he was going for a feel, a particualr period of time...Walkmans were rare at that time...and Stereo was king. Not insulting you at all...but a feeling in time

    S.... M....

    I was born in 2005 and I love music from the 60s 70s 80s and 90s

    S.... M....

    Born at the end of 1999 here. I have this on vinyl, it's one of my favourite albums

  33. L.... E....

    I had a Walkman that was so loud that when I used to blast this track my teeth would vibrate

  34. H.... T....

    Used to listen to this in the early 80's, superb to hear it again....through the airwaves, no one ever reads the airwaves....still excellent now in 2018 ❤

  35. C.... M....

    PURE BRILLIANCE! This is TD at his creativeness best. I love this

  36. j.... K....

    I loved this whole album. I borrowed it from my sister all the time ❤

    j.... K....

    Me too. I listened to it incessantly in the early 80s.

  37. T.... S....

    TITS brought me here ;)

    T.... S....

    Oh god that acronym.

    T.... S....

    Good job Fenoxo

    T.... S....

    WAIT , WHAT?

    T.... S....

    Your tits brought you here...... Really? O_o My ears brought me here.

  38. f.... j....

    The inspiration for the song was Dolby's late uncle, who died as a submarine crewman during World War II. On February 2, 2018, Dolby published this statement on his personal Facebook page:[2]

    In 1981 I wrote a song called 'One Of Our Submarines.' It was the B-side to the single 'She Blinded Me With Science', and the two songs were included on a reissue of my debut album The Golden Age of Wireless.

    In interviews I often told the story of my uncle, Stephen Spring-Rice, who was 2nd in command of a British Navy WW2 submarine P48 when it sank, with the loss of all hands. In the song lyrics, his submarine 'ran aground on maneuvers.' I imagined this took place off the coast of England in a non-combat situation, near Plymouth where she was stationed. This was the story as I remembered it in family folklore—or as I pictured it at the time. (I have often written lyrics that rhymed and scanned and used poetic license, without much solid research behind them!) In 1981 not much was known or published about Stephen’s U-boat, P48, other than a book by the same title that included a dedication to 'Sprice.'

    In the 35+ years since I wrote the song, a great deal more information about P48 has come to light. Certain naval records have become declassified. Commissioned in 1942, she had a short-lived but quite action-packed career. In particular, it is now known that Stephen’s sub, P48, was actually lost off the coast of Tunisia. She was depth charged by an Italian motor torpedo boat Ardente on Christmas Day in 1942 at 37°15'N, 10°30'E, near to Zembre Island. She was tracking an important enemy ship convoy, one of which she may have destroyed. It is not clear whether she sank right away or survived initially only to perish elsewhere.[3]
    In the last few months, a dive expedition off the North African coast believe they have located the wreck of the P48 submarine. In July 2018 they hope to dive to the wreck, which may reveal clearer a clearer picture of her sinking. Obviously, I’m very keen to follow their progress, and I will update the story I tell—though it’s a little too late to change the lyrics to 'One Of Our Submarines.' [TMDR]

    f.... j....

    @Debora Lorraine WOW you took the time from your street corner ho business to message me! I'm flattered, But have 1 rule, if you can't cure it with penicillin, don't fuck with it! Sorry, not interested.

    f.... j....

    @Aidan Xavier Aidan, you can lead Steven to water..... but you can't make him read what Thomas Dolby wrote.

    f.... j....

    Thank you for sharing the true version...incredibly emotional song...master piece.

    f.... j....

    @Steven Krappe "Not sure about all that...." Dolby's OWN words!! Hoistroical fact.

  39. D.... T....

    Sweet memories

  40. r.... h....

    Takes me back to my 20's in Palm Springs.  I thought I was in love with someone....it was not meant to be but this was "our song".   Truly one of my submarines is missing ....

    r.... h....

    Truly a feel good Love song, Richie.

    r.... h....

    The Coachella Valley welcomes you back! From a Desert Rat 760

    r.... h....

    it might be possible to go back-but we'd have to forget a lot, y'know, everything since then, wouldn't it be nice to go back, but knowin' what we now know? what if there was a way... yeah, i'd be lookin' for that!
    'europa' is more of a love song to me--love thomas dolby!