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.
When you sleep,
No one is homeless.
When you sleep,
You can't feel the hunger.
When you sleep,
No one is lonely in a dream.
Without classes,
Without nations
When you sleep,
She's standing there with open arms,
And one night could last forever,
And if you asked her,
She'd never let go,
And you'd stay forever
And the sun's always rising
In the sky somewhere,
And if young hearts should explode
From all the lies they've been told
Let the new night bring you peace
And the promise of tomorrow,
Where we can wake to a new beginning.
Tomorrow I'll all but have lost their faces
My friends and family,
Memories of all we had
And the times we should have lived,
And tomorrow America just might fall apart.
Tomorrow, tell me,
Where will you wake up?
Beyond title, beyond these careers and laws,
Something more than borders on a map
And the sun's always rising in the sky somewhere,
And if young hearts should explode
From all the lies they've been told
To live through one night like this,
I would trade it for the silence
No one is homeless.
When you sleep,
You can't feel the hunger.
When you sleep,
No one is lonely in a dream.
Without classes,
Without nations
When you sleep,
She's standing there with open arms,
And one night could last forever,
And if you asked her,
She'd never let go,
And you'd stay forever
And the sun's always rising
In the sky somewhere,
And if young hearts should explode
From all the lies they've been told
Let the new night bring you peace
And the promise of tomorrow,
Where we can wake to a new beginning.
Tomorrow I'll all but have lost their faces
My friends and family,
Memories of all we had
And the times we should have lived,
And tomorrow America just might fall apart.
Tomorrow, tell me,
Where will you wake up?
Beyond title, beyond these careers and laws,
Something more than borders on a map
And the sun's always rising in the sky somewhere,
And if young hearts should explode
From all the lies they've been told
To live through one night like this,
I would trade it for the silence
Lyrics submitted by fugazifathead
8 Full Hours of Sleep Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
this song is amazing - perfect ending for a fabulous cd. "i would trade it... for the silence...." leaves you with the feeling of absolute, final, and ending.
word.
against me! is awesome. anyone catch 'em live? amazing.
i think the suns always rising in the sky somewhere is a fantastic line. Its good in the fact that tomorrow is a new day but its also bad in the fact that you have to wake up from the dream ur having. the opposing themes are beautiful.
This song is awesome.
this song is so so good.
just...so good.
I agree with these_Chains. The ending is amazing. This song simply put is about...when you sleep how its really such an escape from the truths of the world homelessnses, hunger, lonlieness, lies, social classes, nations, etc.
Oh yes, one of the finest closing songs for its album I've heard to date. Others that come to mind are "GGF" on Rancid's 2000 s/t, the title track on Oasis' b-side collection disc 'The Masterplan', "Minstrel Boy" on Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros' 'Global a Go-Go' record and "Silver and Gold" from 'Streetcore', but yeah, sorry to go off topic, I just had to qive a quick mention to those classic album closers as "8 Full Hours of Sleep" is.
Music that means something.
absolutely my favorite against me song. beautiful.
"And if young hearts should explode... from all the lies they've been told"
So fucking powerful. That line gives me chills every time.