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When You Dream Lyrics

With life just begun
My sleeping new son
Has eyes that roll back in his head
They flutter and dart
He slows down his heart
And pictures a world past his bed

It’s hard to believe
As I watch you breathe
Your mind drifts and weaves

When you dream
What do you dream about

When you dream
What do you dream about

Do you dream about music
Or mathematics
Or planets too far for the eye?

Do you dream about Jesus
Or quantum mechanics
Or angels who sing lullabyes?

His fontanelle pulses
With lives that he’s lived
With memories he’ll learn to ignore
And when it is closed
He already knows
He’s forgotten all he knew before

But when sleep sets in
History begins
But the future will win

When you dream
What do you dream about?

When you dream
What do you dream about?

Are they colored or black and white
Yiddish or English or languages not yet conceived?
Are they silent or boisterous?
Do you hear noises
Just loud enough to be perceived?

Do you hear Del Shannons "Runaway"
Playing on transistor radio waves?
With so little experience
You might not get cognicent
Are you wise beyond your few days?

When you dream
What do you dream about?
(REPEAT CHORUS)
16 Meanings

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Cover art for When You Dream lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

It's about reincarnation. When you accept reincarnation as a simple fact, you end up wondering who every baby used to be, because no one seems to be new.

Cover art for When You Dream lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

Why the hell hasn't anyone commented on this song? It's so moving and gentle. It's about the singers newborn son and how he wonders what goes on inside the child's mind before he grows up and forgets it all. Anyone here listen to Jimmy Eat World? You should, if you like BNL. Their styles are different, but they do very well with catchy tunes and harmonies and also with lots of different instruments in their songs, rather than just Guitar, bass, drums.

Cover art for When You Dream lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

Yeah? I'll check 'em out then.

Cover art for When You Dream lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

Oh yeah, let us know what you think of MF.

Cover art for When You Dream lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

This is the most beautiful song on this CD. One day I'll sing it to my children...

Cover art for When You Dream lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

hype doesn't really matter to me. if the music's good (and boy is it good) i like them

Cover art for When You Dream lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

i love this song. it is so calming and peaceful, it's just such a gentle lullaby and so sweet and thoughtful, i'd like to sing it publicly but i suppose lack of a son would cause me to hold back...there's also the fact that no one can sing it like him...it's just amazing.

Cover art for When You Dream lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

There's no hype in England, but I love the music anyway, so who cares?

Cover art for When You Dream lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

It's too bad no one on this board actually wants to talk about the song. It seems to me to be about reincarnation, where he's wondering what languages the baby dreams in and if he dreams of "Del Shannon's Runaway playing on transistor radio waves." It seems like the idea is that his son is a reincarnated soul and he'll forget his past lives as he ages.

Cover art for When You Dream lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

this song is beautiful, i ;ove listening to this song when im feeling down, its so good this is the type of song i would want played as i am being layed to rest when i have died. a beautiful song ;)

 
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