It's a mosaic of interweaving textures and emotions that naturally shifts from crunchy 1960s surf rock to elegiac folk every few bars. It perfectly captures the character of the Pacific Ocean: its gigantic waves with crushing, destructive power, and its simultaneous tranquil, healing power, constantly changing from moment to moment.
I never knew what had inspired the song until I ran across a video of Farrell at his Lollapalooza fest, giving his audience a synopsis: he was vacationing in Tahiti with friends. His buddy went out to surf, and (Farrell thought) he hadn't come back, even though it was getting dark. So Farrell took a kayak out to find him and got very lost. The kayak capsized, and he had to swim back with only the moonlight above him. Treading water in the middle of nowhere, he quickly came to grips with the fact that he might die.
So that's why the song is manic one moment and zen-like the next.
It's one of those wildly creative, evocative tracks I just never tire of.
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