Seven Seas of Rhye

Just a question - this is probably very basic info, but I was just wondering about it.  At the end of Seven Seas of Rhye they sing 'O i do like to be beside the seaside...'.  I was just wondering, is that only the four voices of Queen or is someone else singing too?  I was listening to it today and just wondered.  Also, what does he 'seven seas of rhye' refer to?  Sorry for the very basic question, I'd just like to know for sure.  Thanks!

I'm pretty sure Freddie and his sister Kashmira had a magical land called Rhye that they made up when they were kids and he wrote it about that. i think, i'm not 100% sure. and i don't know if thats just the members of Queen or not. Very good question though.

As far as I know, 'O i do like to be beside the seaside...' is an old English folk(please correct me if I´m wrong). It also starts "Brighton Rock" on the album that follows...

Thanks for the replies!  i thought seven seas of rhye had some deep symbolic meaning or something, maybe not!  And yes, I do like to be beside the seaside is part of an old song, i was just wondering about the voices on it.  I couldn't make out who it was singing (there are a few places where one voice is louder then some others).  I was listening to it in the car though when i wondered about it, and my speakers aren't the best.  Maybe i should go somewhere quiet and listen on my ipod, it might be clearer.

That's just my observation. Maybe it's wrong. I'm not sure. It's about the meaning of "rhye". I saw translation of lyrics from English  to Russian. Where it was translated like more common "paradise". I don't know why so, I never found it in a dictionary.
Queer...

like every gd rock song.. this is a pure classic by all means :).. it brings u in as soon as the pinao kicks in..
the meaning on the other hand is a typical Freddie Mercury in mind..
We all know we have seven seas.. but rhy like some1 else sed itss bout a magical land lol

[QUOTE]

[b]catqueen wrote: [/b]

Thanks for the replies!  i thought seven seas of rhye had some deep symbolic meaning or something, maybe not!  And yes, I do like to be beside the seaside is part of an old song, i was just wondering about the voices on it.  I couldn't make out who it was singing (there are a few places where one voice is louder then some others).  I was listening to it in the car though when i wondered about it, and my speakers aren't the best.  Maybe i should go somewhere quiet and listen on my ipod, it might be clearer.[/QUOTE]
Tor what it is worth, the explanation I see in [i]Queen, Complete Works[/i] is:
"The words for [i]Seven Seas of Rhye[/i] are ambiguous and defiy any explanation; Roger himself said in 1999, [i]I never understood a word of it, and I don't think Freddie did either, but it was just sort of gestures really, but it was a fine song.[/i] The words work well together and create an aural painting of mythology; something which fascinated Freddie at this time (consider his other compositions, especially from the first three albums)."

This isn't necessarily the last word on the subject, but it is what I could find.

Thanks again for the replies, everyone!  I guess if Roger couldn't understand it, there's not much hope for me!  :)  But it sure makes more sense then it did the first time i heard it - "Fear me you sharp and shady secateurs".  (Secateurs, however its spelled, are a type of scissors used for gardening, trimming plants, etc!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Seas_of_Rhye

I reckon this link is a load of rubbish though...

[QUOTE]

[b]Angeline wrote: [/b]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Seas_of_Rhye

I reckon this link is a load of rubbish though... [/QUOTE]


Aha, aha!  i shall look it up!

Partial lyrics for "Lilly Of The Valley":-

"Messenger from Seven Seas has flown,
To tell the King Of Rhye he's lost his throne"

It also mentions "Serpent of the Nile" and "Neptune of the seas".

It's a shame if it's not based on a real story, because it sounds very intriguing.

First a HELLO to the QueenZone community.
This will be my first post :)

I found something very interesting:

The name Rhye is a short version of the girls name Rhiannon.
Rhiannon means "great queen".

http://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Rhye
http://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Rhiannon

"Rhiannon is a classic figure in Celtic or Welsh Literature, Welsh mythology or British mythology. She appears prominently in the Mabinogi."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhiannon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabinogion

Maybe Freddie was influenced by these books. Or maybe not.
I don´t know much about british mythology but that Mabinogion seems to be some intriguing piece of ancient literature.

[QUOTE] [b]catqueen wrote:[/b]

Thanks again for the replies, everyone!  I guess if Roger couldn't understand it, there's not much hope for me!  :)  But it sure makes more sense then it did the first time i heard it - "Fear me you sharp and shady secateurs".  (Secateurs, however its spelled, are a type of scissors used for gardening, trimming plants, etc!)
[/QUOTE]

I used to think it was 'shod and shady scimitars'.......not that makes any more sense..............

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Do_Like_To_be_Beside_the_Seaside


Theres the article about that little ditty..................

"I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside" is a popular British music hall song. It was written in 1907 by John A. Glover-Kind[1] and made famous by music hall singer Mark Sheridan who first recorded it in 1909.[2] It speaks of the singer's love for the seaside, and his wish to return there for his summer holidays each year. It was composed at a time when the yearly visits of the British working-class to the seaside were booming.


So there you have it..................I was actually watching the NCIS episode where Ducky started singing it................really took me by surprise! lol...................

And for the longest time I never realized that that was what was whistled at the start of Brighton Rock! :)



And by the way..........I remember someone saying here a long time ago that Freddie took "Rhye" from H.P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu"...........the fictional lost city of R'lyeh.............I seriously doubt that, however............(good story tho!)

[QUOTE] [b]The King Of Rhye wrote:[/b]

[QUOTE] [b]catqueen wrote:[/b]

Thanks again for the replies, everyone!  I guess if Roger couldn't understand it, there's not much hope for me!  :)  But it sure makes more sense then it did the first time i heard it - "Fear me you sharp and shady secateurs".  (Secateurs, however its spelled, are a type of scissors used for gardening, trimming plants, etc!)
[/QUOTE]

I used to think it was 'shod and shady scimitars'.......not that makes any more sense..............[/QUOTE]

The word is 'senators'! Not secateurs or scimitars. :)