Outside my head, I cast a shadow
I'm not someone who's seen this side of me
But it drifts across the ground, so down I look
And I can spend my time wondering who I was
And I can count the times that I had lost or won
And I can turn towards you and ask you what you saw
Oh, but what do these feelings mean?

Come meet me on this path of wonder
Take my hand, I'd like to share with you
Can we learn when we can't understand?
And we can spend our time wondering what could be
And we can ask of God to show us where we stand
And you can follow me back to where we met
Oh, but what have you been dreaming of?

And I'm gonna live, but I'm living far away
And I'm gonna die -- I'm dying for a way out
I'm dying for a way out
I'm dying for a way out


Lyrics submitted by benk0202, edited by turninto, jesyfortino

Dreamer song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment

    i feel like this song could be about the problem of trying to really know someone. when she says "outside my head i cast a shadow" she's talking about the person that other people see in her, but she's "not someone who's seen this side of me". she says "i can turn to you and ask you what you saw", to know how she appears to others, but it still doesn't give her any understanding of herself. i feel like the last lines are saying that she's stuck living inside her head, and is "dying for a way out" of it.

    owennnnnnnnnnon June 12, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    god this song is beautiful.

    souljagirlon July 13, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    The lyrics demonstrate the singer's confusion and her need for reassurance. In the first verse, she makes a list of simple "I could" statements. By the end of it, she asks, "...but what do these feelings mean?" which suggests that her efforts in trying to understand herself are not only fruitless but in a sense, pointless. Essentially, the singer delves into the deeper meanings under numbers and even words. ("count the times I had lost or won", "ask you what you saw") She does not want to know the facts. Rather, the singer wants to know the feelings that those facts evoke.

    jl009on July 22, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    A few corrections, as I hear it:

    but it drifts across the ground that down I look.

    and I could count the times that I am lost or won.

    I interpret this song as being the next day of a one night stand, but yeah, I have no idea. It is amazingly beautiful though.

    hemlock_echoon October 08, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Agree with jl009, I think she feels as if such thoughts are (needlessly) holding her back, and she's 'dying for a way out' of that imprisonment.

    Zuuzon February 19, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    One of the best written songs lyrically. I think she is having a conversation with her inner-ego.

    leonspruceon January 26, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Oh, Man, I had forgotten about this song. It's wonderful...one of my favorites. I am too tired to attempt to figure it out (and will do it no justice any way), but now I need to hear it again via Youtube. GREAT song!!!

    SillyCheekson March 14, 2012   Link

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