The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Well there's a dreamer in my dreams
Swinging from the beams
With light shining off the snow
Well there's a singer in my heart
Burning up my charts
With songs about things we all know
Well there's a blister on his brain
That's driving him insane
Cause all good things they gotta go
Well there's a child on the way
It could be any day
But how this life will change him
That we don't know
Well there's a child on the way
Gonna look just like him
One day, he's gonna say
"Ain't you my dad?"
Then he's gonna look down and smile
And after a while, he'll say,
"That's for sure, cause you got my eyes."
Well there's a dreamer in my dreams,
He's hanging from the beams
With a light shining off the snow
There's a blister on his brain
It's driving him insane
And all good things have to go
Alright
There's a dreamer in my dreams
Swinging from the beams
With a light shining off the lake
Well I know I've made mistakes
I'm passing them on
But I hope he gets up before dawn
Alright
(Yeah, that's it)
There's a dreamer in my dreams
Climbing up the back
Of a car they used to call a Cadillac
It's got a brand new set of keys
It's got a new look, it's got a new look
And he's gonna, he's gonna take it all the way
(I'm leaving)
There's a dreamer in my dreams
Swinging from the beams
All jacked up in my garage
He's hanging from a belt
He don't know what he's done
Just don't forget to say goodbye when he's gone
(That's it!)
Swinging from the beams
With light shining off the snow
Well there's a singer in my heart
Burning up my charts
With songs about things we all know
Well there's a blister on his brain
That's driving him insane
Cause all good things they gotta go
Well there's a child on the way
It could be any day
But how this life will change him
That we don't know
Well there's a child on the way
Gonna look just like him
One day, he's gonna say
"Ain't you my dad?"
Then he's gonna look down and smile
And after a while, he'll say,
"That's for sure, cause you got my eyes."
Well there's a dreamer in my dreams,
He's hanging from the beams
With a light shining off the snow
There's a blister on his brain
It's driving him insane
And all good things have to go
Alright
There's a dreamer in my dreams
Swinging from the beams
With a light shining off the lake
Well I know I've made mistakes
I'm passing them on
But I hope he gets up before dawn
Alright
(Yeah, that's it)
There's a dreamer in my dreams
Climbing up the back
Of a car they used to call a Cadillac
It's got a brand new set of keys
It's got a new look, it's got a new look
And he's gonna, he's gonna take it all the way
(I'm leaving)
There's a dreamer in my dreams
Swinging from the beams
All jacked up in my garage
He's hanging from a belt
He don't know what he's done
Just don't forget to say goodbye when he's gone
(That's it!)
Lyrics submitted by OwnPersonalDemon
Dreamer in My Dreams Lyrics as written by Jeffrey Scott Tweedy Jeff Tweedy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Maybe I take a very negative view of Wilco songs but I read this one to be Tweedy writing about the effect that fatherhood is going to have on his lifestyle and his songwriting. Just as he's starting to get comfortable in his own skin, here comes this child which threatens to shake it all up and rearrange his life.
As a father of two, I know exactly what that felt like.