Songfacts®:

• This song was inspired by the Ben Kingsley film, The Wackness. Singer Scott Hutchinson explained to The Sun February 28, 2010: "There's a scene in it which Kingsley's character goes down to the sea and starts swimming and swimming. I think he's trying to kill himself, but he gets so far and realizes he'd rather come back."
• Hutchinson explained on the band's website: "'Swim Until You Can't See Land' was the title I had in my mind before I even started writing the album; I was becoming more and more interested in the idea of a rejection of the habits and behavior most people see as normal, and in turn embracing a certain madness. It's about losing your mind in order to reset the mind and the body. Forget what's gone before and wash it out. This is not necessarily a geographical journey, as the 'swim' can involve any activity in which you can lose yourself. It's a good introduction to the record as the theme unravels therein."
• The song's music video was filmed at Glasgow's Sub Club in September 2009.