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It's A Dream Lyrics
In the morning when I wake up and listen to the sound
Of the birds outside on the roof
I try to ignore what the paper says
And I try not to read all the news
And I'll hold you if you had a bad dream
And I hope it never comes true
'Cause you and I been through so many things together
And the sun starts climbing the roof
It's a dream
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
It's only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay
The Red River stills flows through my home town
Rollin' and tumblin' on its way
Swirling around the old bridge pylons
Where a boy fishes the morning away
His bicycle leans on an oak tree
While the cars rumble over his head
An aeroplane leaves a trail in an empty blue sky
And the young birds call out to be fed
It's a dream
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
It's only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay
An old man walks along on the sidewalk
Sunglasses and an old Stetson hat
The four winds blow the back of his overcoat away
As he stops with the policeman to chat
And a train rolls out of the station
That was really somethin' in its day
Picking up speed on the straight prairie rails
As it carries the passengers away
It's gone
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
Only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay
It's a dream
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
It's only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay
It's a dream
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
Of the birds outside on the roof
I try to ignore what the paper says
And I try not to read all the news
And I'll hold you if you had a bad dream
And I hope it never comes true
'Cause you and I been through so many things together
And the sun starts climbing the roof
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
It's only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay
Rollin' and tumblin' on its way
Swirling around the old bridge pylons
Where a boy fishes the morning away
His bicycle leans on an oak tree
While the cars rumble over his head
An aeroplane leaves a trail in an empty blue sky
And the young birds call out to be fed
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
It's only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay
Sunglasses and an old Stetson hat
The four winds blow the back of his overcoat away
As he stops with the policeman to chat
And a train rolls out of the station
That was really somethin' in its day
Picking up speed on the straight prairie rails
As it carries the passengers away
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
Only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
It's only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
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I've never been a huge Neil Young fan but this song is simply beautiful, almost trancendental.
The lyrics mesh perfectly with his yearning tone.
The chorus,
"It's a dream Only a dream And it's fading now Fading away "
rings even more powerfully considering Young's advanced age.
Couldn't stop listening to it.....
The verses are just snapshots in time, which to the speaker are like dreams... Just as dreams escape us when we awake, so do our memories as we age. And when we die, they no longer have anywhere to stay.
beautiful song. lyrics are just amazing.
Not to nitpick, but the line:
"Swirling around the old bridge pylons"
is actually:
"Swirling around the old bridge pilings".
This one makes me instantly sad (but still can't stop listening).
I love Neil. But, I don't WANT the dream to fade. I am fighting that, for sure. And I don't like the part about "without anywhere to stay" because it is permanently lodged in my heart and my head. This song tugs at my fragile emotions.....
This song is about consoling someone who had a bad dream, and bringing them back to reality. The bad dream isn't real - look at everything around you. Those descriptions of the world around him aren't memories, but they are evidence that life continues normally, despite the bad dream - which was "only a dream."
I suspect that Neil's father's battle with dementia had a lot to do with this song. When you care for someone with Alzheimer's or something similar, you're forced to face the reality that not even memories are permanent.
This song is so heart-achingly beautiful because it reminds us what a wonderful world we live in, but also that everything we know and love will eventually fade away.
I saw him perform this song on SNL, and he had Hippie Dream written on a card tucked into the side of his hat. Does he think that the hippy generation's values are only a dream now? I hope not.