Ask me anything you like
I'll reveal everything
I will treasure the truth
You could know anything
I am but a fool to play unaware of things
If I'd treasured the truth
I would tell it to you
I'm coming down to tell you what I know
To say what's real, to let you know
Where I have been and how I had to

Sleep on needles
You'll believe you are hard
Sleep on needles
And hear only the truth

Am I likely to succeed with the way things are?
Judging by your smile
You are holding something back
I'm sleepless around midnight
There's a change in the wind
The remembrance of things you used to hold back
I come around each time your notes are high
To tear you down and drag you up
To let you know what's going on while I

Sleep on needles
You'll believe you are hard
Sleep on needles
And hear only the truth


Lyrics submitted by rjbucs28

Sleep on Needles Lyrics as written by Sondre Lerche Vaular

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Sleep On Needles song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

17 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    Dude...you guys are all wrong. Here's the deal. This girl cheated on him long ago and he took her back, wholeheartedly. He tries his best to fully trust her in the early lines like he used to: "Ask me anything you like I'll reveal everything I will treasure the truth You could know anything I am but a fool to play unaware of things If I'd treasured the truth I would tell it to you I'm coming down to tell you what I know To say what's real, to let you know Where I have been and how I had to"

    Then, he starts getting suspicious again and he realizes that she's back to her old ways and she's cheating on him again:

    "Am I likely to succeed with the way things are? Judging by your smile You are holding something back I'm sleepless around midnight There's a change in the wind The remembrance of things you used to hold back I come around each time your notes are high To tear you down and drag you up To let you know what's going on while I"

    Those lines "I'm sleepless around midnight, there's a change in the wind." That totally shows that he's suspicious that she's doing it again....he gave his wholehearted trust (begrudgingly) to her once again and he is furious that he's having the same suspicions. This sucks for him...she cheated on him, he took her back, and she cheated on him again. :-(

    rrgreentreeon May 14, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    AHHH! this is impossible. no one has commented on this song! well, Sondre Lerche is not as well known as he should be, because he is BRILLIANT. Kudos to Sondre Lerche, and this wonderful, beautiful song.

    xinxwinterxon July 04, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Sondre Lerche is a definate hottie and i cannot wait to see him in concert with Jason Mraz in August! AHHHH 2 HOTTIES IN ONE SHOW??? CRAZINESS!!

    Saraht1102on July 07, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    oh lord...

    smallthoughtson May 17, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    wow sarah wow... sondre is amazing but i think you need to take a chill pill, not everything is loks, especially in music

    wilcokidon November 07, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    man.. uh.. sarah darlin... no one has said "hottie" since 7th grade, and incidentally, really, music isnt about looks... its about music... you cant see what they look like when you're listening to a cd.

    if you're going for their looks, you should be ashamed, darling... simmer, it'll be okay.

    great song, by the way..

    pikachu1559on January 07, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    additionally, the live version of this song on the "dont be shallow" ep is incredible. gotta love the man.

    pikachu1559on January 07, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i love the way this song sounds when he sings it. im not the surest on what it means though. but yes i agress he is hot, i wonder when he is coming to the states to play shows?

    lovtolovyaon January 24, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think it's about how he's sleepless at night thinking about a girl, feeling pain comparable to sleeping on needles, and how his love is so strong and true that he wishes to know what's real in life. It seems he wants to let her know what's going on in his life and what he feels and has to go through each and every night with her on his mind. I dunno for sure really, just my interpretation/rambling

    suclid003on April 02, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i may be missing some hidden/deeper/esoteric meaning somewhere, any thoughts?

    suclid003on April 05, 2005   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
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Just A Little Lovin'
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/
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.