Standing by my window, breathing summer breeze
Saw a figure floating, 'neath the willow trees
Asked us if we were happy, we said we didn't know
Took us by the hands and up we go

We followed the dreamer through the purple hazy clouds
He could control our sense of time
We thought we were lost but no matter how we tried
Everyone was in peace of mind

We felt the sensations drift inside our frames
Finding complete contentment there
And all the tensions that hurt us in the past
Just seemed to vanish in thin air

He said in the cosmos is a single sonic sound
That is vibrating constantly
And if we could grip and hold on to the note
We would see our minds were free, oh they're free

We are lost above
Floating way up high
If you think you can find a way
You can surely try


Lyrics submitted by Idan

Dreamer Deceiver Lyrics as written by Glenn Tipton Alan Atkins

Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Peermusic Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Dreamer Deceiver song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

25 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +4
    General Comment
    dood, that is really weird that no one has posted anything on this song... this song is by far one of priests BEST songs.... i absolutely love this song, i think its about a man who is gawking and gazing around the landscape when he notices someone under a tree hence the verse "Neat the willow tree" the figure then goes on to ask the man if they are happy the man in return replies "We dont know." I think that is meaning he is not happy about his life, maybe he committed suicide there... that is up for you to decide then the figure takes him up through the clouds. I think it was an angel that took the man who committed suicide up to heaven. In other terms a man dies and is guided towards heaven by an angel and spends eternity in heaven. OVERALL: love the song!
    pinkfloyd_atreyuon December 01, 2004   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation
    Glad to see someone (more than one actually) pegged acid in these lyrics. Hendrix used the phrase Purple Haze (across my eyes) I have it on good authority drops in the eyes were an effective way to "drop" (eye drops?) acid. I never did it though. Historically acid was discovered in the lab when it accidentally found its way into Dr. Hoffman's eye or was absorbed through the fingers, depending on who tells the story. Just think he had no idea. Did it again though. The second time he thought he was quite insane then calmed down. Not my bag though. For myself I abstained not for moral reasons, just plain fear. My nightmares and daymares were bad enough I thought, not to need chemical enhancement.
    Dancyron February 16, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    This song is gothic in a beautiful way. Plug into the positive vibrations of the universe and you shall find peace of mind and contentment of the dreamer. Beware of the negative energy of the deceiver. The guitar solo is total bliss. The song has such a lonely feeling to it that is so emotionally bittersweet like the best notes ever played. Bittersweet like everyday life. Take the sweet with the sour and you may find a happy ending I hope, my friend.
    jon1043377on June 26, 2016   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Good thought PF_A ... Rob's voice gives me chills in many different parts of the song ... you really hear the wide range Rob has. Yes, one of Priest's best
    Freshly Bakedon January 27, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Definitely one of their best songs, if not one of THE best songs ever. Hard to tell what it's about, but it seems like whoever is narrating has been tricked by this dreamer deciever, and hence it leads right into the more angry deciever.
    dogboggleron April 29, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Ok, idea just formed, this song could easily be about drugs, and how they may seem to free your mind and make you fly... until you get addicted and realise that all they do is control you.
    dogboggleron April 29, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Man what a great song. The willow tree is oft referred to as the (weeping) willow. The figure floating there is likely the writers own dark/depressed side yearning to be freed. However there is another possible interpretation here:libraryofmoria.com/legolaselladan/… The willow tree has historically been seen as a mystic/spiritual expression of nature giving creedence to the belief that trees have souls, or are living examples of the human mind (because of their shape.).....Not an explanation, but just some food for thought about the song. Enjoy!
    SeattleWayneon June 27, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    This is surely the most enigmatic, mysterious song ever written by Judas Priest. That may not sound like it's saying much but it certainly contains very enigmatic lyrics (the song is beautiful too). It's kind of too easy to say a song is about drugs but this very much seems like it is, it mentions many strange effects that drugs may cause. The 'dreamer deceiver' could easily be a drug because he is deceiving the protagonist into believing he is dreaming. In reality he is tripping, and he is bound to not be where he thinks he is...he's been fooled. 'No matter how we tried, everyone was in peace of mind'...perhaps an attempt to break out of this stupor that's failed? Instead he's taken to a place of false security and then it's too late, he can't escape... 'We are lost above Floating way up high If you think you can find a way You can surely try' ^ He's now caught in this state thanks to being deceived by the drugs/dreamer deceiver. At least my interpretation as someone that doesn't like drugs so much.
    mrpieeateron September 13, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    This is a fantasy oriented song, I haven't figured out why he is deceived though. Maybe he was cheated out of his dream? It would make sense since in Epitaph...well look up Epitaph I kinda explain it's full meaning there.
    Black_Sabathon June 06, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    i think it is a song about meditation. getting enlightened.
    joaosousaon July 24, 2010   Link

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

Album art
Zombie
Cranberries, The
"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference. "Another head hangs lowly Child is slowly taken And the violence caused such silence Who are we mistaken - Another mother's breaking Heart is taking over" Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead. "But you see it's not me It's not my family" References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.
Album art
Anti-Hero
Taylor Swift
I believe this is another amazingly on point and nuanced commentary on the insanity that follows emotionally abusive relationships. The abuser has no anxieties, no emotional pain, or salience/memory for that matter, so the survivor appears to be the crazy one, obsessed with the abuse and that buzzword that seems to ignite arguments about diagnosing people without a degree, etc. funny how you say the words domestic violence, abuse, abuse survivor and boom the subject changes. Anyways, I especially relate to her midnights becoming afternoons, complex PTSD often leads to this phenomenon, whether due to purposeful sleep deprivation by the abuser, or just hyper vigilance associated with the PTSD, along with the fear of facing people, especially your loved ones, who Never actually understand, even if they try, because all they see is you, on fire, screaming about the arsonist that no one ever sees, and who has been spreading lies about your alleged mental instability, deceptive personality, etc. the whole time. While the last thing survivors need is more blame, our society supports a narrative that blames the objectively innocent party because the blatantly guilty party has spent their entire lives fabricating a persona and we’re just being human, and human psychology is quite counterintuitive especially in the context of trauma. Look at Amber Heard. Vilified and not believed, regardless of what any abuse survivor could recognize as a fellow survivor instantly. But Johnny depp is a malignant narcissist, a man, and wealthy as all get out. It’s sick.
Album art
Me and Johnny
Matt Paxton
Moyet later described how her song "Goodbye 70's" had been inspired by her disillusionment with how the late-1970s punk scene had turned out, saying, "'Goodbye 70's' is about punk and not caring how you were dressed, and then I discovered that so many of my friends that I'd thought it all really meant something to just saw it as another trend... That's what 'Goodbye 70's' was all about, about how sour the whole thing became."
Album art
Loved by You
Justin Bieber
The fourteenth track, "Loved By You" of the singer's latest studio album titled "Justice", was produced by Josh Gudwin, Skrillex, Jason Evigan & LeriQ. It was released on March 19, 2021.
Album art
Still Luv
Kennedy Rd.
This standout song off her eponymously named album was produced by AVB & Itsashleetho and released on December 28, 2020.