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Sleep Lyrics

so you got the blues
the evening wore out your shoes

to a shuffling beat
it's a colorful crowd
spraycan information
cover the lonely station
checkpoint for the state of the nation

on the missionbeat beat
the radio drug
wayward destination
secondhand sensation

take this heart
break this heart
and wrap it up

in the back of the cell
the plug and the cord
shoulder dislocation
bruised in isolation

take this heart
break this heart
and give me some sleep

in the eye of the storm
writing on walls
cross my heart confusion
we're all looking for a new solution

it's the heat of the land
swallowing sweat
say those dreams can shake me
dawn come down and save me

take this heart
break this heart
and give me some sleep
4 Meanings

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Cover art for Sleep lyrics by Midnight Oil

this is my favorite oils song, but i'm not sure what it's about. all i know is the "missionbeat" was (is?) an assistance thing for the homeless in sydney (so they walked the missionbeat beat). maybe it's a series of vignettes like an old blues song, tied together by a theme.

Cover art for Sleep lyrics by Midnight Oil

A prisoner: 1) tortured with electrocution improvised from a broken lamp (see Three Kings movie or School of the Americas manuals) 2) a dislocated shoulder from beatings 3) in solitary confinement

"In the back of the cell The plug and the cord Shoulder dislocation Bruised in isolation"

Almost every song on this album breaks my hear.

My Interpretation
Cover art for Sleep lyrics by Midnight Oil

A song about the marginalised in society.

Cover art for Sleep lyrics by Midnight Oil

The second verse:- "spraycan information cover the lonely station checkpoint for the state of the nation"

Refers to graffitists who paint topical political slogans at deserted rail stations - the visual equivalent of some Oil's songs if you like.

 
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