Now, my only goal is to see
And I'm always fast asleep
It takes more than strength to find
This peace of mind

So I'll hold, hold, hold
Hold it close to my heart
Beating with every step
Hold, hold, hold it close

He sleeps alone
He needs no army where he's headed
'Cause he knows
That they're just ghosts
And they can't hurt him if he can't see them, oh
And I may go
To places I have never been to
Just to find
The deepest desires in my mind

We, we only know what we see
'Cause we're always fast asleep
Is it so hard not to believe
That we'll never know

Oh, hold, hold, hold
Hold me close
I've never been this far from home
Hold, hold, hold me close
He sleeps alone
He needs no army where he's headed
'Cause he knows
That they're just ghosts
And they can't hurt him if he can't see them, oh
And I may go
To places I have never been to
Just to find
The deepest desires in my mind

They're in my head
And I have said
That I must be like you now
Who sleeps alone
Who sleeps alone
And one last chance
To make sense
Of what has long escaped us
He sleeps alone
I sleep alone

He sleeps alone
He needs no army where he's headed
'Cause he knows
That they're just ghosts
And they can't hurt him if he can't see them, oh
And I don't know if in the morning I will be here
And if so
Let it be known
That I was worthy, I was worthy, I was worthy, I was
Oh
Oh



Lyrics submitted by Thermidor, edited by janeaparis1

Track duration: 03:56

"Sleep Alone" as written by Alexander James/baird Trimble

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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Sleep Alone song meanings
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2 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:I don't think it's intentional but this song could be interpreted as being about a murder-suicide. Originally I just thought insomnia and nightmares leading to a suicide "I don't know if in the morning I will be here" but I'll see if I can fit the murder in

    Now, my only goal is to see
    And I'm always fast asleep
    It takes more than strength to find
    This peace of mind
    Either before or after the murder, he has difficulty finding "peace of mind". Also the idea of only wanting to be able to see when he's asleep. Either he's afraid of his life, of what he'll see when he's awake "fast asleep" representing peacefulness, innocence. Or he's contemplating suicide, he doesn't want to be awake anymore.

    So I'll hold, hold, hold
    Hold it close to my heart
    Beating with every step
    Hold, hold, hold it close
    There's something which he is trying to keep hidden, holding it close to himself. Either his violent urges or some tortured psyche which later causes him to commit the crimes

    He sleeps alone
    He needs no army where he's headed
    'Cause he knows
    That they're just ghosts
    And they can't hurt him if he can't see them, oh
    And I may go
    To places I have never been to
    Just to find
    The deepest desires in my mind
    The first part of the chorus definitely fits in, in a weird way. If you believe in any gods then generally doing something dreadful (in this case, murder) causes you to be punished in an afterlife. The dead "he" "needs no army" because he has done nothing wrong, he is innocent. "Where he's going", the afterlife isn't frightening to him because he'll end up in heaven (or your equivalent). The narrator, on the other hand, needs an "army" because he is going to be punished. The "ghosts", either the family of the dead "he", or demons will punish him for his crime of murder.
    The second part is harder to fit, possibly this occurred before the murder. The "deepest desires" was his violent urges

    We, we only know what we see
    'Cause we're always fast asleep
    Is it so hard not to believe
    That we'll never know
    Perhaps this is the people who will find them, they'll "never know" why the murder-suicide took place. They're reluctant to accept the truth or keep searching for some meaning behind the action.
    Either way I integrate this I can't help but see this verse as a filler

    Oh, hold, hold, hold
    Hold me close
    I've never been this far from home
    Hold, hold, hold me close
    Is he regretting what he's just done? Is he scared, terrified or the implications? Is he even requesting for the dead to hold him close?
    If we consider this as purely a song about insomnia, nightmares and fear then this is easy to interpret but if we take my darker ideas then this verse gets terrifying.

    They're in my head
    And I have said
    That I must be like you now
    Who sleeps alone
    Who sleeps alone
    And one last chance
    To make sense
    Of what has long escaped us
    He sleeps alone
    I sleep alone
    There we go then, he's tortured by his actions, dreams, inner conscience and guilt. He decides he is going to have to "be like him", the dead one, he decides he must kill himself. Perhaps he believes that death will bring "sense", will bring answers and peace to his clearly broken mind.

    And I don't know if in the morning I will be here
    And if so
    Let it be known
    That I was worthy, I was worthy, I was worthy, I was
    Either this is set before the murder and he doesn't know if the "him" that people know, the sane, normal him will be there. He doesn't know if he's going to become dangerous and do something horrible
    Or it is afterwards, he's going to kill himself and he won't be there for the simple reason that he will be dead. The fact that he was "worthy" is difficult to fit in with a murder-suicide. But if we take it as simply someone driven to suicide then they are easily "worthy" because they haven't done owt wrong


    All in all it is a brilliant and wonderful song, I love the manic drumming
    Flag KinkyDoxon June 12, 2013   Link
  • +10
    My Interpretation:Hiding from reality. Swimming in his own sleeping thoughts in search of enlightenment. While it seems he needs or wishes for company or companionship, he realizes all along that he and his journey are one in the same, and nothing is real because it's in his mind. He discovers the purpose of life is to discover and actualize the deepest desires of his/our minds [though maybe simply understanding them is enough imho]. He implies that the rest of us are profoundly lost and will never know the depths of what could be, because we are figuratively asleep and oblivious to this fundamental truth.

    It's a tragedy.
    Flag marcusorlon August 25, 2012   Link

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